Wondering if this graphics card will work with my current PC specs?

Vaahlkult

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May 10, 2015
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I'm interested in upgraded from my older workspace graphics card to an actual gaming card, since I've moved from Xbox to PC for all my gaming. I'm interested in getting the Radeon R9 270X ( http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX48686 )

I've looked at the system requirements and while my pc meets what it says there, I just wanted to double check and even take recommendations to ensure my pc will be running well with this new card. I have an AMD FX4300 Quad Core Processor and a 600w Coolermaster power supply. Will having only a PCIe 16x 2.0 Bus be a problem if this card is a 3.0? The measurements of this card will also take all but an inch or so of the length within my current case, would this cause any heating issues?

Will my processor be sufficient? I seem to know very little about processors and how they interact with a graphics card.

I've never upgraded anything in my PC except for hard drives and RAM so I welcome any advice! If you have recommendations for other cards, I'm simply looking to be able to run games like GTAV or Dragon Age Inquisition on high+ settings (Everything also crashes with current card... Would be happy to see the end of that haha), and I have a budget up to 250$.
 
Solution
the r9 270x should have no problm on running on a 2.0x16 slot it doesnt limit it at all, your processor is weak but shouldn't bottleneck the gpu much and your not gonna be running gta 5 or the new dragon age at high with decent frames 1080p med is were that card is made for and your held back by your cpu.

in the price range of 250$ i would get this card it can handle high 1080p with decent frames better choice in that budget range and you have enough power for it

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($180.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $180.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker...

shadows1234

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Jul 18, 2014
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the r9 270x should have no problm on running on a 2.0x16 slot it doesnt limit it at all, your processor is weak but shouldn't bottleneck the gpu much and your not gonna be running gta 5 or the new dragon age at high with decent frames 1080p med is were that card is made for and your held back by your cpu.

in the price range of 250$ i would get this card it can handle high 1080p with decent frames better choice in that budget range and you have enough power for it

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($180.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $180.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-10 21:49 EDT-0400
 
Solution

NexusDota

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Nov 6, 2014
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A 270x will run GTA V easy on high settings I believe. Anyway a 270x can run on PCI-E 2.0 without a significant performance issue but if you really want the 3.0 you might have to upgrade the motherboard.

Heating shouldn't be a problem, if you want peace of mind just leave the graphics cards fans on in the BIOS or MSI Afterburner so the fans direct the heat through the fans.

IMPORTANT: The FX 4300 won't bottleneck the 270x in most situations however when games get intensive and require much more CPU work then yes bottlenecks will occur. Maybe think about upgrading your CPU to something like an FX 6300 as it is very cheap. That way you can run the 270x with absolutely no bottlenecks in the most intensive of games.

And yes, I agree with shadows1234 on the graphics card however you will want to again, upgrade the CPU for smooth performance.

Good luck!

 

shadows1234

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Jul 18, 2014
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FX 6300 isnt much of a upgrade itwill perform the same if the game doesnt use more cores and from benchmark results the r9 270x does struggle with gta 5 on high ranging from fps dips to stuttering severely although the this one might be connected to the memory leak issue
 

Vaahlkult

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May 10, 2015
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Thanks for your responses! I came across a chart showing which cards were capable of running DA:I on different settings, and the 270x fell under "high", and looking into it, would appear to run on my pc, which is why i've come here to ask about it. My current Firepro card is not suited to gaming at ALL, so this will definitely be a step up (whether i go for the 280 or 270x), and if I do experience bottlenecking a new cpu will be something to consider. if there are any other suggestions for a new reasonably priced processor, im welcome to them to figure out if i should start saving for one. thanks again for your input
 

shadows1234

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Jul 18, 2014
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here this is good upgrade but is a bit expensive and better than going with a fx 8350 since buying it will require a new motherboard cpu cooler making the cost around the same but the i5 get way better framerates and can push higher settings thanks to its single core performance


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($167.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $237.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 01:49 EDT-0400