Camilo Vasquez :
kulmnar :
Camilo Vasquez :
Hello,
I just want to know what gpu i can upgrade to, i don't really want to upgrade my power supply. I was looking at the 7850 so in a 120-200 price range.
Here are my pc specs (http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c03802547&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=125&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=5358989&prodTypeId=12454)
Thank you.
The power supply is rated at 460W but there are no specs on it. We need to know the 12V rail rating on the power supply (how much wattage does the 12V rail output). Can you open the case and look at the data sheet for the power supply? It should be located on the power supply.
here is a photo of the psu https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106360551619125046315/106360551619125046315/posts/bjBvz4nEnX8
A 7850 is risky because you have 3 12V rails, the most powerful one has 18A. Combined the 12V rails provide 30A (so if they were a single rail it would work no problem). The risky part is that if each of these rails has OCP (overcurrent protection), the 7850 may trip the OCP if it asks for more amps that one rail can provide (this is bad, your PC shuts down).
Therefore I don't recommend it. You may be able to get away with it but it's too risky. An HD7770 would be a safer bet, ensure you have a 6 PIN PCIE connector on your power supply though because a 7770 would require that. If you don't, the HD7770 would require a 4 pin to 6 pin converter (these usually are included with the video card but not always).
What games do you want to play and at what resolution? The HD7770 is 400% more powerful than the 8470 card you have now but it is an entry level gaming card.