What graphics card should I get?

[Synyster]

Hey guys. I recently got a computer. But I'm really bad with the hardware and components. I want a new graphics card, one that is around £100 - £180 and can run pretty good and popular games on a computer. I'm not looking to run it on ultra, but high. As I said I'm really bad with hardware, if I chose I would probably do something extremely stupid. I understand that I may need to buy other types of hardware so the graphics card isn't bottlenecked. Thanks for your help. Here are my specs:

CPU: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5500 @ 2.80GHz
CPU Speed: 2.8 GHz Performance Rated at: 4.20 GHz
RAM: 3.0 GB
DirectX version: 11.0
Pixel Shader version: 4.0
Vertex Shader version: 4.0
Dedicated Video RAM: 128MB

 

[corymartin66]

what kind of psu do u have? Brand and wattage

 

[Synyster]

I don't know, I've never opened up the casing of my computer. :/

 

[Deemo13]

I'm guessing its like a pre-built computer from like HP or Gateway? You are probably going to have to get a new PSU if you want to run a nicer card.

That being said, your processor is quite slow.

 

[corymartin66]

you can get a GT 520 if u have at least a 300w psu for low end games and old games

 

[mouse24]

Well, I would be hard pressed to not recommend a 7750, you can go lower but the price/performance ratio drops dramatically.
Where does this line come from? CPU Speed: 2.8 GHz Performance Rated at: 4.20 GHz

Fairly sure a C2D can't go above 4Ghz :/

But uh yeah, your proc might bottleneck in cpu intensive games so performance will vary widely from game to game...

 

[Deemo13]

Would you be willing to open the computer to tell us the power supply?

 

[mouse24]

^ah thanks, I completely forgot for a moment. Yes before you go out buying expensive hardware we need to know if it will run first.

 

[Synyster]

Thanks guys, I was thinking of trying to get a new PSU anyway, and yeah its a pre built HP. :/

 

[Synyster]

I'm not sure if I should get the hardware, or take it back to the shop I got it from, I got this computer nearly 2 months ago for my birthday. Should I build my own for about £500. Would it be worth it?

 

[Deemo13]

Well I'm guessing you've got 300W since I've worked on Pavilions myself. If you want to upgrade the card and power supply, here is the long term I would do.

Get a decent power supply and a nice card. What I would also recommend is a new cheap case that would be better for the computer itself. Just a nice case, power supply and a card.

Then when more funds come in, you can upgrade more of the parts, such as the processor and the RAM and the motherboard. Then you could re-use the power supply and the card and the case. You would already have the HDD and the DVD drive.

 

[Deemo13]

Well what I would recommend doing is just upgrading it by bits. You can get quite a few good parts for a good price. You can do 2 things here:

You can find a Socket 775 processor (one that would fit into your current motherboard). Like a Core2Quad. It would prove to be a decent upgrade and the less expensive option of the bunch, but Core2Quads are getting old.

You could also get some new parts like I suggested above either in increments or all at once. You would of course be re-using the hard drive and the DVD drive and the version of Windows you have, so none of your data would be lost and you dont have to buy new ones.

A new CPU, RAM, and motherboard is going to be about $200:

i3-2120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077
$125

ASRock H61M-DGS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315
$45

G.SKILL Value 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231423
$21

Total is $191, which leaves $311 for a case, power supply and graphics. Now I am not going to use all of the $500 because Im sure you want to save some and shipping costs some:

Gigabyte Radeon HD6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353
$150

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
$60

That's $210, so you've got $100 left. Here's a case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Case is a matter of preference, so if you want something flashy or dull that's up to you.

That leaves $45 for shipping and for you to go and buy some games.

Now if you don't feel like spending all of your $500, there are options. You can lower the processor or the video card, but this is a very solid build right here.

And if you are in Europe, this would be super awkward.