Graphics card for HP 500-123w

[Texancowboy22]

Hey guys, I know I touched on this in one of my earlier threads, but I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for a decent graphics card to put in my machine?

 

[Texancowboy22]

games im trying to run: Civilization V, Sims 3, europa universalis iv, Anno 1404, red alert 3

 

[rgd1101]

gtx 750 ti

 

[breakfastdude]

Without changing the power supply (300 W), to be on the safe side, it would be wise to choose a graphics card that doesn't require an external pcie power connector (meaning it consumes less than 75 W). That said, the best performing card that fits the description in the market today would be Nvidia's GTX 750 Ti. If this doesn't fit your budget, another decent option would be the GTX 750. On the AMD side of things, there's the HD 7750.

 

[Texancowboy22]

oh, im updating to a 550 watt psu too

 

[Texancowboy22]

but i need somthing small (like 6 inches) to fit the case. its not a tiny case, but its not huge either

 

[Texancowboy22]

gtx 750 ti

Ok, i see there is a relativly small one for 160 dollars. however, the card only has like 1 gig of memory. My current on-board card has 1.6 gig according to dxdiag. does this mean the new card will be a downgrade?

 

[breakfastdude]

Nope, it will still be a huge upgrade over your Intel integrated graphics. Graphics card performance should not be measured by how much video memory it has. Furthermore, the Intel integrated graphics uses system RAM as video memory, whereas the 750 Ti has its own memory (which is also a lot faster: GDDR5 vs DDR3). There's just no comparison between your current Intel integrated graphics and the 750 Ti.
If you're going the 750 Ti route, you won't need to upgrade your PSU. With a non-cheapo 550W PSU though, you can go as far as a GTX 680, but cards in this class are usually quite huge (10" or more). So if you're looking for a small graphics card, chances are, you won't be needing the PSU upgrade.

 

[Texancowboy22]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8906804&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&cm_mmc_o=mH4CjC7BBTkwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=CNX60cqu4bwCFa9j7AodkgYA5g

Ok, heres a card I like. Good card, or no? says it needs a 400 w psu, so i might as well upgrade, huh? or can it still run on 300?

anyway, im also gonna upgrade my cpu as well, so i guess ill go ahead and get a new psu

 

[breakfastdude]

You're right. You would need to upgrade your PSU, too, especially if you're gonna upgrade your CPU as well. Just make sure you get a decent PSU, not the no-name cheapo ones that can cause you problems in the future. What CPU are you going to get?
That would be a good card, by the way.

 

[Texancowboy22]

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2028546/power-supply.html#12694645

the i5 blackird recommended. i currently dont have enough money for both the graphics card and cpu, so im buying them 1 at a time.

Anyway, what games could i run on that card? And by run, I mean high-max settings lol

 

[breakfastdude]

If you're purely after gaming, I suggest you throw most of your budget on your GPU + PSU upgrade. The CPU upgrade will help, but not as much as a good GPU. For now, I think the best-performing compact GPU is this:
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-N760-2GD5-OC-ITX/dp/B00HPS4B00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393131544&sr=8-1&keywords=gtx+760+mini

With a GTX 750 Ti, you won't be able to max out current games (BF4, Crysis 3, Metro: LL, etc) at 1080p. You may be able to get off with High settings though. But I think you would be able to max out the games you mentioned, as they're not that intensive. With the GTX 760 though, you can do a lot, lot more.

 

[caj]

Whats your processor ? So far suggestions are 7750 , 7770 750ti

 

[Texancowboy22]

i3 duel core with hyper threading

And 760 is a great card, but it requires a power cable. I dont have an extra one in my computer. will the new psu come with one?

 

[caj]

Yes and in that case 750ti

 

[Texancowboy22]

so 750ti ot 760ti? im getting the 550 watt psu that blackbird recommended in my other thread.

 

[breakfastdude]

so 750ti ot 760ti? im getting the 550 watt psu that blackbird recommended in my other thread.

I suggest the MSI GTX 760 mini. The power supply suggested will work, it has the required connectors for the GPU.

 

[Texancowboy22]

http://www.provantage.com/xfx-p1550sxxb9~7PINE0MN.htm (i think this is the PSU... hope it fits)

 

[Texancowboy22]

so with the 760, i can easily play those games even with an i3 core cpu and only 12 gig ram, right?

 

[breakfastdude]

Yes, that PSU will fit.

Btw, here's another link to the GTX 760 mini:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127772

The i3 will have no problem handling those games. And 12 gigs of ram is actually a lot, for games.

 

[Texancowboy22]

ok, ill order both come firday when i get paid. heres hoping lol

 

[Texancowboy22]

but can a 550w psu support both the graphics card and a new processor?

 

[Texancowboy22]

is there a 600 watt psu that will fit this case? i just wanan be sure i have enough power

 

[caj]

A good quality 550 or 600w psu posb silver or gold will easily. I3 not very taxing processor on tdp. Mayb a i5 or i7 k editions can use quite a reasonable amount of power.

 

[Texancowboy22]

im updating to an i5 soon. I mean, i wanna make sure i can run these game (and more on FULL settings)