Should i upgrade my I3?

maximuzz

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Jun 25, 2014
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I have a i3 2120 @3.30

8gb ram

a POS gpu

a dell optiplex 790 MT (i think :3)

265W psu

i want to play pubg

its black friday there are nvidia geforce 1050ti 4gb cards for 130 today... should i buy this? the 1050 thats for 100... or can i not upgrade my optiplex to these cards? ive heard mixed reviews

what should i do? i want to play pubg and not spend a fortune
 
Solution
Well it doesn't go away, the slot still can only use 35W, but the GPU will be able to get extra power from the 6-pin connector coming straight from the power supply.

In a way the 35W limitation goes away. Sure try it. I think it will work. This guy did exactly that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc5CVHAnpQ0

*But don't forget to update your BIOS. I'm pretty sure you will have to do that to get the newer GPU to work.
You should be able to fit any 1050 Ti inside the case of the Optiplex 790 MT.

If you don't want to upgrade power supply stick with a 1050 Ti that doesn't require a 6-pin PCIe connector.

I would find an i7-2600 on eBay for around $100. Here

Or an i5-2500 for around $55. Here

Or just wait and see how the 1050 Ti performs with your i3. PUBG is not very well optimized and even on my system I get drops below 60fps.
 
supposedly theres a 35w cap on my pci slot tho.. standard is like 75w i guess... should i be worried? ive heard if you change your psu ill be alright... idk ive heard mixed reviews... i have 300$ on my girlfriends best buy card she will let me use
 
I've seen YouTubers using the standard power supply and the 35W slot with no issue. But I suppose there is no guarantee. Even if you upgrade your power supply, the GPU will still be in a 35W slot.

Maybe get a 1050 Ti with a 6-pin connector and a better power supply.
 


Hello, with 265w your psu wouldnt be able to power the gtx 1050ti enough.

If you were to get a better psu, maybe, the minimum watts required for gtx1050ti is 300w (check the geforce site https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-1050-ti/specifications). But make sure your motherboard can support a gtx1050ti, what motherboard do you have? Install cpu-z it will tell you most of the information about your pc: https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
 
supposedly i cant use 6pin connectors with the optiplex.... i guess ill just buy the 1050ti... sadly it looks like the standard pny 1050ti 4gb is still like the bare minimum for running pubg... sigh i thought id be able to run it on high...o well
 


300W is recommended minimum. People run them on less power supplies all the time. But of course, it is recommended to get a better power supply.
 


Too bad. I would recommend buying this power supply right now because of the price. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9X3F8F/?tag=pcpapi-20

But I still don't see how it will help unless you get a GPU with a PCIe power connector. The 35W slot will limit the power draw of the GPU unless it has a power connector. So you won't be using much power anyway to need a better power supply unless the GPU has a power connector. But dang it's hard not to by a 450W Bronze power supply for $18 + free shipping. It's not a very good power supply but it's sure as heck beats the one you have.
 
Well I don't think that'll be able to run a gtx1050ti well, best thing to do is find a motherboard and psu that will be compatible with your cpu and be able to power the gtx 1050ti. Whereabouts do you live, you can use sites like gumtree to find 2nd hand pc parts locally and build a decent pc that can run pubg. You can bargain on prices, but make sure the parts you buy are compatible especially the motherboard and cpu and that they work. You already have an alright cpu. If you pay $130 for the gtx1050ti, $30-50 for a psu and $60-70 for a motherboard you will be paying around $230
 
The psu that volkgren suggested is not bad I would go for it aswell someone on the review section said that they have successfully used an i5, gtx1050ti and 16gb ram so you definitley could run your i3, 8gb and gtx1050ti with it.
 
yeah i just dont know if its compatible with my mobo... i guess its only 18 bucks wth... and yeah ill prob upgrade my mobo... theyre fairly inexpensive....thanks for all the help... and yeah i was thinking if its 35w cap... then why upgrade psu lol
 


Well let us know if it works or not. You may want to ensure you have the latest BIOS for your motherboard installed.

*Which 1050 Ti did you buy?