Graphics Card Assistance Needed!

Foosha · Nov 28, 2014

Hey guys, don't know too much about computers. Had a boyfriend build me one years ago, and I've slowly upgraded each year, however this will be the first time I do it alone and I am in dire need of a new video card since mine is a bit outdated (and perhaps the rest of my stuff is too).
Here's what I have:

-Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. H81.AMP-UP
-Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-4130 CPU @3.40GHz (4 CPUs)
-4GB RAM
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570
-Windows 7 64-bit

I do play a lot of games, but it isn't necessary to have a really fancy video card, just one that isn't too expensive but plays decent. I'm not sure on what price range I'm looking for but whatever is a good deal for what it is. I'd like to get something while there are a lot of Black Friday specials going on.

Some examples of games I play:

Dark Souls 2
Borderlands 2
Fallout New Vegas

So anything that can run these games at high-ish quality would be good (and mods and stuff too would be cool though I may need a better processor or RAM for that).

Let me know if more information is necessary!

Mridulfroz · Nov 28, 2014

The games you are talking can be played much much smoother in gtx 570 but if you are really looking for some decent performance the r9 280x would be great for you. Its a good performer in fps gaming plus it does not cost much, Its a mid range great performer.It will be around 270 $. Its a future proof graphic card for gaming.

Foosha · Nov 28, 2014

Mridulfroz :

That sounds great! Yeah my current graphics card seems to be fine, but I keep having issues with the display drivers just not working, driver 344 in particular, and I had read somewhere that it may just be the age of the video card causing those issues, though if you have any other suggestions besides getting a whole new card I'm all for that as well!

Mridulfroz · Nov 28, 2014

Yeah it is totally your driver problem , just download new drivers from nvidia website. Download the lastest version of it. For that first uninstall your old graphic drivers, restart your pc, then freshly install the new drivers.
If problem persists then i will tell you some suggestions...

Foosha · Nov 28, 2014

Mridulfroz :

Alright tried out what you said and it's still having issues unfortunately. Uninstalled all of the older drivers and reinstalled the latest which is 344.75 and still no dice.

nikoli707 · Nov 28, 2014

http://www.wagnardmobile.com/DDU/downloads.html
go there, download ddu. open it and click nvidia at the top, and then click on the safe mode restart uninstall.

reinstall the latest 344.75 nvidia drivers.

this will make sure all the old drivers are completely flushed out and you are not having driver conflicts.

what power supply do you have?

otherwise i would say you still have a fairly solid gaming rig. you could drop an i5-4440 in there and that costs about $165, but only in certain games would you get a worthy fps boost. otherwise for the most part the 280x would be a good contender.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $199.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-28 19:47 EST-0500

the total above should be WRONG. newegg is offering $25 off $200+ right now if you checkout using "visa checkout" and promo code "NAFVC25". it is $215, minus the $25 will charge you $190 plus shipping. then you can also fill out the rebate and recieve a $15 prepaid card, so after the wash out the total "would" be $175 plus shipping.

http://promotions.newegg.com/nepro/14-6455/index.html?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL112614&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL112614&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL112614-_-EMC-112614-Latest-_-E0-_-Visa

Mridulfroz · Nov 29, 2014

Is this driver issue is occuring from the time you have installed the new drivers?, if yes then install your old drivers.... yeah do the ddu thing, if that doesn't work try to remove your card and reinstall it on the the other PCI e slot, it seems your mobo is quite good & your gtx 570 has another PCI e slot for it.Then try to reinstall the new driver by erasing all previous drivers.
This issue can also be caused due to faulty PSU or may be you don't have the equivalent psu that gtx 570 needed. It requires atleast of 550w psu.Also check your gpu temperature while load(download gpu Z for temp measurement).
Other hardware issue can also be a problem for this , remove your graphic card & switch to onboard graphics ( install gigabyte drivers) , check for few hours , if everthing is going good on your onboard then your graphic card maybe defective.

Foosha · Nov 30, 2014

Mridulfroz :

This problem has been occurring since I've put the card in so I'm not sure what old drivers I should reinstall if that's the case. And yeah, it does continue happening with newer drivers.

Mridulfroz · Dec 1, 2014

What is your power supply unit(psu)?

Foosha · Dec 1, 2014

Mridulfroz :

It's a Rosewill Model No. RG700-S12

Mridulfroz · Dec 2, 2014

See,Thats the problem creator, the psu which you are using is only compatible with core i 5 & i 7 processor & your specs are showing you have i 3 processor, in that case you have to change your psu asap.
Don't buy rosewill psu as they don't last for long, go for corsair or coolermaster.

nikoli707 · Dec 2, 2014

Mridulfroz :

its not going to have a problem with an i3 if its rated for an i5 or i7. the question becomes if it supports her ivy bridge "c" states. this really only becomes an issue if sleep or lower power states are needed.

otherwise this is a very low end power supply and should be swapped out for a much more reliable unit. see the $45 xfx 550w.

have you tried using ddu from the link above to flush out old drivers?

otherwise from what i remember 314.22 whql are the most reliable fermi drivers for gaming.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/win8-win7-winvista-64bit-314.22-whql-driver.html

Foosha · Dec 2, 2014

nikoli707 :

Used that and got rid of the old drivers and installed the ones you recommended. No problems so far, so that's good.
And I had forgotten about the power supply. If you recommend the xfx 550w I only found one that was around $60, but I'd like to make sure it was the same one you were talking about.

nikoli707 · Dec 2, 2014

Foosha :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $49.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-02 16:41 EST-0500

a quick look up of your rosewill power supply reviews are not that bad actually. with your setup your only using roughly half of its rated 700w and it did pass 80 bronze certification. its voltage regulation is definitely not the best but passes the hotbox test and since your not overclocking and still using roughly 400w at best, its not a big issue.

i would just run out your rig as long as possible until you decide you want a full upgrade. otherwise if you want peace of mind you could replace it with that xfx i mentioned and have a high quality unit ready for an overclocked i7+gtx980 if you ever wanted a high end gaming rig.

Foosha · Dec 2, 2014

nikoli707 :

Foosha :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $49.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-02 16:41 EST-0500

a quick look up of your rosewill power supply reviews are not that bad actually. with your setup your only using roughly half of its rated 700w and it did pass 80 bronze certification. its voltage regulation is definitely not the best but passes the hotbox test and since your not overclocking and still using roughly 400w at best, its not a big issue.

i would just run out your rig as long as possible until you decide you want a full upgrade. otherwise if you want peace of mind you could replace it with that xfx i mentioned and have a high quality unit ready for an overclocked i7+gtx980 if you ever wanted a high end gaming rig.

Alright great, I will do that then. However, the display driver that I newly downloaded is now still having the same issues of "display driver 341.22 has stopped working" that the other newer drivers had. I've also been monitoring the temperatures on the video card and processor and everything seems normal.

nikoli707 · Dec 3, 2014

you could try under clocking the card to see if that works. if under clocking it works then its safe to say your card is dying.

Mridulfroz · Dec 3, 2014

I might think its your psu, just do one more thing, get to your nearest computer repairing shop & tell them to replace your psu for just checking or you can borrow psu from a friend.

If that doesn't work, try to download & freshly install each compatible driver from Nvidia web starting from latest to oldest which you haven't installed yet.
Also make sure of that, the drivers you are downloading should be according to Windows architecture (32bit or 64bit).

At last if it is under warranty,then get rush to the service centre to change your card.

Foosha · Dec 3, 2014

Okay, I'll try both of those things. Thanks for all of your help!

Mridulfroz · Dec 3, 2014

No Problem

Graphics Card Assistance Needed!

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