What is the cheapest way to turn this PC into an nVidia based system instead of AMD?

[kevin1875]

I built this computer:

CPU: AMD A8-7600
Motherboard: Gigabyte F2A78M-D3H
RAM: G Skill Ripjaws 16 GB DDR3-1866
Storage: Kingston 128 GB SSD + Western Digital 1 TB HDD
GPU: The CPU is an APU so no dedicated GPU as of now

It has served me well for about a year but lately it has been doing my head in. Everytime I watch a YouTube video (or anything else that moves, such as .GIF's) while a certain game is running in the background, a BSOD happens and I lose everything. It says 'THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER'.

The offender is, according to the BSOD dump, a file called atikmdag.sys. So it is certain it's caused by a faulty AMD driver.

I've formatted Windows, installed any driver version out there, tried forcing the use of Flash, the use of HTML5, tried every browser there is available. It just keeps on happening.

It's gotten so bad I've actually went and blocked YouTube and Imgur in my firewall settings so that I don't accidentally open anymore .GIF's or videos. But sometimes I come across media on other sites and the system still crashes.

There is just no solution available and I will have to switch to nVidia. I built this PC on my own but the parts were suggested by users on the internet; I don't have a lot of knowledge as far as parts go.

So I'm turning to this forum hoping someone could help me. What is the cheapest way to turn this PC into an nVidia based gaming PC? Will I have to swap out the motherboard and CPU as well or can I just buy a decent nVidia GPU and stick it in there?

The game I play is RuneScape 3 if it matters; so it does require a decent GPU but not an expensive top of the line powerhouse.

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[leigh76]

That mobo doesnt take Intel so thats the first thing......

 

[kevin1875]

Thanks a bunch for your reply!

Alright, I was afraid for that. But... I don't mind shelling out money for a new motherboard, as long as it means I can salvage this PC and don't have to buy or build an entirely new one.

So I'll need a new motherboard, CPU and video card. Any suggestions as to what is decent these days?

 

[leigh76]

Do you have an actual price in mind? or literally as cheap as you can?

 

[kevin1875]

Yes, the cheapest components that can run the game specified. It's the only thing I use the PC for (besides YouTube and music). Not going to play any AAA games so it doesn't have to be really expensive. The specs that the game developers recommend on their site are as follows:

Processor (CPU): Intel i5 or i7 / AMD Athlon X2 or better
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD (non M or Mobility) / nVidia GeForce 1xx/2xx/3xx/4xx/5xx/6xx (excluding M / Mobile or Go)
Memory: 4GB DDR3+

 

[k1114]

Intel and nvidia are not the same company. If the gpu is the issue, you can go with either an amd or nvidia gpu. I wouldn't go lower than a rx 550 or 1030.

 

[TJ Hooker]

All it takes to make that an "Nvidia system" is to buy any Nvidia graphics card and put it in there. Uninstall you old graphics drivers, install some new Nvidia ones.

 

[leigh76]

OMG I am so so sorry, I could have sworn it said turn this PC into an INTEL based system instead of AMD

Its late here sorry Kevin1875.

Totally as the other guys have said all you have to get is an PCie Nvidia card.

 

[kevin1875]

Thanks very much everyone!

Glad to hear I don't have to spend so much money then. A nVidia card will be a lot cheaper than a new motherboard, processor and videocard.

Now to find a good one, I'll do some research and pick a new nVidia card soon. Thanks again!