I am looking to upgrade my graphics card

wlfvenom

Reputable
Jan 18, 2016
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I was looking to upgrade my graphics card but I do not know much about the insides of PCs as I am more of a console person.

This is my current setup

Processor AMD Athlon(tm) X4 740 Quad Core Processor
Manufacturer AMD
Speed 3.2 GHz
Number of Cores 4
Video Card AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
Dedicated Memory 1024 MB
Total Memory 4.0 GB
Pixel Shader Version 5.0
Vertex Shader Version 5.0
Hardware T & L Yes
Vendor ID 1002
Device ID 683D
Plug and Play ID VEN_1002&DEV_683D&SUBSYS_E244174B&REV_00
Driver Version 15.300.1025.0
Memory 8.0 GB
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 (build 10240), 64-bit
Display Maximum Resolution 1600 x 900

as well as some info on my Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-F2A55M-DS2 Model

CPU Socket Type FM2

CPU Type APU (FM2 Socket)

Chipset AMD A55 (Hudson D2)

Memory

Number of Memory Slots
2×240pin

Memory Standard
DDR3 2400(OC)/1866/1600/1333/1066

Maximum Memory Supported
64GB

Channel Supported
Dual Channel

Expansion Slots

PCI Express 2.0 x16
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16

PCI Express x1
1 x PCI Express x1

PCI Slots
1 x PCI Slot

Storage Devices

SATA 3Gb/s
4 x SATA 3Gb/s

SATA RAID
0/1/10/JBOD

Onboard Video

Onboard Video Chipset
None

Onboard Audio

Audio Chipset
Realtek ALC887

Audio Channels
7.1 Channels

Onboard LAN

Max LAN Speed
10/100/1000Mbps

Rear Panel Ports

PS/2
2

Video Ports
D-Sub + DVI

USB 1.1/2.0
4 x USB 2.0

Audio Ports
3 Ports

Internal I/O Connectors

Onboard USB
4 x USB 2.0

Other Connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x APU fan header
1 x system fan header
1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio header
1 x S/PDIF Out header
1 x serial port header
1 x Clear CMOS jumper

Physical Spec

Form Factor
Micro ATX

Dimensions (W x L)
8.86" x 6.85"

Power Pin
24 Pin

The manual states *To use the onboard graphics ports, you must install an AMD APU with integrated graphics

if that makes any difference

I do not know what my PSU is and I don't really want to open my PC to find out

Any ideas what graphics cards I should be looking for if I, for example, want to run the Witcher 3 or equivalent on medium / decent settings at least?
 
Solution
All pulse power supplies are complete trash and are a fire hazard. You will have to replace the power supply along with getting a new GPU.

This is what I recommend for the power supply: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1

As for the graphics card, at that price range you are looking at these two:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx960gaming2g
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4df5

Anything more powerful than those two will be bottlenecked by the CPU.
In order to figure out your power supply which is essential to the ugrade, you will HAVE TO open your PC.

Don't worry. Nothing is gonna explode. Turn off your PC and disconnect your PC from power. Carefully open the side panel and look at your power supply stickers - look for brand and model. After that, just put the side panel back on. Depending on your case, the side panel may or may not have screwless design.

What is your budget?
 
woah woah woah woah woah, wait a second....there are people that actually turn their computer off before removing the side panel?

OP:

You have to open your PC to put a new graphics card in anyway, so i'm not sure what the aversion is to opening up the case.
 


I never turn off my PC when I just need to open my side panel. The dude is definitely not feeling confident so he might as well turn it off just so he feels better.

I agree with you. If he wants to put a new GPU in, he will have to open his PC 😀
 
Okay I have opened my PC and took a look at my PSU.

Not sure exactly what I was looking for on the sticker so I snapped a quick photo with my phone to make it simpler

PSU%20Specs_zpsflmexgch.jpg


As for my budget I was thinking of around £200 / $280 - £250 / $350

I am not in a rush to get a new card at the moment so I can save up for a somewhat decent one, I am just unsure as to what cards I should even be looking at.

 
All pulse power supplies are complete trash and are a fire hazard. You will have to replace the power supply along with getting a new GPU.

This is what I recommend for the power supply: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1

As for the graphics card, at that price range you are looking at these two:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx960gaming2g
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4df5

Anything more powerful than those two will be bottlenecked by the CPU.
 
Solution