Upgrading stock PC to mid-high end GPU

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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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I'm wanting to make sure the GPU is compatible and PSU is acceptable with my system before I purchase them. Also would like to make sure I'm not bottlenecking myself in the process and if I am, that it's not terribly.
I'm also open to other GPU/PSU suggestions if you feel it would be more stable or better off with my specs. My budget for these upgrades is max total of 320$. Will hopefully make the purchases within the week.

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?sp4ts.oid=4269976&spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay&spf_p.prp_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-navigationalState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c02479700-18%257CdocLocale%253D%257CcalledBy%253D&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

Those are my exact specs, my PC is stock what you see here is what I have, system's the 64bit version.

Below are the possible upgrades I've been looking at getting, I'm not looking to play all the newest games max res ultra settings, but med-high settings for most games is preferred.

SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100365L Radeon R9 270 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card With BOOST & OC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202090

SeaSonic SSP-450RT 450W ATX12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC PC Power Supply 12cm Double Ball Bearing Series - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151127&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT51264BA1339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148346
Main reason for this one is upgrade specs on the first link say no ecc and unbuffered only, and this's one of the few sticks I've found with that in mind. If I don't need the additional RAM that'd be great but I doubt my stock RAM is great.

Sansui 19" Class Led/lcd 720p 60hz Hdtv, Sled1953w
http://www.amazon.com/Sansui-Class-720p-60hz-Sled1953w/dp/B00A9XX8GQ
Is my current monitor, mainly because it was a gift and I can use it as a TV, and also play my consoles on it if I feel the urge, main complaint is the low resolution but other than that it's nice crisp coloring and sharp images with good changeable frequency. Would be willing to replace it in the near future, also can snag wife's 24 inch dell monitor with 19xx by 12xx (forget the exact reso of it)

Also yes modular/non-modular PSU I don't really care which just as long as it fits in case, gives me the watts I need, and doesn't fry anything I'll be happy with it.

Also, this is my first time upgrading anything past stock so if I seem noobish in my choices, please forgive them. Thanks any and all help is greatly appreciated. :)
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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That does seem to be the better pick of the two, has a longer projected life span as well, and is a fraction cheaper on newegg, will probably go with that as since I have 250w(max watts from last PSU) + 150w(from new GPU) = 400w allowing for overhead so 450w with 90% efficiency = 405w should be adequate, or am I mistaken? Also edited current monitor in, knew there was something I forgot to put but couldn't remember what, lol.
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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Nov 8, 2013
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So I'm assuming here that you have a 1366x768 monitor as a primary monitor, and sometimes will use a 1920x1200 monitor(your wife's). In that case the 270 is plenty.

Secondly about the power supply.
You selected the CX500M which allows for semi-modular cabling, which means you can remove all cables other than the motherboard and CPU cables.
It has a 80PLUS bronze rating, which says it'll have atleast 82% power of what it draws from the wall, in other words, if you connect a load of 450W to it, it'll draw 548W from the wall, or less. The rest 98W gets converted to heat. A 100% efficient power supply will draw the same power from the wall as it provides, and not get hot at all(requiring no fan).

You'll get 87% efficiency from the Seasonic unit, i.e. at 450W load it'll only draw 517W from the wall, resulting in power savings and cooler temperatures of the power supply.
Also, Seasonic is "the" brand of power supplies. Almost every good power supply out there is made by Seasonic.
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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I wasn't aware that that's how it worked, that makes sense though, thanks for that info. I edited that as my PSU choice my concern though is the review on newegg for it said, "Cons: Now supplied power cable or screws for mounting just remember this when its time to install." Think he meant no instead of now, can I use the cable from my old 250w or not? Been sharing the power cord with wife's computer since we both got the same exact tower models, so would be great if it came with its own.
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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Ok last thing, according to your knowledge these 3 products should be compatible and sufficient with my specs, and theoretically when installed properly will increase my gaming performance, and not cause damage to my machine? Just want a definitive answer so I can move ahead with the purchases, I've never upgraded before and I'm looking forward to getting rid of lag in my more intensive games. ;-) I know there's no guarantee and I won't blame you if anything happens, I just wished for your expert opinion on the matter.
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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All products purchased and order is on its way, also bought an additional power cord in case the PSU doesn't come with it, like the review said. Will post again after machine is set up and smoke tested. :)
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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System's set up and doing great playing any game I throw at it, including bioshock infinite and tomb raider, at max settings and working great low temps and no lag. Ended up getting a second set of the items for wife's tower, she's happy with them as well. Probably much better off with this PSU than my original choice, so thank you very much for your suggestion and input. You were a great help. :)
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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It did not actually, nor the screws to mount it or in its own box, it was just put in the box with the RAM and GPU wrapped in bubblewrap. It did work out fine though as the old PSU screws worked fine, and I ordered another power cord at the same time, ended up finding my old power cord a few days after I got it though so now I have a spare which is fine by me. Also forgot to mention, once I changed my display from VGA to the cards built in HDMI I was able to get much higher resolution, I can now play at 1920 x 1200 at 1080p which is a nice upgrade from 1024 x 768 at 720p, so that was an unexpected perk, all in all I'm very satisfied from this purchase. :)
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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Nov 8, 2013
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Good to know that you're satisfied, and the components came out good.
FYI 1080p and 720p are resolutions in themselves; 1080p is 1920x1080 and 720p is 1280x720. The p stands for 'progressive scan', meaning there are actually 1080 horizontal 'lines' in a 1080p display. If you come across a term 1080i, that stands for interlaced; and is different from 1080p.

VGA does support very high resolution(2048x1536), but the monitors that have it are too expensive($3000+) and we're better with HDMI/DVI which have better picture quality overall(as they're digital signals).
 
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Magestic

Magestic

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Apr 20, 2014
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Ahh, that's good to know. Yeah I saw a big difference between 1080p and 1080i fixing my Wii U up on the big screen tv but I wasn't aware of all that, love learning tidbits of information like that.
 
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