Help finding the right graphics card

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Liquidmeat

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Jun 22, 2014
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Hi everyone. I'll start off by saying I am fairly new to PC gaming but before I went off and bought a rig I did do a fair amount of research into everything computers. (It's been a journey) I settled on something with a decent price tag but that would also require some upgrades, namely the graphics card. I'm looking for suggestions as to what my rig can handle. Currently I'm looking to run something like Skyrim on high. Money isn't really any concern. That said I would prefer to stay under $500. My specs are:

Windows Home 7 Premium 64 bit
-AMD Athlon dual core quad 630 processor (2.80 GHz)
-6 GB RAM (4 x DDR3) I'll add more if necessary
-Directx 11
-Chip type GeForce 9100 integrated
-PCIe x16 (I'm not sure what version nor do I know how to find out)
-300W Power Supply

Lastly, my motherboard is a M2N78-LA (Violet6)

I do appreciate any help in advance.
 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

Curmudgeon Pursuivant
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Nov 19, 2010
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Thing is, you have a fairly old CPU and it looks like you have the usual vanilla OEM PSU, so your real option here, without upgrades elsewhere, is a 750ti. Any $500 GPU will require a new PSU and will likely be bottlenecked to a degree by your CPU.

The 750ti will be a huge jump up in your playability and is the fastest card that doesn't require supplementary power.

I hope you didn't spend too much money on this PC - the 630 was a budget CPU when it was released 4 years ago.
 
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Samsamproducts

Samsamproducts

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Jan 8, 2014
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If you have $500 to spend on upgrades I reccommend buying a new cpu, mobo, psu, and gpu. I would get these.
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BKxdrH) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BKxdrH/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54570) | $196.97 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87g41pcmate) | $75.66 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB PCS+ Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-axr9270x2gbd5ppdhe) | $159.99 @ NCIX US
**Power Supply** | [XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9) | $45.99 @ NCIX US
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $478.61
 
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Liquidmeat

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Jun 22, 2014
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I bought the computer a while back, 2010 I believe, and have only recently been able to access it. It's actually been sitting in the original unopened box. (That's A Story!)
So I mentioned upgrades, I am willing to upgrade the CPU if necessary but I have no idea what type of work this involves. It has a AM3 socket. After the cost of upgrading the CPU and PSU is it, in your opinion, worth the money that will be spent? Am I better off purchasing the 750ti?

 
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IRONBATMAN

IRONBATMAN

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Aug 30, 2013
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Building a new PC would be a better choice
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $523.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

There's not much to salvage from the unopened PC. You could sell it, turn it to a server,or simply donate it.
 
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Liquidmeat

Reputable
Jun 22, 2014
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4,520


Thanks for all your input! I've decided on building one from scratch and i'll be handing the old down to my wife. It'll be a mean Facebook machine. I'm posting what I've come up with so I can do an easier side by side.

Case:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BCK7RM/?tag=bbtst81-20
PSU:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RJ8EKI/?tag=bbtst81-20
MOBO:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K23BUAY/?tag=bbtst81-20
CPU:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2LIFBY/?tag=bbtst81-20
RAM:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A3VOA3O/?tag=bbtst81-20
GPU:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FSC5N66/?tag=bbtst81-20
HDD:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088PUEPK/?tag=bbst81-20
ODD:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CE58ZYC/?tag=bbst81-20
 
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