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Help deciding on a better graphics card?

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  • Computers
  • Graphics Cards
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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August 28, 2014 8:16:19 PM

Hey guys I'm new to the community, but most of you guys seem like alright dudes so I decided to post in order to get some help on upgrading my graphics card. I don't know much about computers, in fact, I'm not even sure if my computer is that great, but if I could get some help that would be great. Thanks in advanced!
SPECS:
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 650
Processor: Intel i7 4770 3.4 GHZ
RAM: 12GB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (64bit)

Let me know if I need to add anything else!

More about : deciding graphics card

August 28, 2014 8:19:03 PM

hi,

try a 780 with good cooler and later do SLI. or a 290/290x and later CF.
Get at least 750W PSU, or higher to prepare for future upgrades.
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 8:21:05 PM

Very nice CPU, lots of ram, but I can see why you'd want to upgrade the GPU. There are a couple things we need to know in order to point you in the right direction.

What is the make/model of your power supply? This might limit what GPU you can get. If it is a lower end PSU, can you afford to upgrade it as well?

What is the make/model of your motherboard? Since you have such a high end CPU I know it's a newer motherboard, but it would be good to know if it is SLI/CF compatible for future upgrades.

What is the make/model of your case? We'll need to confirm you have room for a newer GPU.

What is your monitor's resolution and how many monitors are you wanting to run?

What is your total budget you want to spend on upgrades, and what currency?
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August 28, 2014 9:05:31 PM

jimthenagual said:
Very nice CPU, lots of ram, but I can see why you'd want to upgrade the GPU. There are a couple things we need to know in order to point you in the right direction.

What is the make/model of your power supply? This might limit what GPU you can get. If it is a lower end PSU, can you afford to upgrade it as well?

What is the make/model of your motherboard? Since you have such a high end CPU I know it's a newer motherboard, but it would be good to know if it is SLI/CF compatible for future upgrades.

What is the make/model of your case? We'll need to confirm you have room for a newer GPU.

What is your monitor's resolution and how many monitors are you wanting to run?

What is your total budget you want to spend on upgrades, and what currency?


Power Supply: LITEON PS-5281-7VR5 ATX 280W PSU (Pretty sure I'll need to upgrade it since 280W seems embarrassingly low.) I can probably splurge on about 750W ish...
Motherboard: Ideacentre K450
Case: Not sure but pretty much I have a IdeaCentre K450 Desktop if that helps.
Monitor resolution is 1920x1080 and I plan to use only 1.
My budget would be around 400ish.
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a b U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:09:17 PM

it's not even just the 280 that scares us. The 280W made by liteon is most likely rubbish and will explode if you put any load on it. Get something from Corsair, Antec, Seasonic (or XFX), EVGA, etc.

For a PSU + GPU, I'd say get a GTX 760 and a good 600 - 700W PSU (Corsair makes nice ones like the RM series).
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:13:48 PM

This would be my suggestion to match that beefy CPU you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $379.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-29 00:10 EDT-0400

The only question is whether or not your case has enough room for such a large graphics card. I couldn't find any info on the dimensions allowable for GPU in that case. I think the only way to tell is for you to measure the space available with a measuring tape. You'll need to confirm if your case has room for a 11.6" long GPU.

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a b U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:15:56 PM

jimthenagual said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $379.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-29 00:10 EDT-0400

The only question is whether or not your case has enough room for such a large graphics card. I couldn't find any info on the dimensions allowable for GPU in that case. I think the only way to tell is for you to measure the space available with a measuring tape. You'll need to confirm if your case has room for a 11.6" long GPU.



Best PSU you can buy for the price and performance (not to mention it's from a good manufacturer, seasonic).

The Card is something I would be wary of though. The 290/290x produces a lot of heat, so getting something like that in a system that has a power supply that's that bad (which I'm assuming is a prebuilt), will probably have a poorly ventilated case. You may want to invest in a better case.
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:25:04 PM

Shadowblade2652 said:

The Card is something I would be wary of though. The 290/290x produces a lot of heat, so getting something like that in a system that has a power supply that's that bad (which I'm assuming is a prebuilt), will probably have a poorly ventilated case. You may want to invest in a better case.


Yeah, it's tough times right now. I love recommending nVidia, but for the price/performance right now, AMD is the winner. The gtx 770 loses to the R9 290, and a gtx780 is $100 more than the R9 290.

@Alexkarino
If you have a solid 120mm intake and an exhaust you'll probably be ok. You could always upgrade the fans if needed, they are cheap, but as shadowblade is saying, your case might not have enough places to even install any more fans.
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:37:52 PM

Can you confirm this is your system below? I know you have different specs than what's listed (better CPU, more ram), but is this the size/layout of your case?

It looks like (from this picture) your case has one exhaust fan and that's it, but it also looks like it has a spot to add a fan to the front for intake.

It also looks like you have a LOT of room for a long gpu.


I'm guessing it's a 120mm fan space on the bottom front there, but you'd have to measure that as well to be sure. You can get a high quality case fan for around $15, and if that is your case, the fan will be blowing right on the GPU.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-fan-co9050003...
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August 28, 2014 9:53:56 PM


Yep that's my computer (of course not the same specs)
I've only ever opened it up to clean it so it has all of the same factory parts and what not. If I were to upgrade the power supply and graphics cards would over heating be a problem and if so how do you suggest I fix it?
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 9:56:19 PM

In the picture it looks like it has room for a 120mm fan on the bottom front. I can see a grill there and what looks like mounting holes for a fan. If that's the case, you can add a 120mm fan there for about $15. Make sure you measure that fan grill to confirm it'll take a 120mm fan.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-fan-co9050003...

That would give you one intake and one exhaust. That's what I use on my system too. The R9 290 is a pretty hot card, but I think you'd be fine with two fans circulating air in there.
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August 28, 2014 9:59:01 PM

jimthenagual said:
In the picture it looks like it has room for a 120mm fan on the bottom front. I can see a grill there and what looks like mounting holes for a fan. If that's the case, you can add a 120mm fan there for about $15.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-fan-co9050003...

That would give you one intake and one exhaust. That's what I use on my system too. The R9 290 is a pretty hot card, but I think you'd be fine with two fans circulating air in there.


Alright thanks I really appreciate the help and I'll look into upgrading my PC soon and you were a really big help. +1
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a c 94 U Graphics card
August 28, 2014 10:01:30 PM

No problem at all. I think we've covered all the bases. Good luck and enjoy, you'll have a really nice system.
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