Which Graphics Cards can be Installed onto (P67A-C43) MS-7673 Motherboard?

[CactusAvenue]

Hi all,
I'm looking to update my Graphics Card on my gaming rig. My Motherboard is a (P67A-C43) MS-7673 Military Class II, and power supply is 650W, Power Master RS-650-PCAR-E3. Currently I have a MSI Twin Frozr 560Ti Overclocked installed into it. I have two PCI-E ports, and one is currently being used up.

I have a few options that I'm thinking of installing:
1. Nvidia GTX 960 SuperSC ACX 2.0+ 4GB
2. MSI R7 370 GAMING 4G

Would the above be able to be installed onto my PC? Also, are there any graphics card that I cannot install due to any reason? Could it be such that the graphics card is too large to fit in, or are they all roughly the same size? (cus I'm buying from Amazon)

It's my first time upgrading my rig by myself, so I appreciate the help. Thank you!

 

[Darkbreeze]

If your motherboard works with a 560 TI installed, then you should be able to install any current gen gaming or workstation card, so long as your power supply and CPU are sufficient to support it.

Forget the 370. If the 960 is within your budget, that's a better choice. The 960 has, on average, about 10FPS better performance on most titles for about the same price or close enough to it to not be a consideration, at least on the 4Gb models of the 370.

I would also not bother with the 4GB models of the GTX 960. The 2GB models are less expensive and have the same performance on all but a handful, or more actually, just a couple, of titles. 4GB only makes sense if you plan to SLI or Crossfire those cards, and doing THAT makes no sense since you can get a much better single card for the same price, or less, than two of either of those cards.

 

[CactusAvenue]

If your motherboard works with a 560 TI installed, then you should be able to install any current gen gaming or workstation card, so long as your power supply and CPU are sufficient to support it.

Forget the 370. If the 960 is within your budget, that's a better choice. The 960 has, on average, about 10FPS better performance on most titles for about the same price or close enough to it to not be a consideration, at least on the 4Gb models of the 370.

I would also not bother with the 4GB models of the GTX 960. The 2GB models are less expensive and have the same performance on all but a handful, or more actually, just a couple, of titles. 4GB only makes sense if you plan to SLI or Crossfire those cards, and doing THAT makes no sense since you can get a much better single card for the same price, or less, than two of either of those cards.

Hi darkbreeze,

Thanks for your reply! My power should be enough, since it's 650W, but may I know what you mean by the CPU being sufficient enough to support it? (My first time upgrading my PC by myself)

 

[Darkbreeze]

If the CPU is low end or an old design, it may create a bottleneck due to not being capable of keeping up with the performance of the graphics card. Tweaking the resolution and settings can help offset this to some degree, but not entirely, nor much at all if the bottleneck is significant.

Some processors are simply not fast enough for some graphics cards and if that's the case, a lower tiered graphics card would be a better choice unless an upgrade in the near future is imminent.


Regarding the 650w PSU, that too is no guarantee there will not be problems. One 650w PSU may barely be able to sustain 400w while another, higher quality unit might actually be able to provide 700w under severe loads without taking a powder. It just depends on who the OEM builder for the model is and what platform is used. What is the model number of your power supply?

 

[CactusAvenue]

If the CPU is low end or an old design, it may create a bottleneck due to not being capable of keeping up with the performance of the graphics card. Tweaking the resolution and settings can help offset this to some degree, but not entirely, nor much at all if the bottleneck is significant.

Some processors are simply not fast enough for some graphics cards and if that's the case, a lower tiered graphics card would be a better choice unless an upgrade in the near future is imminent.


Regarding the 650w PSU, that too is no guarantee there will not be problems. One 650w PSU may barely be able to sustain 400w while another, higher quality unit might actually be able to provide 700w under severe loads without taking a powder. It just depends on who the OEM builder for the model is and what platform is used. What is the model number of your power supply?

My power supply is Power Master Extreme Power Plus 650W (RS-650-PCAR-E3).

Processor is Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500 CPU @ 3.30GHz, 3301 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)

 

[Darkbreeze]

Do you mean Cooler Master, NOT Power master?

The Extreme Power Plus is a Cooler master product, and is VERY low end. DO NOT use it with any hardware you value.

This review below is for the 600w version, but that entire series is crap.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/cooler-master-extreme-power-plus-600-w-power-supply-review/9/