New Graphics Card + Power Supply Advice/Suggestions

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HAYMAYON

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The last time I upgraded my graphics card was in my old computer in 2002. I'm quite behind the times.

My current computer is an HP e9210t
Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Y) (2.5GHz /1333 MHz) 4 MB L2 cache; Dual Core (95W)
6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 (message as PC3-8500)
500 GB 7200 rpm SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec)
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology with external eject
Intel G43 Express Chipset
1 PCI Express X16 Slot
3 PCI Express X1 Slot
Radeon HD 4650
350W Power Supply

I realize this isn't the ideal computer to upgrade, my only intentions for it was to upgrade the power supply and graphics card

My only concerns are the size of the graphics card and power supply when upgrading

I found this post searching about someone with my computer in a similar situation
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware/Upgrading-the-power-supply-unit-in-an-e9210t/td-p/143531


It seems regular ATX power supplies will fit in my computer, and I'm just hopeing I'll be able to fit a new graphics card in.

I'm willing to spend up to $300 on a graphics card and around $100 on a power supply. I use my computer for only gaming, like COD World at War HOI3, and Total War series, , I just want to have a great graphics card to take advantage of my system and for more power demanding games.

I read the Best Graphics Card for the Money July article, so I found this one on newegg that looks good, with good reviews, but really I have no idea if its right for me
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575


I also found a well reviewed power supply, but again I have no idea.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036

(wow I know, I couldn't figure out how to make them links)

Any suggestions/advice on a reliable power supply and graphics card for my system would be greatly appreciated!
 
Solution
Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Y) (2.5GHz /1333 MHz) 4 MB L2 cache; Dual Core (95W)

That is a Quad core CPU, I think the "Dual core" part is referring to the fact that it has 2 dual core die's in a muti-chip module (MCM) like all the core 2 quad series.

HAYMAYON can you check your case and see how much space there is for the graphics card, does the current card *just fits* in there or is there room for a longer card?

Suggested GPU:

nvidia - 560Ti 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651


AMD - 6950 2GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127562

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

power supply ...

irCRiz

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i recommend that PSU im running it right now with my system and ive had it for a couple of months now and its running really great. its modular which is amazing and helps with small cases.

The hard part for you is choosing the right GPU. First you need to find out if your Mobo has a 2.0 pci e x16 slot or just a regular x16 slot. If you card isnt a 2.0 x16 slot then you might want to look into getting another mobo as well. Keep in mind that you dont have to because the 2.0 x16 cards are backward compatible but wont run at full speed on a x16 board.

Also if you get that GPU with a dual core you would bottleneck your GPU and it would be a waste of money.

I would recommend getting a new CPU as well.
if i wear you i would upgrade my mobo to a AMD board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130235&Tpk=msi%20750a

this mobo is ok its not the best but it cheap and does the job. i also have one of these. Depending on you case you also might not be able to fit this in you case.

next i would get something like this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

its a great cpu and its a QUAD CORE!

then last but not least your going to need a video card with this CPU i would recommend something like this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130685&Tpk=gtx%20560%20ssc%20ds

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102913
(comes with 2 free gamesl, total war and Dirt 3)


at the most for the GPU i would get something like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565
(might want a bigger psu)


just to note that these are my recommendations.


if your going to get the HD 6950 2GB then you want to get something like i7 CPU

let me know if you have anymore questions.

 

BeeBahBoo

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Antec power supply. An amazing company with top of the line support.
You don't want to risk using any kind of cheap off-brand PSU.
Something around 600w (continuous preferably).
This is a great PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016
If you did want to spend $100 this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026

"if your going to get the HD 6950 2GB then you want to get something like i7 CPU "
Where's the logic in that? You'd be better getting a i5-2500K. The i7 is probably the most overrated cpu on the market right now. Not worth getting an i7 til the octa cores come out.

As far as $300 GPU goes I recommend one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130657
 

HAYMAYON

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Thank you, I appreciate the suggestions, but I'm just looking to upgrade my PSU and Graphics Card. And I do know the my PCI Express x16 slot is 2.0. I'm just looking for suggestions on the best card that would fit with my current setup.
 

HAYMAYON

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Thanks for the advice. So If went with the first PSU, would that be enough power to sustain my current system plus one of those graphics cards you suggested? One more quick question, the graphics cards you suggested would work good with my system I take it (just making sure)?
 

irCRiz

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ok well that 600w psu should do fine but your not going to want to get the the HD 6950 because it will be overkill and you will bottleneck your system.

i would recommend any gpu around 200 price range, anything from a GTX 560 to a Hd 6870 or 6850.

I also heard that most newer games are going to be hard to play only using a dual core processor which is also why i recommended that CPU.

even with the GTX 560 you might have to overclock your CPU to stop bottlenecking. Not exactly sure though.

it also depends what resolution your playing at.

 

Gamer-girl

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Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Y) (2.5GHz /1333 MHz) 4 MB L2 cache; Dual Core (95W)

That is a Quad core CPU, I think the "Dual core" part is referring to the fact that it has 2 dual core die's in a muti-chip module (MCM) like all the core 2 quad series.

HAYMAYON can you check your case and see how much space there is for the graphics card, does the current card *just fits* in there or is there room for a longer card?

Suggested GPU:

nvidia - 560Ti 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651


AMD - 6950 2GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127562

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

power supply :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012
 
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HAYMAYON

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Hmm ok thx for the help, I would be playing at 1920x1080 resolution I think....at least thats what it says on my desktop when i go to screen resolution
 

HAYMAYON

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Gamergirl, I just checked it out and it turns out there is definitely more space than I initialy thought, just have to reposition a few cables and there should be plenty of space. .. at least thats the feeling I get when I look at these pictures of the graphics cards up close. Thanks for the suggestions, appreciate it!
 

irCRiz

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Ok I made a mistake you are actually using quad core which is actually really good.


since your playing at 1920 by 1080 your actually going to want something pretty good.

i would still recommend the Nvidia GTX 560ti they are great cards and preform really well.


If you have around 11 inches in length in your case by your pci slot and and about 5 half inches in width then i would get a 6950 as well.

with the 6950 you also might want to get a better PSU, something like gamergirl said or even something like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

when buying a PSU you want to look at how many amps and how many watts you need.

For example with my GPU i need 24amps on 1 12volt rail.
and recommend 450 watt.

i have the silent pro that you wanted to get which runs at 40amps and has 600watts which is great.


its always good to have a little extra breathing room.
 

HAYMAYON

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One more question Gamergirl, just double checking, that the power supply you suggested would work fine with either of those AMD 6950 cards you suggested?
 

Gamer-girl

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Yes the 650watt would be fine if you are only using one card, just remember that if you decide to reuse the power supply in another system.

You can also get the 750 suggested but it is not modular so you will have to hide the cables somewhere.

The HX series is modular and more energy efficient than the TX, both models come in 650 and 750w versions.
HX is 80 plus silver, the TX is also split into versions the normal one is 80 plus and (TX v2) is 80 plus bronze
 

HAYMAYON

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Yeah, for only ten bucks more I'm thinking why not, don't want to take any chances. But I'm not planning on adding anything more than a new graphics card. That power supply you suggested would work fine with this card right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575



 

HAYMAYON

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I like the fact the the HX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012 is modular, that would help me out with my limited space, but the next step up to the 750 HX is like $45-50.

I have my eye on this card just because it got good reviews and it's $300, I don't really know why else I like it. I noticed that you suggested different cards for me, any particular reason why those cards would be better than the one I have my eye on?

If I did buy this card, would this power supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012 (the one you sugggestd) be ok for it?

...thx for the patience and advice/suggestions everyone
 

irCRiz

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Either PSU would work if you PSU is mounted on the bottom of the case then the the non modular wouldnt be bad because you could just tie up the extra cables and tuck them by the hard drive cage. If you do have limited space then im sure the 650watt would work just fine.




that card BTW is a really amazing card the 6950 have always been good and the MSI Twin frozr 3 cooler are amazing, they run really cool so you would have plenty of room for OC if needed.



I still don't know about your CPU though i mean thats a pretty monster card, so you might experience some bottlenecking with your CPU. If you do then just come back to the forums and im sure we could find a answer for you.
 

Gamer-girl

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The reason i suggested different cards was a going for performance per $, you can spend more it is your choice. The Frozr 3 are clocked faster so it will be faster out of the box, but the frozr 2 bios can be flashed to get a 6970. <-- This might be too complicated for you, it is not guaranteed and will also void your warranty.

The HD 6950 all pretty much use the same amount of power so it doesn't matter which model you choose.
 

HAYMAYON

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Ok. Last question I SWEAR!!! With my current setup,

My current computer is an HP e9210t
Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Y) (2.5GHz /1333 MHz) 4 MB L2 cache; Dual Core (95W)
6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 (message as PC3-8500)
500 GB 7200 rpm SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec)
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology with external eject
Intel G43 Express Chipset
1 PCI Express X16 Slot
3 PCI Express X1 Slot
Radeon HD 4650

...and with this power supply I plan to buy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

Which graphics card would you buy that would work best with my system? price makes no difference.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127562

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575

..again thx for bearing with me on this .....

 

HAYMAYON

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Ok. Last question I SWEAR!!! With my current setup,

My current computer is an HP e9210t
Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Y) (2.5GHz /1333 MHz) 4 MB L2 cache; Dual Core (95W)
6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 (message as PC3-8500)
500 GB 7200 rpm SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec)
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology with external eject
Intel G43 Express Chipset
1 PCI Express X16 Slot
3 PCI Express X1 Slot
Radeon HD 4650

...and with this power supply I plan to buy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

Gamergirl, which graphics card would you buy that would work best with my system? price makes no difference

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127562

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575

aand once again thx for helping me out
 

irCRiz

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well its all up to you, if you want AMD or Nvidia. I personally like the GTX 560ti but i like nvidia

if you where to get the amd card i would go with the Hd 6950 2GB twin frozr 3, like is said the coolers that msi made are really great.


if you do like the 560ti i would either recommend the MSI, its a great card and I have seen videos of people OC the card over 1Ghz which is great.

If you are a gamer and dont like to OC i would recommend gettings this card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130628

is a GTX 560ti crysis 2 edition come with a ful retail copy of the game and the card is OCed to 900mhz .

i wouldnt recommend getting the GTX 560 ti DS edition if you are easily annoyed by loud fans. I have the GTX 560 non DS and the fans can be come quiet loud . I wouldnt understand why you would want to get this card over the Crysis 2 one because the crysis 2 one has the same specs but for only 30 bucks more it comes with a full copy of crysis 2 which is a 60 dollar game. The card also only uses one fan which will be quieter than the DS verison.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1uttzl34rrzdo



its all your choice on what you want to do the HD 6950 2Gb will be slightly faster than the GTX 560ti. If your playing on high resolutions like 1900 x 1200 plus then you might want to get the AMD card because they are know to preform better with higher resolutions.

last but not least these cards not rear exhaust fans,that means the card will blow air into the case as well out the back. So if your case is crapped and has bad air flow the fans would be just sucking in the hot air that the card just pushed out. Also depending on your case the HD 6950 might not fit your going to need at least 11inches of room in your case by the pci slot, As for the Gtx 560 ti you will only need about 9 and half inches


if you have anymore questions just ask doesnt bother me :)
 

HAYMAYON

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Thx because I really appreciate it!! Ok I lied, I have one more question, on the AMD 6950 website
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6950/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6950-overview.aspx#3

It states in system requirements that it needs a 500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended

With the power supply I want,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

It mentions nothing about having two 75W 6-Pin PCI Express Connections, it just says that it has 4 x 6+2 Pin PCI Express connectors. Would this work for the card I have in mind ?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575
The specific details on the card aren't very helpful
 

irCRiz

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yes generally all pci e connecters are 75 watt. I wouldnt worry about it. If you really want to just look up on the Corsair website and see if it has 75watt pci e connecters, i will almost guarantee that they are.
Also that PSU is not fully modular. the needed cables like the 24pin power and the 4+4pin cpu connecters and some molex are already attached to the PSU which means you cant take them off. PCI e connecters and additional molex,sata, and Peripheral connecters you attach.
 

Gamer-girl

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Thx because I really appreciate it!! Ok I lied, I have one more question, on the AMD 6950 website
http://www.amd.com/us/products/des [...] iew.aspx#3

It states in system requirements that it needs a 500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended

With the power supply I want,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139012

It mentions nothing about having two 75W 6-Pin PCI Express Connections, it just says that it has 4 x 6+2 Pin PCI Express connectors. Would this work for the card I have in mind ?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127575
The specific details on the card aren't very helpful

You don't trust me? :p

Read this feedback

Yes it is not fully modular but it comes with a 20+4 pin and a 4+4 pin that is hardwired to the PSU, you will need to use them anyways. No SATA cables attached they are modular.



 

HAYMAYON

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:sweat: No no no, I do trust you, thats why I'm buying it! Just wanted to double check everything before I do, even though I assumed the reason you suggested it was because it works fine with the cards/my system. My bad, should made that more clear. It's the perfect power supply for me because of it's power, size, and it saves space with the cables, I'm excited.

My only issue now is the flatness of one side of the card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575

The side that doesn't have all the fans needs to be very flat because it will runs close to my RAM sticks. My general feeling is that it will be ok.

Thx for all your help!!

 

HAYMAYON

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That should work fine for me because I need those anyways, I think it's gonna work out perfect! Thx for all your help/suggestions!
 
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