Will my graphic card work/fit on this computer??

naxster · Apr 27, 2014

Hi guys, i'm planning to buy a computer which is:
Compaq SR5502SC
- AMD Sempron x2 2200
- Bestec 300W PSU
- 4GB RAM
- 250GB HDD
- MSI/nVidia GeForce 8600 GT 256MB

And i want to replace the graphic card (Geforce 8600) with my graphic card i have at home which is ASUS GEFORCE GT 210 1GB

Will it work?? and do the comouter have enough PSU for the graphic card?

C12Friedman · Apr 27, 2014

You should be able to run the GT210 in your system. There should be some improvement in graphics but not a lot, both cards are about equal in performance with the ram difference being the GT210's advantage.
The Bestec PSU is not a good brand, in fact OklahomaWolf of JonnyGuru states this about a Bestec PSU "...these power supplies are infamous for taking out motherboards... (found here http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=154 ) so I'll suggest asking questions of the seller before committing to purchase

naxster · Apr 27, 2014

C12Friedman :

Thank you for the answer

So are we talking about bad or really really bad?
Because i'm not planning to play hard games like Crysis 2, Call of duty MW3, etc etc, just games like Halo, Half-life 2, CS 1.6, you know easy games..
I also want to connect the computer to the TV and install XBMC and use to watch movies, TV shows, sports etc.
But how long do you think that the computer will last before the PSU "kills" it?

C12Friedman · Apr 27, 2014

The PSU could be worse, they are found in OEM machines and JonnyGuru says this about them "For OEM PSU's, Bestec's are actually fairly decent. I'd rather have a Bestec than a whole hell of a lot of other brands out there" (found here http://forums.anandtech.com/archive/index.php/t-53587.html ) so I think (although I wouldn't use one), you should be okay.

While some PSU's go out dramatically, the way a poorly designed PSU can kill a motherboard can be very subtle and occur over time. In the review I linked, OklahomaWolf (who has a very entertaining writing style IMO) finds that the 5v standby goes out of specs very quickly (he does find a blown cap on the 5v rail during disassembly which may influence the voltage stability some), the overcurrent needs to be "tamed" by the motherboard (which it really isn't designed for). Every time that type event occurs, it's working the motherboard outside of what it was designed for and, in time will cause (near irreparable) damage. There are very few legitimate reviews for Bestec PSU's, there may be a reason for that... definitely not a candidate for any PC I build, but again, not the worst out there.

naxster · Apr 27, 2014

C12Friedman :

The PSU could be worse, they are found in OEM machines and JonnyGuru says this about them "For OEM PSU's, Bestec's are actually fairly decent. I'd rather have a Bestec than a whole hell of a lot of other brands out there" (found here http://forums.anandtech.com/archive/index.php/t-53587.html ) so I think (although I wouldn't use one), you should be okay.

While some PSU's go out dramatically, the way a poorly designed PSU can kill a motherboard can be very subtle and occur over time. In the review I linked, OklahomaWolf (who has a very entertaining writing style IMO) finds that the 5v standby goes out of specs very quickly (he does find a blown cap on the 5v rail during disassembly which may influence the voltage stability some), the overcurrent needs to be "tamed" by the motherboard (which it really isn't designed for). Every time that type event occurs, it's working the motherboard outside of what it was designed for and, in time will cause (near irreparable) damage. There are very few legitimate reviews for Bestec PSU's, there may be a reason for that... definitely not a candidate for any PC I build, but again, not the worst out there.

So do you think i should buy the computer?

C12Friedman · Apr 27, 2014

If the price is good, then I'd say yes but without that info, I can't say
as a for instance... this laptop featuring a more powerful CPU http://www.directron.com/gz003usaba8rf.html (outdated operating system and no dedicated graphics card) is only $160 - I'd be inclined to say it would game almost as well as the Compaq SR5502SC (the dedicated graphics in the Compaq making the difference). The expandability of the desktop make it more attractive than a laptop IMO but I'd put a price cap of about $200 there seeing as how a new HP unit with an AMD APU (GPU and CPU combined) runs about $300-$400 (with warranties and all)

naxster · Apr 27, 2014

C12Friedman :

But if i replace the graphic card the Compaq current have to my ASUS GEFORCE GT 210 1GB will it bottleneck or anything??
And the price is quite decent its around $120, and i already have a graphic card i want to put in it, so its nice..
But you made me wonder about the PSU.. I know that this computer isn't the best and will probably not play the heavy games which i'm not planning to do, just light games that doesn't require much from the computer.
Anyway, if i buy this computer, will the computer last atleast 1-2 year?? or will the PSU die as soon as i switch the graphic card??

C12Friedman · Apr 27, 2014

You shouldn't experience any "bottlenecking" from your GT 210 in there.
I think I would run the system with it's Bestec PSU but look to budget a higher quality one in the future. I'd think you'd be okay for a while (yes, I'm being vague on purpose here) but as with any used machine, I can only say Caveat Emptor

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