Clueless mom looking for a mid range graphics card for gamer son

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jen.mccormick

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Dec 2, 2017
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My son asked for a new graphics card for Christmas. He is an excellent gamer and has a nvidia gt 630?? What would be a good upgrade for him?
 
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aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
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We need to know the rest of the components. Running https://www.piriform.com/speccy on his PC will tell you and us that if you don't know them yourself.

We also need to know the PSU which is aka a power supply unit.

Finally we need to know the top end budget for this upgrade and where you will be shopping for this card. US?
 
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jen.mccormick

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Dec 2, 2017
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jen.mccormick

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Dec 2, 2017
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CPU AMD FX 4300
Vishera 32 NM technology

He says he wants whatever makes modern gamea run better

8 GB ram
Motherboard MSI 760GMA- P34 (FX)

PSU- 300watts max
He has buypower WA550B

 
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bjornl

bjornl

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Mar 16, 2016
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That is a very low end power supply. You should consider replacing it.

PCPartPicker part list
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Without replacing it, you probably can run a video card as good as the 1050ti. But it is a maybe.
With replacing it, you can get a GTX 1060 6gb card which is much more powerful.

PCPartPicker part list
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)

PCPartPicker part list
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($269.99 @ B&H)

These are dual fan video cards and so are better than single fans (not as loud, better cooling, can overclock a little if desired)

Given the age (and low level) of his CPU, I would not overspend on that system. I would get the 1050ti and the new powersupply and budget to replace the motherboard, ram and CPU as soon as you reasonably can afford it (around $400-450).
 
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maxalge

maxalge

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Ambassador
May 31, 2012
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you are going to need a new power supply


with that setup, the best card you can run is the gtx 1050 ti


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QpMnd6
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QpMnd6/by_merchant/

Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($151.89 @ B&H)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $189.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-02 21:15 EST-0500
 
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aquielisunari

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Mar 31, 2011
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Ow. That's a low end system on multiple fronts.

The PSU is too low for any upgrade apart from the aforementioned 1050Ti. While it would be an upgrade there imo wouldn't be a SIGNIFICANT boost.

Next up is the CPU. Let's assume the 1060 6GB is installed. The 4300 will be the ball and chain. PC's need balance. Not even the strongest GFX card can compensate for a low end CPU. Basically a PC is a house. The CPU can be see as the framers and drywallers, those who erect the skeleton of the house. The GPU can be seen as the painter. They bring the polygons to life in a crude manner of speaking. The painters need to wait for the framers. The 4300 is a slow framer. The 6300 would be better and the 8350 would be better.

The 1060 would be on par with the 8350 but then his PC wouldn't have enough to eat. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139202 solves the PSU issue.
 
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bjornl

bjornl

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Mar 16, 2016
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Yes, but to do so to any meaningful level requires close to a 400 upgrade.

I cut a few corners, and I think this would be "ok"
PCPartPicker part list /
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $269.97
 
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jen.mccormick

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Dec 2, 2017
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bjornl

bjornl

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Mar 16, 2016
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If he has the skills or interest to build his own, then I would be happy to suggest a good build. If you want support and [re-built, get a Dell. They're well supported and reasonably priced. Try to get one with a good powersupply, as that it the place they usually skimp.

will be back with a few links.
 
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bjornl

bjornl

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Mar 16, 2016
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($117.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin - Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($159.79 @ OutletPC)
Storage: SanDisk - X400 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($97.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $998.12


For a dell system, there is one other consideration (might be relevant given how costly these things are). They have financing.
 
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aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
6,499
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33,015
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($229.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $906.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-02 22:09 EST-0500


If he already has Win 10 he should make sure his OS is tied to his Microsoft account https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change After that he can go here https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and download the media creation tool. He can then use the tool to create a bootable USB, which should be 8GB or larger. If he doesn't have 10 then you will also need to buy a new OS. 10 can be found for about $90.


 
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aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
6,499
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33,015
With a few tweaks it can be even better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($429.89 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $991.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-02 22:15 EST-0500
The same applies to the OS.
 
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Solution
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dontlistentome

Glorious
Sep 5, 2016
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I would get him a 1050 Ti, a model that does not require the 6 pin pci-ex connector.

Yes the computer is a bit outdated but two things to consider. One, he can play and enjoy many games on it with a 1050 Ti. Two, he can reduce settings in some of the more demanding games in order to boost performance.

Some of the newest, most demanding games will really require a more modern system. But since he's been surviving with that 630 all this time, a card which is not good for gaming, I think he will be very happy with the 1050 Ti.
 
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