I am looking for an inexpensive upgrade from my GeForce 405

Mastercake · Jan 7, 2014

I purchased an Acer eMachines EL1850 a few years ago which supposedly came with a GeForce 315, even though every program recognizes it as a GeForce 405.

I have not opened the system up yet but I plan to within the next couple of days. In the meantime, I was hoping you would offer some suggestions on an upgrade. The new card would have to similar to the 315/405 in terms of physical dimensions and be compatible with my PSU and MOBO.

My budget is around $50 and I am happy to buy secondhand. I am looking for something that will play games like Skyrim and The Sims 3 on medium settings at 60 FPS @ 1366x768.

I have provided the details of my system below:

System Information Report.html

GeForce 315

I will post more details once I open the system up and take a look inside. I plan to replace this computer with a gaming rig later this year.

Eximo · Jan 7, 2014

This would be about as good as it gets new.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00847LDTI/?tag=pcpapi-20

Nothing used that performs better will be the exact same form factor (larger) and would require more power then your e-machine can deliver.

GT620 should run games fairly well at 1366x768

HiTechObsessed · Jan 7, 2014

Would need to know if you have PCIe power connectors coming from the PSU before any GPU could be recommended.

Eximo · Jan 7, 2014

It is a small form factor PC, it does not have a PCIe power connector, nor a power supply capable of running one. Low-profile single slot cards are it. Passively cooled might not be a bad idea either to make sure it fits.

If you plan on building an all new gaming PC later. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to spend $50 on a low-end graphics card. Save your money until you can afford to build something like a $500-600 system.

Eximo · Jan 7, 2014

This one is a tad bit cheaper and not as thick.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134151&clickid=Q2Hz0k26RRA%3ATLHxII1620FwUkT1UcXr0R8cxU0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

HiTechObsessed · Jan 7, 2014

Eximo :

Ahh, thanks, didn't look up the model, I'm not used to prebuilts on here lol

But I agree, might as well save that money now and use it to add $50 to your budget whenever you buy the gaming rig

Trimax · Jan 7, 2014

Spend a bit of more and get a lot more performance. Get something like a GTX 620 or 640 would be a good option for gaming on medium settings. It's a good choice for someone on a budget or someone looking for a cheap card!

Hope this helps

Mastercake · Jan 7, 2014

Thanks for the advice you guys, keep it coming.

Eximo :

PCIe 2.0 x 16

The quote is from the GeForce 315 article I posted. Does this make a difference to anything?

I really like your suggestion with the 620 by the way.

Eximo · Jan 7, 2014

For the record, GTX cards start at GTXx50 All GTx40 cards are just GT, ie GT315, GT 640. There might be one or two GT640 creeping around that will fit in that case, but they would be expensive for the performance. No way to cram a GTX650 or better in there, they would all be double slot full height cards. Length would also be a concern.

PCIe 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0 are all cross compatible. Just a difference in bandwidth. Only caution for PCIe 1.0 was that the power supplied through the slot itself wasn't entirely standardized and newer cards were capable of drawing more power then was available. With 2.0 everything should be fine.

giantbucket · Jan 7, 2014

GT640 low-profile

open-box but otherwise new, a bit past your budget but should be a significant improvement over what you have.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121771R

********************************

here's some other options. notice the R7 250 low-profile for around $110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600038364%20600298541%20600473899%20600337485&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GT%20640&Pagesize=100

Mastercake · Jan 8, 2014

So I broke the seal and took a peak inside my computer. I discovered a sticker on the GPU which stated the following:

Model: G405 512MB DDR3 MFG Date: 2011/04/22

So I guess my computer came with the 405 instead of the advertised 315. How do these two cards differ from each other? Do you think I could get a refund for false advertising?

Here is the info I could find on my PSU:

Delta Electronics Inc.
Model No. DPS-220U B-3 A
Made in China

MAX. Continuous 220W

There is some more information on the PSU if you need it.

If it is not possible to get a refund for my computer, which cards (if any) out of the 620, 630 and 640 would work?

giantbucket · Jan 8, 2014

Doubt you could get a refund, and the 405 is probably similar to or even equivalent to the 315. And if you're upgrading it's kind of irrelevant anyways.

As far as power... Hmm, with just 220W to play with, you're likely using 100W as is for the CPU / mobo / hard drive, which leaves you with (realistically) no more than 100W. Most of the 620-640 stuff should keep you well within that.

Mastercake · Jan 8, 2014

I was unable to get a refund. The best they could do was send a replacement 315.

However, I managed to find a great deal on a GT 630 by ZOTAC. Unlike most other 630 cards, this one is based on the Kepler architecture and as a result, it uses even less power than my current GPU!

ZOTAC GeForce GT 630 ZONE Edition

It's also smaller than the 315 (I couldn't find any reliable sizes on the 405) so it should fit nicely. Does anyone have anything else to add? If not, I'll choose the best answer tomorrow.

Edit: The GPU in question can not be shipped outside of the US. Using a 3rd party to redirect the package to Australia would also be outside my budget. :'(

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I am looking for an inexpensive upgrade from my GeForce 405

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