Help and advice on purchasing a graphics card

BadDogg

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Jan 11, 2014
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I am currently debating on buying a graphics card for my desktop pc. i am the first to admit i dont know very much on the subject and am a little perplexed.

My system runs windows 7, has 4gb ram and an AMD processor... PSU = 250v

my pc is used primarily for work but on an evening when the kids go to bed i like to mess with games, while my computer does run games i would like to increase its performance as little bit, i dont want to spend a fortune and also not looking for anything flashy.

could someone please advise on a good card to get and instruct if i would also have to up my psu
 
Solution
I would normally only be comfortable recommending a quality PSU from Seasonic, XFX. Corsair (except their CX series, but in your case a CX series would probably work) or Antec.

Here are some PSUs to consider:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/power-supply/#R=5,4&m=52,11,71,39&w=400&sort=a8

Here are some video cards starting with the cheapest:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=a6&R=5,4

Here is a listing of GPUs performance with the best at the top:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

I hope all this helps :)

BadDogg

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at this moment in time i am beta testing a game not too dissimilar to WoW,

My system does run the game on low settings but does freeze a little now and then to play catchup and load speeds can be lengthy
 

EvgaLover

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Well this is a little difficult situation i am in because i don't really know your full specs, but i don't really know any graphic cards that will be able to run wow and support 250w powersupply. My best recommendation is to upgrade to a 400w powersupply and maybe aim for a gtx 650. thats a very budget friendly card and will surely run wow on minimum medium
 

BadDogg

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I had assumed that an upgrade of my psu would be require, i am more than willing to do this in order to make my gaming experience a little more fluid provided it wont cost an arm and a leg. 3 kids and an up-coming wedding mean pennies are tight at this moment. is upgrading the ram in excess of the current 4gb a necessity too or will i scrape by?
 

EvgaLover

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4gb of ram is more than enough aslong as you dont have 100 tabs open while playing hehe
 

BadDogg

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i apologise for not providing more information, if you tell me what you need to know i can attempt to aquire all the information you require, i can even provide an image of the current towers iner workings if needed?
 

EvgaLover

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ive had a inno3d gtx 560 and my frames was not the best with wow on full ultra. don't know how well the ti version will perform but i don't think there is that much difference.
 

BadDogg

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make: zoostorm
model: -unknown-

processor: amd a4-3300 apu with radfion hd graphics 2.50 ghz
ram: 4gb
system type: 64 bit
HDD: 320 gb

is there any other information you require?

in addition to this my motherboard has available pci-e1, pci-e2 and pci1 slots
 

animal

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From viewing current Zoostorm desktops on their website, it appears that they use a standard microATX case, so I imagine you should be able to upgrade your PSU. Here is a reference page that lists what size PSU a system should have based on the type and amount of GPU(s) installed:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

I understand you are on a budget, but how much can you afford to pay for a new PSU and GPU?
 

BadDogg

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as little as possible, if i am to be honest... had a quick look online and seen new 400w psu randing from 15£ and up. as for the price i would spend on a graphics card i dont have a clue

 

animal

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I would normally only be comfortable recommending a quality PSU from Seasonic, XFX. Corsair (except their CX series, but in your case a CX series would probably work) or Antec.

Here are some PSUs to consider:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/power-supply/#R=5,4&m=52,11,71,39&w=400&sort=a8

Here are some video cards starting with the cheapest:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=a6&R=5,4

Here is a listing of GPUs performance with the best at the top:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

I hope all this helps :)
 
Solution

BadDogg

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Thank you for the information, i gathered from reading other forums that 80+ bronze was what to look out for. due to this i had already picked the cheaper one of the list you provided so confirmation of that was very helpful

the list of recommended gpu was very helpful too though it does raise a question. The Gforce GT 630 and Gforce GT 430 are both at the lower priced end of the scale, slightly different spec (One seemingly being the better of the 2) is this £15 worth the difference in performance or would you recommend a different card to the GT 630 for approximately the same price?

also: am i to worry about a card being bottle necked by my processor?
 

animal

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Since you are not looking at mid-range to high-end GPUs, bottlenecking should not be an issue.

Keeping budget in mind, If you are considering the GT 630, then I'd suggest getting the GTS 450, or if you can squeeze out slightly more, maybe one of the 7750s.
 

BadDogg

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i had considered the 630 if the performance was worth the difference in cost compared to the 430

you would recommend this: Sapphire 11202-00-20G Radeon HD 7750 1GB 800MHz

over these two:MSI N630GT-MD4GD3 GeForce GT 630 4GB 810MHz
Asus ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) GeForce GT 430 1GB 700MHz

??

at risk of showing myself up with yet another stupid question, could i ask why the 450 or the 7750 are better? i know there are many factors that make a gpu good, i am just still struggling why a 1gb card is preferable to a 4gb card when most other specs of the 2 compared are the same or similar
 

animal

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Yes, the 7750 you list is hands-down better than either the GT 630 or the GT 430. Did you look at the GPU hierarchy page I referenced earlier? If so, you will see that the Sapphire 7750 is in the 11th tier (right hand side....listed as 7750(GDDR5)) and the GT 630 is in the 17th tier (left hand side) and the GT 430 is in the 19th tier (left hand side). The higher tier (closer to the top of chart) GPU will perform better than those listed below it.
 

BadDogg

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Jan 11, 2014
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wow, just goes to prove that more gb really does not mean better. quite a bit more expensive than i had allocated a budget for but if the performance is significantly better than the others then i may just have to stretch my original price plans
 

animal

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Normally, many people/places do not recommend upgrading the GPU unless its 2-3 tiers above what you currently have, so as you can see from my previous post, the 7750 would be 3-4 upgrades above the GT 430 and 2-3 upgrades above the GT630. So yes, the 7750 performance will be significantly better than either the GT 430 or GT 630.
 

BadDogg

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Well, I must say a huge thank you to yourself and the others who have commented with advice and opinions. It has helped me come to a decision that i would of been unable to come to without the knowledge picked from your collective brains.

I am very grateful :)

once i have made my planed upgrades i suppose the next step will be the processor.....

 

EvgaLover

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no problem. Always glad to help thankful people :)