[SOLVED] Old Prebuilt PC GPU Upgrade

[Ryaenn]

Hi, I have an old prebuilt PC and it's graphics card is dying. I've been looking for a new one and I'm running into all sorts of compatibility problems.

Can anyone recommend one that would work? Any help would be appreciated.

Here is the PC in question -
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03381888

 

[gamerproject1998]

As it is not that old any modern graphics should work if it has the PCIe x16 slot which it should. If you want one that will last you a few years and you don't mind it used. Radeon RX 480 4GB Used $110 or if you are team Nvidia GTX 1060
Best part is if you ever want to go into VR they are both VR ready.

 

[Aeacus]

What compatibility problems to be exact?

As far as it's specs go, max i'd put in there would be sub 100W GPU. E.g GTX 1050 Ti (75W) which doesn't have 6-pin PCI-E power connector on it,
GT 620 vs GTX 1050 Ti comparison: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-GT-620-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/m8899vs3649
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6hKhP6,Tj98TW,Hnhj4D,Dw4NnQ/

As it is not that old any modern graphics should work if it has the PCIe x16 slot which it should. If you want one that will last you a few years and you don't mind it used. Radeon RX 480 4GB Used $110 or if you are team Nvidia GTX 1060
Best part is if you ever want to go into VR they are both VR ready.

These 2x GPUs are good choices IF the stock PSU in there would be good quality unit, which it isn't. And where you know for a fact that stock PSU has one 6/8-pin PCI-E power connector for GPU, which you don't.
With either of these GPUs, i'd upgrade PSU to good quality 550W unit (e.g Seasonic made) just to be safe.

 

[gamerproject1998]

What compatibility problems to be exact?

As far as it's specs go, max i'd put in there would be sub 100W GPU. E.g GTX 1050 Ti (75W) which doesn't have 6-pin PCI-E power connector on it,
GT 620 vs GTX 1050 Ti comparison: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-GT-620-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/m8899vs3649
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6hKhP6,Tj98TW,Hnhj4D,Dw4NnQ/


These 2x GPUs are good choices IF the stock PSU in there would be good quality unit, which it isn't. And where you know for a fact that stock PSU has one 6/8-pin PCI-E power connector for GPU, which you don't.
With either of these GPUs, i'd upgrade PSU to good quality 550W unit (e.g Seasonic made) just to be safe.

He has a good point almost missed that, this is perfect. Not a 550w but 600w for future proofing. It is pretty cheap too and high quality.

 

[Ryaenn]

What compatibility problems to be exact?

As far as it's specs go, max i'd put in there would be sub 100W GPU. E.g GTX 1050 Ti (75W) which doesn't have 6-pin PCI-E power connector on it,
GT 620 vs GTX 1050 Ti comparison: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-GT-620-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/m8899vs3649
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6hKhP6,Tj98TW,Hnhj4D,Dw4NnQ/


These 2x GPUs are good choices IF the stock PSU in there would be good quality unit, which it isn't. And where you know for a fact that stock PSU has one 6/8-pin PCI-E power connector for GPU, which you don't.
With either of these GPUs, i'd upgrade PSU to good quality 550W unit (e.g Seasonic made) just to be safe.

Alright so I have to upgrade my PSU first. Oh, and one more thing from what I read people also where saying that my motherboard wasn't compatible with UEFI or something like that. Are both these GPU's okay if that is the case?

 

[gamerproject1998]

UEFI is just a new standard you will only miss out on features like GUI interface bios, smart fan control and other things. It is not a big issue now but I suggest upgrading your motherboard within a year or so, it shouldn't cause compatibility problems. One more thing, what OS are you running?

 

[Ryaenn]

UEFI is just a new standard you will only miss out on features like GUI interface bios, smart fan control and other things. It is not a big issue now but I suggest upgrading your motherboard within a year or so, it shouldn't cause compatibility problems. One more thing, what OS are you running?

Windows 7 64 bit

 

[gamerproject1998]

Pretty soon you need to upgrade to Windows 10, cause as you probably know they are discontinuing Windows 7 which can make your computer at risk for viruses. Just a heads up.

 

[Aeacus]

Alright so I have to upgrade my PSU first. Oh, and one more thing from what I read people also where saying that my motherboard wasn't compatible with UEFI or something like that. Are both these GPU's okay if that is the case?

UEFI is just a new version of BIOS and GPU doesn't care at all if you have Win 7 installed in MBR mode (Legacy) or GPT mode (UEFI). It doesn't even care if you have MacOS X running in APM mode (EFI-CSM).

Also, as readable from gamerproject1998 reply, which he has now conveniently deleted, a claim of "GUI interface bios, smart fan control and other things" are not part of the UEFI. They are readily available on any modern MoBo, regardless if BIOS is older (Legacy) or newer (UEFI). E.g my MSI Z170A Gaming M5 MoBo, running Legacy BIOS has GUI BIOS and SMART fan control, among other things.

For a new PSU, i suggest getting any Seasonic unit, in 500W range. E.g: Focus 550, Focus+ 550, PRIME Ultra 550 Gold or PRIME Ultra 550 Platinum,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bkp323,9nmxFT,KmgzK8,XndxFT/

Warranty wise:
Focus: 7 years
Focus+: 10 years
PRIME: 12 years (includes all PRIME models: regular, Fanless, AirTouch, SnowSilent, Ultra)

All 3 of my PCs: Skylake, Haswell and AMD are also powered by Seasonic. Full specs with pics in my sig.

He has a good point almost missed that, this is perfect. Not a 550w but 600w for future proofing. It is pretty cheap too and high quality.

So, you went on amazon, put into search bar "500w power supply" and gave the very 1st PSU link here, really? 😱 Not only that but you also messed up in claims of it being 600W unit while the link you gave clearly links to a 500W unit.

Also, you don't know nothing about PSUs if you're suggesting that Tt Smart series PSU as "high quality" unit. Do you even know who the OEM of that PSU is? Ever read any reputable PSU reviews?

That PSU which you're suggesting is low quality unit and while it may be perfect for you, it is in no way perfect for anybody else.

 

[Rogue Leader]

He has a good point almost missed that, this is perfect. Not a 550w but 600w for future proofing. It is pretty cheap too and high quality.

Perfect as a door stop maybe, but no a PSU shaped object like that thing is NOT a good idea.

OP HP does use mostly quality PSUs in its systems. However if it doesn't have PCIe connectors you will need to replace it. Determine that first and then go from there.

If it does not have those connectors, then your budget will dictate what to buy. If you're tight the Corsair CX550M is a great choice in the value branch. Otherwise I would get a Seasonic Focus + if you can afford a bit more, also 550w.

 

[logainofhades]

Some newer cards will not work in motherboards, that lack a UEFI bios.

 

[Darkbreeze]

And for the record, I have some even older AM3+ motherboards, that are at least 6 or 7 years old and are definitely legacy BIOS, that are GUI interfaces and have smart fan controls and "other things" as well. Misinformation is dangerous. You should try to not spread it.

 

[gamerproject1998]

Also, as readable from gamerproject1998 reply, which he has now conveniently deleted, a claim of "GUI interface bios, smart fan control and other things" are not part of the UEFI. They are readily available on any modern MoBo, regardless if BIOS is older (Legacy) or newer (UEFI). E.g my MSI Z170A Gaming M5 MoBo, running Legacy BIOS has GUI BIOS and SMART fan control, among other things.

So, you went on amazon, put into search bar "500w power supply" and gave the very 1st PSU link here, really? 😱 Not only that but you also messed up in claims of it being 600W unit while the link you gave clearly links to a 500W unit.

Also, you don't know nothing about PSUs if you're suggesting that Tt Smart series PSU as "high quality" unit. Do you even know who the OEM of that PSU is? Ever read any reputable PSU reviews?

That PSU which you're suggesting is low quality unit and while it may be perfect for you, it is in no way perfect for anybody else.

First I would like to state the comment was never deleted. Second I made a mistake and you have to go out and be a jerk about it? Can you tell someone they are wrong without sounding like that? I tried to help and made a mistake, it happens. Correct it, address my mistake, and be mature about it You are probably right that the PSU isn't high quality and are right that my UEFI info was incorrect but seriously tell me that in a polite reasonable way.

 

[gamerproject1998]

And for the record, I have some even older AM3+ motherboards, that are at least 6 or 7 years old and are definitely legacy BIOS, that are GUI interfaces and have smart fan controls and "other things" as well. Misinformation is dangerous. You should try to not spread it.

I am sorry, I made a mistake in my information. I will be sure to fact check next time, thanks for being mature about it.

 

[King_V]

Some newer cards will not work in motherboards, that lack a UEFI bios.

I can confirm this from personal experience with a Dell XPS 8300 with an i5-2320. An R9 285 I'd purchased would NOT work with it, and more modern AMD cards won't, either.

Back then, some of the board partners would put a switch on their R9 cards to allow them to work with older systems that didn't have UEFI. Mine, unfortunately, didn't have such a switch.

Further info I've come across on the Dell says that it's a peculiarity with Dells because the newer AMD cards's video bios do not support DOS Vesa video mode 103.

I cannot say with any certainty whether this would be the case with your HP as well. The ideal situation is if you could borrow, say, an RX 470/570/480/580 and see if it works (assuming the PSU is up to it)

 

[Darkbreeze]

Mainly, it is OEM machines with legacy BIOS that have problems with newer graphics card architectures. This is I believe primarily due to the limited nature of those BIOSes. Most aftermarket boards, not all but most, even with fairly old legacy BIOS like some of the core2 platforms, will still work with most current cards. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule and since this isn't even a rule but more like a "it happens so be aware", even more possible. I always advise checking for evidence that somebody else has been able to get a given card to work on the same board in any situation where you are in doubt with an older legacy system, first.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Dell and HP have very active forums. Its worth doing a search over there to see if anyone has added a GPU to any of them. The fact this system came with a GT620 is a good thing and may mean it will work. But really checking that route is your best option.

 

[King_V]

It's also worth noting that the 10-series Nvidia cards are known to work with that old Sandy Bridge era Dell I mentioned. This doesn't guarantee that they'd work with your HP, but it makes me think that, at the very least, it would be more likely to do so. No guarantees though just because the Dell plays nice with them.

BUT - as @Rogue Leader mentioned, both Dell and HP have very active forums. There are a lot of these machines out there - somebody MUST have tried it at some point, and posted whether or not it worked. Definitely try digging on the HP forums.

Also, make sure you have the latest BIOS for that system. It can help avoid any potential problems.

 

[KhouhenStercie.Bacus]

Well upon checking the website that you have and assuming that the specs of your PC are identically the same that is stated on the website you have plenty of things you can do, since it has a PCIE slot yes you can upgrade add a GPU ranging to 750 Ti (Warning a lot of counterfeit version of it sold on third party website) to GTX 1050 Ti. these cards doesn't need a pin cable on the GPU since their design draw power on the PCIE Slot.

So your Option to upgrade is
- GTX 750 Ti, GTX 1060, or RX 570.

- CPU you can also upgrade the CPU i think you can look for a i7 3770 or better to get the most out of your computer at least it wouldn't bottleneck the GPU or limiting it. but you have to double check like the other forum guy said make sure that you have check the HP forum if some other people with same PC of yours able to run that specific CPU or so.

- Buying a new PSU which is also a good investment with a higher wattage you can upgrade good GPU like the 1060 if or RX 570 if you have the budget, The current PSU that you have is decent but since it is old sooner or later it may retire soon it's better to have it upgraded rather wait for it to explode or damage your components.

- Memory stick you can also upgrade it to 16 to 32 with these it is also increase the performance of the computer.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well upon checking the website that you have and assuming that the specs of your PC are identically the same that is stated on the website you have plenty of things you can do, since it has a PCIE slot yes you can upgrade add a GPU ranging to 750 Ti (Warning a lot of counterfeit version of it sold on third party website) to GTX 1050 Ti. these cards doesn't need a pin cable on the GPU since their design draw power on the PCIE Slot.

So your Option to upgrade is
- GTX 750 Ti, GTX 1060, or RX 570.

- CPU you can also upgrade the CPU i think you can look for a i7 3770 or better to get the most out of your computer at least it wouldn't bottleneck the GPU or limiting it. but you have to double check like the other forum guy said make sure that you have check the HP forum if some other people with same PC of yours able to run that specific CPU or so.

- Buying a new PSU which is also a good investment with a higher wattage you can upgrade good GPU like the 1060 if or RX 570 if you have the budget, The current PSU that you have is decent but since it is old sooner or later it may retire soon it's better to have it upgraded rather wait for it to explode or damage your components.

- Memory stick you can also upgrade it to 16 to 32 with these it is also increase the performance of the computer.

🙄

 

[Rogue Leader]

Well upon checking the website that you have and assuming that the specs of your PC are identically the same that is stated on the website you have plenty of things you can do, since it has a PCIE slot yes you can upgrade add a GPU ranging to 750 Ti (Warning a lot of counterfeit version of it sold on third party website) to GTX 1050 Ti. these cards doesn't need a pin cable on the GPU since their design draw power on the PCIE Slot.

So your Option to upgrade is
- GTX 750 Ti, GTX 1060, or RX 570.

- CPU you can also upgrade the CPU i think you can look for a i7 3770 or better to get the most out of your computer at least it wouldn't bottleneck the GPU or limiting it. but you have to double check like the other forum guy said make sure that you have check the HP forum if some other people with same PC of yours able to run that specific CPU or so.

- Buying a new PSU which is also a good investment with a higher wattage you can upgrade good GPU like the 1060 if or RX 570 if you have the budget, The current PSU that you have is decent but since it is old sooner or later it may retire soon it's better to have it upgraded rather wait for it to explode or damage your components.

- Memory stick you can also upgrade it to 16 to 32 with these it is also increase the performance of the computer.

Thanks for your input, next time please try reading the thread first. Thanks for your cooperation.

 

[Aeacus]

First I would like to state the comment was never deleted. Second I made a mistake and you have to go out and be a jerk about it? Can you tell someone they are wrong without sounding like that? I tried to help and made a mistake, it happens. Correct it, address my mistake, and be mature about it You are probably right that the PSU isn't high quality and are right that my UEFI info was incorrect but seriously tell me that in a polite reasonable way.

Your 1st mistake was recommending far higher power consumption GPU without taking into consideration stock PSU's questionable build quality and high possibility that it doesn't have 6/8-pin PCI-E power cable to power either of those two GPUs. That i did point out in a calm way.

Your 2nd mistake, and far greater in severity, was taking very first PSU link from amazon and praising it as "high quality" unit, without any clue about that unit, except that you only may know Thermaltake being a popular brand.
Low build quality units often doesn't deliver the marketed wattage and/or their voltages are out of spec. Also, when (not if) they fail (and they can catch fire as well), they have the magical ability to fry everything they are connected to. Meaning that OP would've lost his entire PC. Since PSU powers everything, it's the most important component inside the PC and no sane person would ever want to use low quality PSU in their PC.
Will you reimburse OP when he would've lost his entire PC thanks to your "high quality" PSU? No, you won't.

There have been thousands upon thousands of cases where low quality PSU has fried some or all of the PC. Countless of these cases has ended with a fire where entire house has burnt down and sadly, some lives have been lost as well. Here's one of such examples,
link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/26/exploding_computer_vs_reg_reader/
I take it very seriously when someone's recommendation can lead to a loss of life. You may brush it off as a simple mistake but i won't.

3rd mistake was misinformation about UEFI which i also pointed out in a calm way.

So, that's why i replied as i did. And here's where i end it. If you have anything else to say to me then send me a PM.

Hi, I have an old prebuilt PC and it's graphics card is dying. I've been looking for a new one and I'm running into all sorts of compatibility problems.

Can anyone recommend one that would work? Any help would be appreciated.

Here is the PC in question -
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03381888

Since you have i5-2400 in there, and once your current GPU dies and you haven't bought new GPU yet, you can pull the dead GPU out of the system and connect your monitor directly to the MoBo as well. i5-2400 has Intel HD 2000 graphics in it, which can run your monitor until you get new dedicated GPU.