Step-by-Step Graphics Card install

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Vixxelinn

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Dec 16, 2014
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I was recently given my friend's old video card and am planning to install it in my PC. I've never done anything like this before, so I want to be absolutely sure of the steps before I begin.

The card is an Asus Radeon HD7770. I've already checked to see if it would fit in the computer, and bought a 4pin to 6pin converter. (I'll post my PC specs under a spoiler, in case that's necessary-- and by specs I mean, an image of all my system devices, since I'm not sure what's needed)
SO, as far as I can tell, I must first disable the onboard graphics chip. My current idea is to disable the driver for it, then go into BIOS and disable it entirely. Then I will turn off the computer, open the case, insert the new card and plug it in, clear the static from the case, turn it on, and THEN download the drivers from the webpage.

Is this correct? I don't want to accidentally boot into a completely black screen with no way of fixing it. Right now I'm very concerned that I won't be able to get to my browser for the driver download since as far as the computer will know, there is no graphics card. I've tried to find the driver for the card without it installed, and (this is embarrassing I know) I can't figure out what to download from the ASUS support page.




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Agreed, a very good rule of thumb is if the PSU lacks the connectors for the GPU, it is not good enough.

What many people do not realize is that there is no requirements, no regulating body that requires a power supply output the number on the sticker. So there are quite a few budget brands with "600 w" psus that could not even sustain 350w, and those budget ones lack the protections to keep the psu from damaging other parts.

I hope this in no way discourages you from getting into upgrading PCs and learning, but I would strongly advise you upgrade the power supply before upgrading that gpu, it will be a lot more costly if the PSU fries everything.

Good brands are Antec, Seasonic, XFX, EVGA.
This is a much more detailed list as...
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maxalge

maxalge

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Go to the amd website, download the driver for your version of windows, and save it to the desktop so you can find it.
You can download it now, before doing anything.

You need to make sure your power supply can run the new gpu.

It lacking a 6-pin pcie cable is an indicator it probably does not have the juice to run the card.

Post make and model plus wattage.
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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Agreed, a very good rule of thumb is if the PSU lacks the connectors for the GPU, it is not good enough.

What many people do not realize is that there is no requirements, no regulating body that requires a power supply output the number on the sticker. So there are quite a few budget brands with "600 w" psus that could not even sustain 350w, and those budget ones lack the protections to keep the psu from damaging other parts.

I hope this in no way discourages you from getting into upgrading PCs and learning, but I would strongly advise you upgrade the power supply before upgrading that gpu, it will be a lot more costly if the PSU fries everything.

Good brands are Antec, Seasonic, XFX, EVGA.
This is a much more detailed list as there are plenty of companies that have both good and bad psus.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html
 
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Vixxelinn

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Dec 16, 2014
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Thank you for the swift responses! I've started looking for power supplies that can support the card without breaking my bank. This is for the family PC, and I am still planning on building my own eventually, so I pretty much want to keep everything at "just above bare minimum". Right now, I am looking at the Antec basic series VP450 ATX. Looks like it'll work, and according to that PSU list, I won't have to worry about it lighting on fire randomly. Thanks for the information, @boosted1g ! I printed out that list and plan on going to Microcenter soon.

@maxalge, I'll have to open up the computer to find out what PSU I have. This PC was bought altogether a few years ago, so unfortunately the only way to see what's in it is the old fashioned way. (As far as I know, I'm sure there's another way that I'm not aware of). I'll crack it open before I make any purchases, on the off chance that my PSU is good enough to keep.
 
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Vixxelinn

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Dec 16, 2014
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Alright! I bought an EVGA bronze 500watt today, got it all plugged in and working. Moving onto part B, finding the right driver and getting the original card installation done. Thanks so much for the help. Let's see how it goes
 
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Vixxelinn

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Dec 16, 2014
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[strike]Alright, now I'm very very confused. I downloaded the drivers for the card onto my desktop to be ready, disabled the current graphics card (the Intel(R) HD Graphics up there in the image I posted)
I did NOT uninstall the driver, as I was afraid of things going wrong and me having to revert to the old integrated card without a CD to install the driver with.
From there, I turned off the computer, popped it open, inserted the new GPU, plugged it into the power source, screwed the whole thing together, plugged everything in, and turned it back on.
The monitor loads up for a brief moment, then goes to the No Signal page almost immediately. The monitor then goes into low power mode. I've tried getting into the BIOS system from there, (Not sure if that's even possible but dammit I tried) and nothing. I have to just shut off the computer.

What am I doing wrong?[/strike]


EDIT: NEVER MIND I am an idiot, wow. You can probably guess what I did wrong but suffice it to say it was an insanely easy fix and now I am rocking some actual graphics on my computer!! Thank you so much for helping me. I ran Guild Wars 2 on auto-detect graphics and it was... so beautiful... actual post-processing! The future is now.
 
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