Need a 3D Graphics Card Recommendation

becs21atm

Honorable
Feb 24, 2013
1
0
10,510
I have an HP Pavillion H8-1234 Desktop. I use Google Sketchup, Autocad, and Vectorworks drafting software regularly. The computer often freezes when I'm using Sketchup. I think I need a dedicated 3D Graphics card but have no idea what to get. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations. Here are my computer specs

HP Pavillion H8-1234
Motherboard
M3970AM-HP (Angelica2)

Manufacturer: Gigabyte
Form factor: uATX - 24.4 cm (9.6 inches) x 24.4 cm (9.6 inches)
Chipset: AMD 970
Memory sockets: 4 x DDR3
Front side bus speeds: UMI (United Media Interface) 4 lane, 5 GT/s per lane
Processor socket: AM3-b
Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.0)
Three PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.0)
One PCI Express mini card (for half-length add-in cards) with USB connector


Processor
AMD FX-6120

TDP: 95W
Operating speed: 3.5 GHz (up to 4.1 GHz turbo)
Number of cores: 6
Socket: AM3+
Bus speed: HT3 - 5.2GT/s

Processor upgrade information

Socket type: AM3-b
TDP: up to 125W
Motherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
Processor TDP
FX-4100 (Zambezi) 95W
FX-6100 (Zambezi) 95W
FX-8100 (Zambezi) 95W
FX-8120 (Zambezi) 95W or 125W
FX-8150 (Zambezi) 125W

Memory
10 GB

Amount: 10 GB
Speed: PC3-12800 MB/sec (runs as PC3-10600 in this system)
Type: DDR3-1600

Memory upgrade information

Dual channel memory architecture
Four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
Supports DDR3 DIMMs
PC3 10600 (DDR3-1333)
PC3 12800 (DDR3-1600)
Non-ECC memory only, unbuffered
Supports 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB DIMMs
Supports up to 32 GB on 64-bit systems
Supports up to 4 GB on 32-bit* systems


Video graphics
Radeon HD 7450
Figure 2: Video card
Image of video card
Figure 3: Ports
1 - HDMI
2 - DVI (dual-link)

Interface: PCI Express x16
Maximum resolution:
HDMI: 1920 x 1080 (up to 1080p)
DVI (dual-link): 2560 x 1600 x 32bpp @ 60Hz (up to 1080p)
Analog VGA: 2048 x 1536 x 32bpp @ 60Hz (using adapter cable)
1 GB onboard memory
HDCP support
Total power consumption 25 W maximum
Active cooling fan at dynamic speed
Up to two displays at the same time in these configurations: DVI+HDMI and HDMI+VGA (using adapter cable)

Graphics

Integrated graphics are not available on this motherboard.
A graphics card can be placed in the PCI Express x16 slot