Graphics Card Upgradation on old pc

[debnathadjraktim]

I want to buy a directx11 supported graphics card for my old pc, upgrading pc isn't an option right now. PC specs are-
CPU- Core 2 Duo E7500 2.9Ghz (can't change)
Motherboard- Gigabyte S series G31M-ES2C (can't change)
Ram- 4GB DDR2 (can't change)
PSU- 450W (can't change)
GPU- GT730/GT1030 (looking to buy)
Monitor- Samsung S19F350 (1366*768) (can't change)

for GT 730, I like this https://mdcomputers.in/zotac-gt-730-4gb-ddr3-lp-zone-zt...

for GT 1030, I like this https://mdcomputers.in/gigabyte-gt-1030-2gb-gddr5-lp-gv...

This is my motherboard specs https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-G31M-ES2C-rev-2...

Now, tell me what should I buy without getting any problem, and does my monitor has port to support the GT 1030 card?
Please help!

 

[herrwizo]

Your mobo does have a PCI-e slot, so any of the GPUs you chose should work. I say *should*, because BIOS on your board is very old (newest version is from 2010) and there is a slim chance that the board won't recognise such a new card (happened for some people, but it mostly works). No other way but try and see.

Your monitor only has VGA connector. You will either have to buy a separate DVI-D to VGA (active!) adapter or simply get a different version of the card which already includes VGA output, like this one:

https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/zotac-geforce-gt-1030-2gb-gddr5-hdmi-vga-low-profile

When buying 1030, double check that it is a GDDR5 version!

 

[debnathadjraktim]

Your mobo does have a PCI-e slot, so any of the GPUs you chose should work. I say *should*, because BIOS on your board is very old (newest version is from 2010) and there is a slim chance that the board won't recognise such a new card (happened for some people, but it mostly works). No other way but try and see.

Your monitor only has VGA connector. You will either have to buy a separate DVI-D to VGA (active!) adapter or simply get a different version of the card which already includes VGA output, like this one:

https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/zotac-geforce-gt-1030-2gb-gddr5-hdmi-vga-low-profile

When buying 1030, double check that it is a GDDR5 version!

What about the PCi-e 2.0 and PCI-e 3.0? I think my mobo PCI-e is 2.0, will it support PCI-e 3.0 card like GT 1030, that you have mentioned? I have little knowledge about this. Plz clarify.

 

[herrwizo]

Any PCI-e 3.0 card is backwards compatible with 2.0, so no issues. It also won't hold back any performance, since even PCI-E 1.0 has several times more bandwidth available than 1030 can actually use. Nothing to worry about on that part.

 

[debnathadjraktim]

Any PCI-e 3.0 card is backwards compatible with 2.0, so no issues. It also won't hold back any performance, since even PCI-E 1.0 has several times more bandwidth available than 1030 can actually use. Nothing to worry about on that part.

Oh I see! Many thanks .
Btw will I be facing any bottleneck/cpu side issue while playing games like Fortnite/CSGO on GT 1030, currently I can't play directx11 games as my current card is 9400GT, if yes, then should I go for GT 730/GT 710?

 

[herrwizo]

This CPU will bottleneck whatever you play with virtually any modern GPU today, but you should still be OK with 1030 in games you mentioned. A better GPU like this will allow you to use better details, but the maximum fps you will see will most likely be limited by your CPU.

You could pull out even more performance by upgrading the CPU. If you decide to do so, your best option is probably Core 2 Quad Q9550 / Q9650, both of which can be found pretty cheap these days (2nd hand mostly). But that is quite pointless since you can only have 4GB of memory anyway...

 

[debnathadjraktim]

This CPU will bottleneck whatever you play with virtually any modern GPU today, but you should still be OK with 1030 in games you mentioned. A better GPU like this will allow you to use better details, but the maximum fps you will see will most likely be limited by your CPU.

You could pull out even more performance by upgrading the CPU. If you decide to do so, your best option is probably Core 2 Quad Q9550 / Q9650, both of which can be found pretty cheap these days (2nd hand mostly). But that is quite pointless since you can only have 4GB of memory anyway...

Oh I see! Ya, my motherboard only supports RAM upto 4GB, btw what does bottleneck mean? Is it that my CPU memory will be 100% all time or something else?

 

[herrwizo]

That your CPU will be 100% most of the time, yeah... but that depends on the games you play. Older ones should be fine. Also the games which are not demanding on the CPU.

 

[debnathadjraktim]

That your CPU will be 100% most of the time, yeah... but that depends on the games you play. Older ones should be fine. Also the games which are not demanding on the CPU.

Most of the times? You mean even when I am watching any video or doing other works on pc?

 

[debnathadjraktim]

That your CPU will be 100% most of the time, yeah... but that depends on the games you play. Older ones should be fine. Also the games which are not demanding on the CPU.

Hello! Plz reply.

 

[herrwizo]

Most of the time while playing CPU-intensive games, of course. Nothing else will change.

 

[debnathadjraktim]

Most of the time while playing CPU-intensive games, of course. Nothing else will change.

Many thanks to you . Btw I visited computer shop with my pc and they told me that I shouldn't buy anything more than GT 710 on this motherboard as I have core 2 duo E7500 2.9ghz and DDR2 ram, they also told me that I should buy GT 710 ddr3 not gddr5 on this motherboard, can you plz advice me on this. They told me that they can assure me of not having any problem with upgradation according to them.

 

[herrwizo]

You can use 1030 without any issues, and GT710 is honestly horrible in all aspects, good for nothing more than watching youtube and surfing. Type of memory on GPU has nothing to do with your motherboard or compatibility, you can freely use GDDR5 card.

GT710 can hardly be considered an upgrade even over integrated graphics, it is that bad.

 

[debnathadjraktim]

You can use 1030 without any issues, and GT710 is honestly horrible in all aspects, good for nothing more than watching youtube and surfing. Type of memory on GPU has nothing to do with your motherboard or compatibility, you can freely use GDDR5 card.

GT710 can hardly be considered an upgrade even over integrated graphics, it is that bad.

Oh I see, many thanks bro. I was very confused, then I will aim for GT 1030 gddr5. Hope it doesn't cause me any problem.

 

[herrwizo]

It won't. The "worst" that can happen is that it might not be recignized by your BIOS, but this is very rare. Besides, you could always exchange it when buying new even if that happens.

 

[debnathadjraktim]

It won't. The "worst" that can happen is that it might not be recignized by your BIOS, but this is very rare. Besides, you could always exchange it when buying new even if that happens.

many thanks bro.