Need help Upgrading computer

[socomdan]

Hello all,
I want to upgrade some of my computer's components but I am completely clueless on the compatabiliy. So I want to upgrade my video card which is the 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650. I am looking to invest in a $250-300 price range in the card and so far Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 seems like a solid choice. My mobo is H-RS880-uATX (Aloe) motherboard
and the processor is AMD Athlon(TM) X4 620 quad-core processor 2.6 ghz. My power supply is at 400w so I know ill have to upgrade that as well. I wanted to see if you guys could help with
1. Is the video card compatible with the mobo?
2. Is this the best Video card I can get for this price range
3. I asked the guys over at HP to help me out and there were more confused than I was but what type of power unit should i get that supports my mobo, processor and the video card?.

Thanks all in advanced !

 

[hang-the-9]

Best video card for money article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6950-1gb-geforce-gtx-560-ti-gaming-graphics-card,2857-4.html You may want a GTX 560 Ti insead of the 470.

If your motherboard will run a 4650, it will run a 470, but how about the case and layout? Have enough room for the card?

Height 4.376 inches (111 mm)
Length 10.5 inches (267 mm)
Width Dual-Slot

For the power supply, is your power supply a standard ATX? If so, this looks like a pretty good deal, good power, not pricy, good reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226006

 

[purple stain]

That board is a micro ATX so i would assume the case is the same.Check the measurements and if it won't fit oyur ognna have to get a new case.
With a more powerful card like the GTX560 your going to need an O.C. on your CPU to get the most out of it.Otherwise you will be holding it back.

Your motherboard likely has PCI-Express x16 2.0 but it is very possible it could be 1.0.You should check your mobo's manual or and info in the case to tell if it's 1.0 or 2.0.

Do you know is your CPU an Athlon or a Athlon ii?

Your going to need:
New Case(maybe)
New PSU
New GPU

The GTX560 is by far the best card in your price range but it will only leave you with $50-$30 to spare.Usually retual is around $260.They are faster quiet and have much more ocerclocking potential than the gtx470.So you still need to buy a new PSU but do you have $300 in total spend on both a new PSU and GPU or do you have more money to spend?

 

[socomdan]

Hey guys thanks for the responses umm IDK if its 1.0 or 2.0 since im not home but here is the info of the mobo that came with my pc
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01925486&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=4066499&key=null&site=null#N394

once I get home ill check the dimensions and as far as i can tell the case is huge its not on of those small micro ones. Thanks again !

 

[purple stain]

Alright on the case,just be sure to check.

Thats the Exact page i went to earlier to find out specs on your mobo.But they don't list wethere it is 1.0 or 2.0.So you need to look at up when you get home.

 

[socomdan]

Allright so i checked inside i have no idea if its 1.0 or 2.0 I don't know how to check. Additionally I checked the dimensions and they fit about 1 inch to spare width wise and 5+ length wise. Also I can spend a little bit more than $300 but my max is definitely 310-320. I was also reading it seems maybe I am wrong but if i am not gonna sli i don't need the 2.0 port. Thanks again !

 

[purple stain]

Do you know if your CPU is Athlon or Athlon ii?

I'm pretty sure it's 2.0 because it only has upgrade paths for Athlon ii's and Phenom ii's.Almost every mobo after 2007 is 2.0.So i think your in the clear.

So since the card will fit and you don't need to worry about the mobo how much do you have to spend in total for the GPU and PSU?

 

[socomdan]

The CPU is anthlon at least that is what it says and I talked to the and HP rep although very hard to understand she said it was 1.0 slot( not sure on the validity of her response since when she asked what the memory of both cards were and I replied with 1gb both them she asked why was I switching lol). Also like I said I have a max of $320 to spend on both GPU and power unit. I was reading online and found that a 2.0 card fits in a 1.0 but I won't be using the max memory bandwith. Is this a huge deal?

 

[hang-the-9]

560 Ti with that PSU I linked should do you just fine. You have a quad core CPU, 90% sure the PCIe slot with be a 2.0. Won't make too much difference, it "may" have a small slowdown if you max out game settings at 1600+ resolution, but not much else.

 

[pacioli]

The GTX 560 replaces the GTX 470. The GTX 560 is a very short card compared to the 470. I was surprised by how short my 560 was when I got it. Also, the 560 will outperform the 470 while using less power and producing less heat. Also, get a factory overclocked version of the 560. I recommend EVGA or XFX for the lifetime warranties. The Asus and MSI cards score well for performance. Toms did a review on OCed 560's but the list is missing some of the big players so I'd still go for the EVGA superclocked.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-ti-roundup-asus-engtx560-graphics-card-overclocking,2858.html

As far as a PSU get this 600 watt economic beast from Corsair;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139019
There is a promo code for an extra 10% off right now so it comes out to $58.49. After you send in the rebate it comes to $41.49. This series is a recommended buy from Jonnyguru(the best PSU review site out there)

 

[rockyjohn]

Socomadan,
You have been getting some good specific recommendations above. You can get more general information about upgrading, including determining system requirements, selecting the best video cards, and installing them, including links to a lot of THG articles, at:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/index.html

 

[Deadstick50]

Do you know if your CPU is Athlon or Athlon ii?

I'm pretty sure it's 2.0 because it only has upgrade paths for Athlon ii's and Phenom ii's.Almost every mobo after 2007 is 2.0.So i think your in the clear.

So since the card will fit and you don't need to worry about the mobo how much do you have to spend in total for the GPU and PSU?

Dude, he said its a quad core........cant be a first gen Athlon, its a AthlonII!!

 

[Deadstick50]

Allright so i checked inside i have no idea if its 1.0 or 2.0 I don't know how to check. Additionally I checked the dimensions and they fit about 1 inch to spare width wise and 5+ length wise. Also I can spend a little bit more than $300 but my max is definitely 310-320. I was also reading it seems maybe I am wrong but if i am not gonna sli i don't need the 2.0 port. Thanks again !

That motherboard has bound to have the pci-e 2.0........that Athlon you have wouldn't be on an older board with the 1.0 slots

 

[purple stain]

I'm sorry.Wasn't aware that the First gen Athlon didn't have quad cores.I only asked because it he didn't have a ii next to the Athlon,so i can only assume.

 

[socomdan]

Guys thanks so much. I bought the EVGA superclocked and the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139019 PSU.
Thanks again can't wait till they get here.