Will I need a newer graphics card?

[degreaser]

Will I need a newer graphics card to run the Benq 24 inch XL2420T TN 120Hz 1920x1080 monitor DVI-D?
http://www.benq.ca/product/monitor/xl2420t/


My computer,
Windows 7 64bit home premium
motherboard Gigabyte Z77M-D3H-MVP
cpu Intel Core i5-3570
present video card MSI Nvidia Geforce 9400GT 512MB
http://us.msi.com/product/vga/N9400GT-MD512H.html#?div=Specification
present monitor Benq 20 inch GL2030 DVI-D TN panel 16:9 1600x900 60Hz

I haven't purchased the Benq 24 inch as yet. Not sure if the 9400 GT will be adequate or will I need a new card.

 

[subhadeep082012-1331288]

You need a good card to play the modern games.And remember u mentioned 120hz so u definitely need a good gpu.Tell me your budget?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

In the west, the Asus is cheaper

$280 Asus VG248QE - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313
$360 BenQ XL2420T - www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270

And yes Id get a new GFX card .... the $120 savings will get ya a better one

$155 650 Ti Boost 2GB
$175 660
$230 7870 Boost
$260 660 Ti
$350 670
$400 770

Ya didn't give ya PSU wattage so subject to adequate sizing....I'd try for the 770
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463

 

[subhadeep082012-1331288]

In the west, the Asus is cheaper

$280 Asus VG248QE - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313
$360 BenQ XL2420T - www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270

And yes Id get a new GFX card .... the $120 savings will get ya a better one

then you should get a hd 7770 from reputed brands like asus ,gigabyte,sapphire.

 

[degreaser]

I'm not sure what my PSU wattage is, the computer shop installed everything and I forgot to ask them what watts I have, I think it's a 350watt.

 

[subhadeep082012-1331288]

A recommended power supply for a hd 7770 is 450w.Sorry,I think u need to upgrade your psu.

 

[degreaser]

is there a way using windows 7 to see what my power supply is?

 

[subhadeep082012-1331288]

is there a way using windows 7 to see what my power supply is?

I am not sure.You can search google for that.

 

[Supernova1138]

I don't believe there is any software that can show you info about your power supply, you'll just have to open up your case and read the label on the power supply unit to get information on that.

 

[degreaser]

What about this Asus graphics card to run a Benq 24inch 1920x1080 monitor?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121778

The reason I like it is because it's fanless and I might not need to upgrade my PSU, maybe,
Do you this this ASUS card above would be an improvement over my present MSI Nvidia Geforce 9400GT 512mb?

I am not familiar with core clock MHz speeds or Memory clock speeds,
My GeForce 9400GT Core clock is 550 MHz
and Memory clock is 800 MHz

 

[degreaser]

oh, with my presenet 9400GT video card,
my Windows 7 Experience Index is 4.8

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Okay first, it doesn't matter what 'size' a monitor is (you have a 20inch now wanting to go to 24 inch) only on the display output level it can support and what your video card can output. In this case the video card you have can support more than 1920x1080 (simple google search for that model was the second link here http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-9400-gt/specifications). So to answer the basic question, NO you don't need to change video cards.

What everyone is suggesting though, is if your going to go higher level display (1920x1080) especially at 120Hz your probably doing something graphical (gaming, video editing, editing graphics), but many OLDER people want the same thing simply just to see 'things better' and all they use is still Word, Excel, Surfing webpages and the occassional funny Youtube video in full screen mode. If your the latter, then there is still no reason to change your video card.
If your the former, where you want to do graphical, then YES you absolutely need to change the video card, and I would HIGHLY recommend staying with NVIDIA as it supports 120Hz displays (ATI/AMD still has drivers issues it had never really addressed / put resources to resolve the issue). Any level video card your going to get requires HEAVY additional power it can't get from the motherboard slot, so normally you also need to get a Power Supply Unit (PSU) as well, I would recommend AT LEAST 650W up to 800W normally, unless your going real high end on the video card then you may even need a full KiloWatt (yes what your electric bill charges you per minute by) just for the computer (yes your electric bill also goes up significantly). You would need to know how to remove the PSU, install a new one, connect it to all the right connections, and then also swap the video card. Since your not familiar with it, I can recommend some Youtube videos on the subject, but really you may just want to hire the local computer shop to do it for you / local Geek you know to do it.

Doing a replacement Video / PSU INCORRECTLY can FRY your whole computer, cause electrical shocks, and can permanently damage components that would require you to replace before your computer is working again.

 

[degreaser]

ok, I am the latter, I mean I use my computer for youtube, google, email, browsing the internet, ms word and chat and motorcycle forums, no games, oh and the occasional dvd movie from my collection. And about the power supply change, I am not confident to change the PSU since I don't want to mess with or fry my motherboard. So what you suggest sounds good to me, I mean keeping my present Graphics card and leave well enough alone. Thanks for everyone's post and your post because if I can get thru with my present video card and not have to open up my computer case all the better right.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Yep. As you said, your just getting a bigger screen to see things better is all. So no need to change, your not demanding more 'graphics' from the card so no reason to change it, it can support the newer screen UNLESS you plan to do 3D, then that is more 'graphics' being demanded. You will (highly recommend) still need to make sure to update the drivers (new set out recently) but what I do is select ADVANCED setup when I do it, and uncheck the 3D parts, since I use my 120Hz screen for gaming in 2D not 3D.