Graphics card upgrade for dual monitors?

Merty140 · Jan 11, 2016

I bought this pc (link below) about a year back for school and it has served its purpose well since then. However, I have recently taken more of an interest in PC gaming and would like to see about upgrading to a more powerful GPU as the stock card is less than ideal for what I want to do. The main issue I'm having and the reasoning for this post is that I'm not sure if I can add a second independent card because the stock card is integrated. And if I can add one I'm not sure which one to get or which one will be compatible. The main reason I want to upgrade is because I just got a deal on black Friday on two monitors thinking I could go home and plug them right in only to realize there was only one HDMI output for my computer. So I'm hoping to find a card with two HDMI outputs and at least 4gigs of ram. I would like to spend under $200 but I would be willing to pay up to $250 or $300 if necessary. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

*** https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016LO0MOM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1452498601&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=CybertronPC&dpPl=1&dpID=41P7Hkp6ElL&ref=plSrch
***

Also, do you think I got a good set up for the price? I don't know much about computers, (probably why I need help!) but after doing research and poking through the forums on this site I feel like I could have built something better for the price if I knew what I was doing a year ago. (I feel like if you're going to sell something as a "gaming pc" it should at least come with a graphics card that can run WoW on a higher setting than "good." lol)

ErikVinoya · Jan 11, 2016

With the power supply that comes with that unit, I'd get a 4GB GTX 960 at best.
If you intend to game on one monitor and have something else like a chat on the other, you should be fine. Don't think you can properly game on a dual monitors without turning down settings though.

Regarding the last bit, yes, on almost all circumstances, you can get a better spec'ed PC by building one on your own, rather than these pre-builts.

trylone · Jan 11, 2016

Looking at your current pc.. I am going to ask you, why the 4GB's of VRAM for the GPU? Yes for a high end GPU this is a good thing nowadays, but i'm sorry if i have to say that your current CPU just isn't fit for gaming in the slightest. Even the intel anniversery edition for 60 USD is ALOT faster. Simply said it will cause a huge bottleneck.

If you decide to also buy a new CPU.. With the current socket on your motherboard its highly advisable to also buy a new motherboard and not buy a new CPU for your current one.

Merty140 · Jan 11, 2016

ErikVinoya :

That's all I'm looking to do, yes! Having both full screen for games isn't entirely necessary for me. Would just like to be able to multitask while performing other tasks like homework or web browsing. Would you have a different recommendation if I had a better power supply or do you think that card will be sufficient anyways? Here's a list of some games I'm intending to use it for. Nothing too graphic intensive I don't think.

Wow
LoL
Hearthstone
Diablo III
Rocket League
Minecraft
ESO
Pay Day 2

Thanks.

Merty140 · Jan 11, 2016

trylone :

I originally found a need to upgrade when I downloaded ESO and realized it required 2gs of ram to run, and thus was totally unplayable on my PC. That being said, I figured since I'm planning on upgrading my PC over time I might as well buy something I feel that will last and that I won't want to replace again later, because I do intend to upgrade my CPU and other components as well. Will it be as issue running this card with my current CPU until I upgrade that as well? I'm sorry I'm not exactly familiar with the term "bottlenecking." I'm fairly new to this sort of thing, so the advice is much appreciated! Also, could you clarify what you mean by your second paragraph for me ? Should I upgrade my motherboard next before my CPU ? If so, what kind of options do I have or would you suggest?

Thanks.

EDIT: Just looked up what "bottlenecking" was. I think what I was trying to ask is if the issue with bottlenecking is that it reduces performance? Or if the issue is that it will run fine but it would just be a waste to use a faster/better GPU if it won't be able to perform at its full potential? If the second option is the case then that is fine by me considering I plan to upgrade other components as well to eventually make use of the extra RAM.

trylone · Jan 11, 2016

Merty140 :

The graphic card won't be able to perform at its full potential.

I agree with Erik to get a GTX960 at the very most. In your original post when you said you would like to spend 200-300USD, i thought there were some heavy gaming needs going on, as thus i would not have advised to simply buy a new gpu and be over with, but seeing the games you are playing, you will probably be fine for the time being by buying a new graphics card only.

If you don't plan on playing much more graphics intense games in the future, a GTX950 from NVIDIA is fine or a r9 370 from AMD will also do. These cards are mostly equivalent to each other in performance so go for the brand of preference, or save some bucks by looking for the most favorably priced one. TIP!:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150735&cm_re=r7_370-_-14-150-735-_-Product

If you have more bucks to spare for a GPU, yes a GTX960 or r9 380 is fine too, but you won't notice a difference for the time being with this cpu.

Keep in mind that it will really help the performance of your computer in general not just for gaming, by upgrading your old CPU

Merty140 · Jan 11, 2016

trylone :

Merty140 :

The graphic card won't be able to perform at its full potential.

I agree with Erik to get a GTX960 at the very most. In your original post when you said you would like to spend 200-300USD, i thought there were some heavy gaming needs going on, as thus i would not have advised to simply buy a new gpu and be over with, but seeing the games you are playing, you will probably be fine for the time being by buying a new graphics card only.

If you don't plan on playing much more graphics intense games in the future, a GTX950 from NVIDIA is fine or a r9 370 from AMD will also do. These cards are mostly equivalent to each other in performance so go for the brand of preference, or save some bucks by looking for the most favorably priced one. TIP!:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150735&cm_re=r7_370-_-14-150-735-_-Product

If you have more bucks to spare for a GPU, yes a GTX960 or r9 380 is fine too, but you won't notice a difference for the time being with this cpu.

Keep in mind that it will really help the performance of your computer in general not just for gaming, by upgrading your old CPU

Sorry I probably should have specified earlier like I'm not trying to play Crysis or anything lol. It would just be nice to be able to play ESO on my PC since I paid the $60 for it haha. Thanks again.

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