Want to upgrade graphics card on Narra 5 motherboard

James Morals · Aug 12, 2015

I have a Compaq Presario CQ5500 that I'm upgrading. I already bought a 600W PSU, and will be upgrading my RAM and getting a new CPU soon, probably at Phenom but at least 2.6 GHz Athlon. What graphics card will work with my system for gaming? I'd like a few options, both budget and a the best option available. I'll probably buy a budget one first and then upgrade to a better one once I save up enough money. I bought a Radeon 6450 but I know its not the best for gaming.

Robert Cook · Aug 12, 2015

Get a Phenom II X4 965 Black edition! I have one and it overclocks extremely well. with that kind of processor, you can easily get a R9 290X to run with no bottle necks. A 980 would work too. what is your budget?

James Morals · Aug 12, 2015

Will a Black Edition work in my CQ5500? I read somewhere it wouldn't. Budget isn't an issue really since I already bought a budget card. I'm gonna save up for the best I can get for my PC.

Robert Cook · Aug 12, 2015

It says it supports a phenom quad core, and while you may not be able to OC much, or at all, the base 3.4 GHz is still quite respectable.

Robert Cook · Aug 12, 2015

also you could get an AM3+ motherboard and really overclock as you will be able to deliver more power if you get the 990 FX chipset.

Robert Cook · Aug 12, 2015

The phenom works in AM2+ AM3 and AM3+ which is another reason why i is a great chip. also if you really OC, you can get great speed. mine is running right now at 5.0 GHz but with a better board I could go higher.

James Morals · Aug 13, 2015

Awesome thank you! Have my Phenom ordered now. I've never upgraded a CPU before, anything I should know? I'll probably need a BIOS upgrade and I've never done that before.

Also an R9 would be the way to go for gaming? If I got a stronger PSU could I get something even better or is that the best I can get altogether?

Robert Cook · Aug 13, 2015

Just pop in the new one, that is generally all it takes. I would see if there are bios upgrades, they may not be around, if they are, they cant hurt. with 600 watts (what is your brand though) I would get a R9 270, the R9 270X is just factory overclock and is not worth it. With a better PSU like 750 watts or 850, a R9 290X or R9 390X is a good idea, but the Fury would just be overkill.

James Morals · Aug 13, 2015

Its a Green 650w Micro ATX with a 12v rating of 28a

James Morals · Aug 13, 2015

Also with this kind of upgrade to a Phenom and an R9, would I be able to run most games? Really hoping to play Fallout 4 but I'd at least like to run TESO and most older games like Skyrim, Mass Effect, Borderlands.... Last gen kind of stuff.

Robert Cook · Aug 13, 2015

The Phenom II X4 965 BE is equivalent to an older i5, but once OCed it is a beast scoring as high as some older i7s. it will run fall out 4 pretty well, the real question comes down to the graphics card you intend to get. That PSU should power an R9 270, so fallout 4 should play well.

James Morals · Aug 13, 2015

I see for the R9 I need a power supply with PCI-e connectors, does that mean I need to buy a different PSU or is there another option that will still run what I want?

Robert Cook · Aug 13, 2015

your power supply should have a VGA /PCIE power cable for the graphics card. the R9 270 should only want one 8 pin which you should have as a 6+2 pin power cable. if it does not then you will need a new PSU, but it would be odd for a 650 watt PSU to have no cable like that.

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Want to upgrade graphics card on Narra 5 motherboard

James Morals

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Robert Cook

Robert Cook

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James Morals

Reputable

Robert Cook

Expert

Robert Cook

Expert

Robert Cook

Expert

James Morals

Reputable

Robert Cook

Expert

James Morals

Reputable

James Morals

Reputable

Robert Cook

Expert

James Morals

Reputable

Robert Cook

Expert

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