Upgrade for graphics card NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430

[imaswimmer]

Hello! I'm new here and I'm having questions on how to upgrade my graphics card that's NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430. I'm not really good at computers so forgive me for lacking on my comp specs. I used this program called CPU-Z to find out my comp specs and my processor is AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ and my mother board is BIOSTAR N61PB-M2S model. I searched in the net and found out this mother board has a PCI-E x16 slot. I don't really want to buy a new pc and I'm kind of a gamer so I'm asking what good graphics card is out there that would be compatible for this pc that could at least help me play games like DOTA 2 smoothly? Thanks for replying

Oh yeah and currently my RAM is DDR2 1024 MBytes PC2-5300 (333 MHz) max bandwidth and manufacturer is Team Group Inc. Memory size is 512 MBytes. I'm also planning to buy ram like at least 2 GB to help the pc. I hope this helps.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Are you certain you HAVE a graphics card installed? The NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 is an INTEGRATED graphics processor, which is part of the motherboard.

Your CPU is a rather old and slow, no offense, dual core and only has a 2.6Ghz clock speed, so it's not likely to be capable of using a very good modern card without bottlenecking the GPU.

What resolution is the monitor you plan to use with this configuration?

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd highly recommend upgrading the motherboard, CPU and RAM before upgrading to a newer card, but if you can only go with a card, this would be the extent I'd be willing to recommend, and upgrading your system memory (RAM) is a must as you have a very low amount of RAM for anything much less gaming:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 250 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $69.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-29 21:20 EST-0500

 

[imaswimmer]

darkbreeze, thanks! I'm not so sure myself but that's what came in the video card section on the CPU-ID software. None taken, I know it's old and slow, but I just can't afford a total change right now. But thanks alot, at least now I have a little hope for this fossil.

 

[Darkbreeze]

imaswimmer, is it a laptop or a desktop computer?

 

[imaswimmer]

It's a desktop computer. Why?

 

[Darkbreeze]

If it's a desktop computer, then you can most likely install a new graphics card that will be significantly more powerful than the integrated graphics your motherboard has. If it had been a laptop computer, in most cases you're stuck with what it comes with as only a few newer models allow an add in card for upgrading the notebook graphics.

So the next step would be to pull the side cover off and look on the board for a model number. With the model number we can determine what slots your board has in order to know what generation and specification of graphics card it will accept.

 

[Rocko1976]

You have on board video now. So adding a card and ram will help greatly.

The board has a PCIe x16 slot and I would recommend a low power consuming video card as you probrably don't have a large power supply.

I wouldn't spend more than $50 on both the ram and video card combined. You have an old computer. Get the ram and video card used-that's what I would do.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would not buy used hardware. Most graphics cards sell for 50-75% of the new price but do not return 50-75% of the cards lifespan, as compared to a new component. Your system would likely benefit greatly from something like the GTX 750 or R7 250, both of which do not require an additional power supply cable from the PSU. Either of these would work well depending on your current power supply. Can you find the model number of your power supply so we'll know if it's capable of handling an aftermarket GPU?

If not, I'd recommend getting a PSU as well.

Either of these cards, or something similar, would work well for you:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/evga-video-card-01gp42753kr%2Cxfx-video-card-r7250aclf4/


And this PSU, if yours is not of sufficient quality (Don't confuse capacity (Amps and watts) with quality. Don't assume because a unit has a high 80plus rating that it's good either), which is available in most parts of the world:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Directron)
Total: $33.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-30 16:09 EST-0500

 

[imaswimmer]

Again, thanks for all the help! Yeah, I'm starting to look for the graphics cards you proposed in the nearest stores. I checked the model no. of my PSU and the model no. is P4-500W. I'm guessing it's capable of 500 watts? I'm not really sure.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's a Linkworld unit, and probably a few other cheap brands have slapped their own stickers on it as well. It's an EXTREMELY cheap PSU and I wouldn't install it in any computer, even if I intended to throw the computer away in two days time. Seriously, it's a tier 5 "replace immediately" unit as shown on the PSU tier list.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817165024


PSU Tier list (Scroll down to tier 5 - Linkworld): http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html


I would ABSOLUTELY not use that PSU in any system, much less with an aftermarket graphics card you just spent good money on or this is likely to happen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk9OA7aKOE

or this:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/26/exploding_computer_vs_reg_reader/


I cannot stress this enough. Do not use that PSU with your new card. In fact, if it was me, I'd get it out of my computer and replace it with a decent quality unit even BEFORE I bought a new GPU. I realize this is an extra investment you didn't plan on, but you'll be very sad if you leave it in and it ruins not only your new graphics card, but the rest of your rig as well.

You need at LEAST a Tier 3 and preferably a Tier 2B unit from the PSU Tier list. An Antec VP-450 or even a lower tiered Corsair 450w unit would be FAR better than what you've got in there now.

 

[imaswimmer]

Well this is a bummer. You know I kinda had a feeling something was wrong with this package. My mom bought it off a promo from a shop and they used different parts to make this work. I guess it was a bit obvious, but no one in the family really knows computers well. I'll find a replacement this week for the PSU. Thanks for the heads up. And dude, honestly, would it be a better investment if I just save for a new pc package, or is it better to upgrade my current pc to fit today's standards?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Here's what I'd suggest and you can of course make your own choices. Upgrading the PSU and GPU are never a bad thing, because they can always be moved to any new rig you build and it just means two less things you have to buy for that build but you can still benefit from them in the meantime since they will work with your current system anyhow. So long as you get a PSU of good quality, as discussed, that will be of sufficient capacity, which you can determine from either of these two charts below, for the GPU you decide you will go with, you will be in good shape when it comes time to put the rest of the system together.

The fact is that the system as a whole is rather outdated and low end. At one time it was decent, but that was years ago and even then that PSU would have been a time bomb so it's very fortunate nothing adverse has occurred due to it being there in the first place. That being said, upgrade those two items now and save for your other components until you can easily afford something more recent that will serve you for a longer period of time rather than rush it and end up with another system that will be worthless to you a year from now.


PSU requirements for graphics cards (You can take your pick on which recommendation on either page to adhere to. They are both accurate in that the recommendations listed will meet or exceed the actual requirements for each given card.):

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards

When the time comes to pick components for an upgrade, you can feel free to PM me or post a thread and myself or another member (Don't just listen to any ol' member though, you can tell who knows what here and some of them really don't.) will be glad to help you configure a build that will serve your needs well for the future but be within your budget.

 

[imaswimmer]

Alright, I get what you mean. I'll settle with buying the parts you proposed first then after I come up with a decent amount I'll continue on the upgrade for my PC. Given your choices those components fit well already, now the only lacking part is the RAM. So last question: do you have any good advise for RAM on my system? Again, thanks for the help, darkbreeze

 

[Rocko1976]

At this point it may be best just to start from scratch and put together a budget system. I put a hell of a machine together for $600 and decent systems can be made for much less.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Having forgotten about the memory issue, this leaves two options.

One, it may not be desirable to put money into the memory since it cannot be carried over to a new system. This would mean you might either have to make due with what you currently have unless you can scrounge some used memory up that is compatible with your system which apparently is compatible with DDR2 533/667/800 MHz modules, or make a small investment with the understanding that it's unlikely to be as efficient an investment as the alternative.

On a side note, the system core, (Board, cpu, memory) might be ok to create a secondary system for light duty tasks like web browsing or office applications, which it's probably still capable of use with, that can be used in some backup role or gifted to another family member with the addition of a decent low end PSU like the Corsair CX series or Antec VP-450.

Alternatively, it might be a better plan to simply not invest the money into the memory that cannot be used when you upgrade, and just plan for the upgrade sooner. That's going to be up to you and clearly I have no idea as to your financial ability to upgrade now or later.


If you do want to go with some minimal addition of memory now, this would probably help somewhat to bolster the system for the interim period:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (1 x 1GB) DDR2-533 Memory ($11.69 @ Amazon)
Total: $11.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 16:19 EST-0500