I thought my computer was the best but it can't run Ultra.

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gabbeh

Honorable
Nov 5, 2013
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10,510
Hello,
I a newbie at this and I have absolutely no idea about anything, graphics cards, cpus and otherwise. About a year ago I bought my pc and probably didn't get a very good deal since it was a Acer Predator G5910 but came with a Nvidia GT545.

The problem is, I experience lag sometimes when gaming, and I'm unable to run Ultra settings on games such as Battlefield, and I'd like to know why. Is it my graphics card? Or my pc just can't handle it? Will upgrading any part of my PC fix this?

My Specs:
PC - Acer Predator G5910
cpu - Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz
graphics card - Nvidia GT 545
RAM - 16GB of idk what
 
Solution
vmem
it's the graphics card... the Nvidia GT 545 is nowhere near being the best. you want to get something like a gtx 770 or gtx 780 for battlefield
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Yes, GT 545 is a pretty meh solution there, it can't really run things @Ultra.

Remember - for Nvidia it goes like this:

First number is the familty/generation and the second number is the performance class.

For example in this case it is a family/generation 5 and the 4 means budget.

For second number it goes roughly like this:

4 and lower - budget/value solutions - lower powered and cheaper
5-6 - performance solutions - decent mid range
7 and higher - enthusiast level - maximum performance

So yours is 5th generation, budget-oriented GPU (although one of the best budget ones).
 
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Perhaps before paying for such a computer you should have consulted with forums first. It is very annoying when people don't consult with hardware minded persons on such a purchase(especially expensive ones). Upgrade your graphics card, its woeful.
 
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Which battlefield? From what I've seen people with that GPU run it around 20-40 FPS on ultra on BF3.

Which games are you lagging on?

The processor is very capable. Plus do you have to play ultra? Anyway, to solving the problem.

Get a program such as coretemp and see what kind of temperatures you get while idle and gaming. if you're overheating you will see performance loss.

Your GPU is DDR3. Most modern GPU's are DDR5, hence why yours seems slow. You could do with an upgrade. But check the temperatures and things first.

EDIT: 6 posts before I even finished typing, wow.
 
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ahh yes, definately post up your power supply before you run out and buy a new graphics card
 
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Yeah it was real stupid of me not to check first. Ah well. Anyways thanks for the help so far. So how do I actually check my wattage/power supply. As I said I'm absolutely clueless about all this. Learning one step at a time :)
 
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Based on the following link with product specs, it likely comes with a 500w PSU of some sort.

http://arashikensho.blogspot.com/2011/09/acer-predator-g5-aspire-g5910-131.html

Below is an example of the sticker on a Corsair CX 430 PSU (430w). The most important info on that sticker (and for any PSU) is the amps on the +12v rail since most of the power is drawn from the rail like the GPU and CPU generally being the #1 and #2 most power hungry component in a gaming oriented PC. Hard drives and Optical drives also draws power from the +12v rail, individually they draw much less than CPUs (probably around 16w - 30w depending on the drive itself). Fans also draw power from the +12v rail most of the time, but very little compared to everything else.

This particular PSU provides 384w on the +12v rail which is pretty good for a 430w PSU.

corsair-cx430-label.jpg
 
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Well I finally figured out how to open the case and this was all I could find. Seems to be it, just a lot harder to decipher. Care to help?

Pff2lcU.jpg
 
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eeek, 18.0A on both 12V rails for a 750W, that's not a very good sign for a PSU's quality

however, from physiscs, we know that P=IV, thus your total power on the 12V railes are 18.0A x 12.0V = 216W. I suppose you can upgrade to something power efficient such as a 760ti
 
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Oh my looks like I'm in a very tight spot. Should I get help from a computer shop or is it relatively easy to change on my own? And approximately how much would a good mid to high end power supply cost?
 
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seriously, gpu is the main problem a 545 is pretty low-end in comparison to todays games, a higher end gpu wouldn't hurt , give me a budget and I'll try to recommend a gpu, 100-150$ nothing bad but not ultra
150-200$ good but still
250$ great budget
personally I would recommend a nvidia 760
 
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I think the other problem is that you're obviously new to the whole hardware scene. go ahead and read the stickie guides on how to build a PC in these forums, watch a few youtube videos, and decide for yourself that if it is something you think you can pull off. bare in mind that we're all here to help, and it's honestly not a super difficult process once you get started.

However, if it's something you're simply not comfortable with, then you'll have two options: if you want to change the PSU, it is about 50-60% of the work of building a new computer, so you should probably visit a PC shop. otherwise we can walk you through changing the graphics card.

And yes, give us a budget
 
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You should really try to get a GTX 780 or an R9 290 or 290x they're great cards that play well over ultra at 1440p resolution.

 
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One step at a time. He needs to be able to feed these beast GPUs you are suggesting. Power Supply first. Then GPU.

I said: "It is very under-powered considering what is available right now."

I was referring to your current GPU. The 545 was never considered a high-end GPU. It may be on the upper end of what is considered a budget GPU.

As vmem is pointing out...... it is not always about the Wattage of the power supply, especially the cheaper ones. The +12V rail needs to be robust/efficient enough to handle the current load of components down stream.
 
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Sorry about that, I guess I didn't notice that in the forum. A Cooler Master i700 would be a good PSU, it is 80 PLUS Bronze Certification.

 
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Oh I see. I also spoke to a friend of mind who knows more about this stuff and I think I am going to change my PSU as well. Probably one of the cooler masters (budget 120). And I also have a budget of maybe 350 usd for a GPU. I don't mind spending a little more if there's more value for money though. Thanks for all your help guys!
 
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If the max you want to spend for a GPU is $350 you can actually go with the R9 280x or the GTX 670. The Cooler Master i700 is $80 so you can actually get a higher wattage PSU or just spend an extra $40 on your GPU.

 
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