Question Graphics Card?

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Bleedin fingers

Apr 30, 2024
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GRAPHICS CARD
I’m looking for some advice to upgrade my pc to be the best gaming pc it can. I have an asrock A320M-HDV r4.0 board with 16GB DDR4 ram My processor is Athlon 3000G. And my graphics slot is PCIe3x16
I’m looking at upgrading to at least a Ryzen 7 and want to know which graphics card is best for my system. Can I run a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GDDR5X card on the upgraded processor with my current other components (also I have a 4TB ssd)
 
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I ended up getting Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 XT Nitro+ 8GB GDDR6 graphics card, a Ryzen 7 5700X (8C/16T @ 3.4GHz) AM4 and Corsair RM750e PSU.
May I return to this thread for some tips and advise when the stuff arrives and I’m ready to install everything?
And I just want to say thanks again for the advice. You’ve no doubt saved me a good few quid, a few weeks of buying and returning incorrect parts and untold frustration trying to get it right. Sincerely, thank you.
 
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No worried. The good news is that atx is a standard, the micro atx board should accept the psu no issues. Only issue you may have is fitting the gpu into your case. But the 6600xt usually a fairly smallish card.

Make sure when you get the cpu especially, before installing it, check the motherboard manufacturer’s website. You should be able to download and install the latest bios there. Some boards you will need to install a bridge bios. In other words you may need to install a bios version that then will give capabilities to update to the latest one which will be what the new cpu needs.

If I’m right, is this your board?

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/A320M-HDV R4.0/index.asp#BIOS

When you install things this may be a good way to go.

1. Update the bios. You might need a USB drive.—-if I’m reading correctly, you need

A- install bios version 7.00 as a bridge bios.
B-remove the athlon cpu
C- install the ryzen 5700x
D-upgrade to the latest bios

2. Power it up and test
3. Install the new power supply
4. Install the new gpu. Use ddu to remove old gpu drivers and install the latest ones from amd.com

Note, happened to think of it, I don’t believe the 5700x ships with a cooler, I don’t think the athlon cooler will be adequate. Maybe something like a vetroo v5 would do it. Though I like the Thermalright peerless assassin which is likely overkill but looks cool.

However I’m thinking a down firing cooler for that a320 board is a better idea considering the vrms are probably a weak spot Any thoughts folks?

I’m thinking this cooler might be what the dr ordered. Reviews say people have had good luck with the 5800x3d with this cooler so I’d think it would be more than a match for a 5700x.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-AXP120-X67-Profile-Cooler-TL-C12015W-S/dp/B09ZL6CRCD/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?crid=5SEEBS77SFQT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FKtUdF4vktq8dajHPEkZt8fTv4WRaeQrqjk2FwmGy2cUbXBEC8QyYrJU3a-IRCeITqH8TES-EEsVhP_2vqaZxoPG6eP8CAg2LPH_JNaGMgbaJChwz2Kf05gRe-hHEqnXkcml6yLojGgi-IbtjTLiS4xfaJ9rfikDX5yHxJ4khl0tdR2JKhvy1P62a6g43jWxgIl8FWl9qCQZPQMlGQOxjw.oKGLo5PqQnYSMocKfWBVGIk9BXk_UWdQJRzztuxG78k&dib_tag=se&keywords=thermalright+cpu+cooler&qid=1714515668&sprefix=thermalright+cpu+,aps,93&sr=8-19
 
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A downfiring CPU fan isn't really necessary but your wraith stealth from your previous CPU will work in a pinch with a 65w TDP 5700x. I would recommend the ID-COOLING SE-224XT-XTS (easy install only 151mm tall).

​

 
Last edited:
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ohio_buckeye said:
No worried. The good news is that atx is a standard, the micro atx board should accept the psu no issues. Only issue you may have is fitting the gpu into your case. But the 6600xt usually a fairly smallish card.

Make sure when you get the cpu especially, before installing it, check the motherboard manufacturer’s website. You should be able to download and install the latest bios there. Some boards you will need to install a bridge bios. In other words you may need to install a bios version that then will give capabilities to update to the latest one which will be what the new cpu needs.

If I’m right, is this your board?

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/A320M-HDV R4.0/index.asp#BIOS

When you install things this may be a good way to go.

1. Update the bios. You might need a USB drive.—-if I’m reading correctly, you need

A- install bios version 7.00 as a bridge bios.
B-remove the athlon cpu
C- install the ryzen 5700x
D-upgrade to the latest bios

2. Power it up and test
3. Install the new power supply
4. Install the new gpu. Use ddu to remove old gpu drivers and install the latest ones from amd.com

Note, happened to think of it, I don’t believe the 5700x ships with a cooler, I don’t think the athlon cooler will be adequate. Maybe something like a vetroo v5 would do it. Though I like the Thermalright peerless assassin which is likely overkill but looks cool.

However I’m thinking a down firing cooler for that a320 board is a better idea considering the vrms are probably a weak spot Any thoughts folks?

I’m thinking this cooler might be what the dr ordered. Reviews say people have had good luck with the 5800x3d with this cooler so I’d think it would be more than a match for a 5700x.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-AXP120-X67-Profile-Cooler-TL-C12015W-S/dp/B09ZL6CRCD/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?crid=5SEEBS77SFQT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FKtUdF4vktq8dajHPEkZt8fTv4WRaeQrqjk2FwmGy2cUbXBEC8QyYrJU3a-IRCeITqH8TES-EEsVhP_2vqaZxoPG6eP8CAg2LPH_JNaGMgbaJChwz2Kf05gRe-hHEqnXkcml6yLojGgi-IbtjTLiS4xfaJ9rfikDX5yHxJ4khl0tdR2JKhvy1P62a6g43jWxgIl8FWl9qCQZPQMlGQOxjw.oKGLo5PqQnYSMocKfWBVGIk9BXk_UWdQJRzztuxG78k&dib_tag=se&keywords=thermalright+cpu+cooler&qid=1714515668&sprefix=thermalright+cpu+,aps,93&sr=8-19
Click to expand...
Bought it. Brilliant advice. Thankyou.
 
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All of the parts have arrived now. Ryzen 7, Corsair PSU, thermal right apx 120-x67 fan, Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 XT Nitro+ 8GB GDDR6 graphics card, some thermal paste, and a couple of display port to hdmi cables. I’m going to attempt to get it all installed this evening with help from my 16y old. Very exciting, wish me luck!
 
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Bleedin fingers said:
All of the parts have arrived now. Ryzen 7, Corsair PSU, thermal right apx 120-x67 fan, Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 XT Nitro+ 8GB GDDR6 graphics card, some thermal paste, and a couple of display port to hdmi cables. I’m going to attempt to get it all installed this evening with help from my 16y old. Very exciting, wish me luck!
Click to expand...
Good luck! Take your time and have fun.
 
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Good luck! Biggest thing will be updating the bios to the proper version and getting the cpu installed.

Pro tip I learned from someone. When you get ready to remove your old CPU, turn the system on for about 5 minutes to let the older processor heat up, then power down.

Loosen the bracket on the CPU cooler, and twist it side to side to break the seal of the thermal paste, then lift the cooler straight upwards, not at an angle.

When you install the new CPU, there should be a gold arrow on top of the cpu and a small arrow on the socket that lines up with how the CPU should be installed.

There should be new thermal paste with the new CPU cooler you bought, if not you'll need to buy some. Put some thermal paste about the size of a grain of rice in the middle of the new CPU before putting the cooler down. Personally, I use a finger to spread out the paste, but some like to put a glob down and rely on the cooler to spread out the paste.

Big thing, take your time and don't rush.
 
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Like I said before you go to remove the old one, read very carefully about what bios versions you need on the website.

If I recall when I had an asrock b350 board, you had to install a bridge bios before you could install the newer versions so I’m guessing you’ll have to flash the bios 2-3 times.

When you get ready to pull the old cpu, make sure you turn the pc on for a couple of minutes to heat up the cpu, which will heat up the old thermal paste and should make it a bit easier to remove.

Twist the cpu cooler side to side a little after you begin loosening the clips holding it, and it should break the seal between the cpu and the cooler. Then lift the cooler straight up.

The cpu should be in the socket and will have an arm to raise, raise the arm and the older cpu should lift right out.

The newer cpu should have a tiny gold arrow on one corner. The socket should have one etched in the plastic to point you to how it goes in. The new cpu should drop directly in if it’s oriented right.

The arm may take a tiny bit of force, but just make sure the cpu is fully in the socket and maybe give it a little wiggle to make sure it’s good before lowering the arm.

I’d recommend looking up some install guides on YouTube for am4. That should give a good idea. Mainly just use common sense and don’t force things. Also don’t be surprised if when you go to boot up with the new CPU if it takes a minute or two for it to try to start up as it will be trying to acclimate to everything.
 
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