Can I upgrade this desktop's Graphics Card?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
I

irishboy7

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
38
0
10,530
I've been looking to make a computer for a long time so just for fun and I looked up desktop on groupon and found this: https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-hp-pavilion-desktop-with-amd-a8-35ghz-processor. Would I be able to get this and put a $100- $200 graphics card in and have a fully capable gaming PC? Or would it still not stand up to the more intense games. Also, here is a link with a picture of the interior of the desktop. http://www.neweggflash.com/Product/N82E16883250759. Also, i'm guessing I will need a better power supply and I am okay with that.

UPDATE: I found out this will run BF4 on high settings except for the graphics, which obviously wont run it. I would like something that can match high while keeping the price of the desktop ($370), the new power supply and the graphics card under $650 if possible, if it will not run BF4 on high that is okay, i just saw it was one of the most graphic demanding games out there
 
Solution
cst1992
Tip: use the BBCode markup instead of the PCPartPicker/Reddit Markup. Looks much cleaner, easier to read.
Here, done that for you:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Deemo13

Deemo13

Splendid
Jul 18, 2011
8,087
0
31,960
It would be able to run newer games. BF4 on high is optimistic, but with a new power supply and graphics card it would be a nice upgrade.

$650 though can build you a very nice custom built gaming computer which will perform better than this with an upgraded graphics card. The only thing it might require to build is Phillips head screwdriver.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I

irishboy7

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
38
0
10,530
I realize I can build one but I can't seem to make one that cheap without sacrifice ing quality in the CPU, graphics card, or ram could you try and make one if it isn't to much trouble for you?

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Deemo13

Deemo13

Splendid
Jul 18, 2011
8,087
0
31,960
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($73.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $685.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 23:33 EDT-0400)

This is a tad over, but it was a little difficult to get it under $650 with that particular processor. If you downgrade to an Athlon 750K it would not be a large performance hit for the price.

This would be the next step down from that one saving a little money.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.19 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $661.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 23:30 EDT-0400)

Here's another step down.

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.19 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $631.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 23:28 EDT-0400)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Deemo13

Deemo13

Splendid
Jul 18, 2011
8,087
0
31,960
That is true. That computer would work well for what you seek. Just make sure to upgrade the power supply with the video card. Something like a 750Ti or even a 750 would work well. You might not need a new power supply with the 750 but I would upgrade it anyway for good measure.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Karadjgne

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Dec 26, 2012
30,739
4,559
142,790
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $699.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 23:55 EDT-0400)

Mine is a little over the $650 too, but still cheaper than the prebuilt + upgrades, and is overclockable up to @4.2-4.3MHz which will much improve performance.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cst1992

cst1992

Splendid
Nov 8, 2013
3,903
1
24,215
I'd say go with the top one that deemo13 mentioned. It has an ASUS motherboard, which will be good quality, as they're premier in the business. I've heard bad things about ASRock.
Three flaws I see with the HP PC:
- It has a APU. That APU has an inbuilt graphics card, which is a bit stronger than integrated, but still not very strong. If you use a graphics card, that GPU will be wasted; and the CPU part of that isn't very strong either.
- It's refurbished. Not that I'm saying it'll trash after a month, but getting parts new is always better.
- Its graphics card slot doesn't have a locking mechanism(Wonder what mobo that thing has). That means that it may happen that if the case moves when the computer is on, the graphics card can move. It shouldn't.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rationale

Rationale

Admirable
Mar 21, 2014
3,025
0
7,960
There are much cheaper alternatives than what these others are suggesting.

This ($540) would outperform the prebuilt+upgraded GPU/PSU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.19 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital AV-GP 500GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar MG100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $542.07
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 00:20 EDT-0400)
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Rationale

Rationale

Admirable
Mar 21, 2014
3,025
0
7,960


Asrock is very highly reviewed and reliable.
For that price what kind of HDD can you expect?

I don't think you realize how restrictive of a budget that is.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cst1992

cst1992

Splendid
Nov 8, 2013
3,903
1
24,215


The guy is already replacing his PSU. If we tell him if he wants to get a good card like the 270x or GTX 770 he'll need to get a new PSU, what's the use then? Games are getting demanding.
Your own build easily leaves enough room to get a better hard drive and power supply.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cst1992

cst1992

Splendid
Nov 8, 2013
3,903
1
24,215


I'm not hating anyone, I'm just saying go with better brands if you can help it. If any parts do turn out to be defective we're the ones who'll have to take the blame. "Hey cst you recommended me that part and it turned out to be defective".
Blaming an entire company for one bad part isn't fair, I know. But I haven't heard any such things about ASUS or Gigabyte boards, so I recommend them.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Avocade

Avocade

Honorable
Apr 12, 2013
1,002
0
11,460
I'm not trying to combat you. I just don't like seeing people put down hardware especially a brand like ASRock who has really come into their own. You know as well as I, daily we see hate from and for Nvidia and AMD but neither is bad it just depends on what you prefer. When it comes to brands EVGA, MSI, Asus... so on no matter the hardware it's comes down to those of us who can help to make suggestion but not to put companies down for an occasion defective part cause even the biggest names out there with the best parts sometimes send out a bad part or it gets damaged on the road.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Rationale

Rationale

Admirable
Mar 21, 2014
3,025
0
7,960
Yeah... I have an ASUS board that's in the process of dying. It's not a good idea to rate entire companies on one, or even a few, example(s).

I put in low specs because the person said he's unemployed and the most he can possibly spend is $650, and he would prefer less. That makes all the builds for $670-$700 that got posted unlikely to work out. I got the price as low as I possibly could, cutting corners everywhere that it was safe.

It may be possible to cut the RAM to 4GB, saving $20 and putting it toward a better PSU. For $55 he could get a decent 550w model that'd open up the possibility of upgrading at least one tier in the same generation. And it'd be simple just to add an identical stick of RAM later for 8GB.

It's also worth noting that the 500GB drive could be supplemented with a second 500GB drive if he gets an extra $50 in the coming months or years. HDDs and RAM are items that can be upgraded bit by bit, not like CPUs or GPUs that almost always have to be replaced to be upgraded.

Ofc, he's still good for cross-generation upgrades on a 430w PSU. For example, from a GTX 550 to a GTX 750. Or from an HD 6670 to an HD 7670. Just not many same-generation upgrades, unless power use drops with the 8xx series like it's supposed to.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I

irishboy7

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
38
0
10,530
I changed some things around so that it is a full size mother board and case, as well as a 1TB hard drive


[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rwgN) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rwgN/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rwgN/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad760kwohlbox) | $84.73 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fm2a88xextreme4) | $79.98 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx1600c10d3b18g) | $54.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $54.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r7260x2gd5oc) | $119.99 @ Micro Center
**Case** | [Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc912kkn1) | $53.99 @ Mwave
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430) | $19.99 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24f1st) | $14.99 @ Newegg
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $573.62
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 08:53 EDT-0400 |
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cst1992

cst1992

Splendid
Nov 8, 2013
3,903
1
24,215
Tip: use the BBCode markup instead of the PCPartPicker/Reddit Markup. Looks much cleaner, easier to read.
Here, done that for you:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $573.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 11:36 EDT-0400)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BTW, I have made some modifications to this, and this is what I came up with:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.73 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $639.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 11:53 EDT-0400)

A CPU cooler
a kit of 2x4GB RAM's instead of a single 8GB, allowing for dual channel
A case having front USB 3.0 ports(2x)
A 600W power supply(CX600)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
I

irishboy7

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
38
0
10,530



I picked the Cooler Master case because it is one of the high air flow models so i wouldn't need the CPU cooler. Also, i most likely won't be using the full 8 GB while playing a game so I am fine with the cheaper one stick
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom