Which graphics card

[shays47]

i have bought the packard bell ixtreme 5620, which has :

win 7 home premium 64 bit
intel core 2 quad core 2.5ghz 1333 fsb
4gb ddr 2 ram
640gb hdd
nvidia 7100 (256mb dedicated graphics)

If i did want to put a new graphics card in, would i have to change the psu aswell. How do i find out the psu in at the moment, without opening it up - have tried pb website, but doesn't say, neither does the manual.

 

[rolli59]

There should be a sticker on the PSU somewhere if you open up the case. My best guess is that it is no bigger than 300watt and would limit you to a HD4670 or GT240 as an upgrade card.

 

[LATTEH]

sorry the only way to tell is to open up the case.... (most likly it is 300 watts but you should check because if your going to buy a new card you may as well familiarise your self with the inside of your computer

 

[shays47]

There should be a sticker on the PSU somewhere if you open up the case. My best guess is that it is no bigger than 300watt and would limit you to a HD4670 or GT240 as an upgrade card.

the memory is ddr 2, so surely the graphics card needs to be this?

 

[jyjjy]

No, the system memory has nothing to do with the graphics card.

 

[shays47]

No, the system memory has nothing to do with the graphics card.

so it won't damage the mobo etc in any way?

is it best to get 512mb or 1gb, without changing psu?

 

[rolli59]

for cards like HD4670 and gt240 it does not matter whether they are 512mb or 1gb since they are hardly powerful enough to take advance of the extra memory. What matters is that a ddr3 card is going to perform better than the same card with ddr2. You can use cards with ddr5 with out worrying about damage. The memory only communicates with the processor on the card.

 

[jyjjy]

Well of course, it will destroy the motherboard. Thats why I said it doesn't matter Also any cats within a 50 yard radius will explode.

Neither of those cards can effectively use more than 512mb of memory. It is basically a marketing gimmick so only go with more memory is the price is the same. More important is the memory speed. Avoid DDR2 HD4670s. The GT 240 is overpriced but if you do go for it get the DDR5 version.

 

[arbio]

CPU-z will help in this case>>>>Google it and download,.....this will tell you all the specs!

 

[jyjjy]

CPU-Z doesn't tell you anything about your PSU.