Don't know what to upgrade/or if I could?

[Knigasera]

I'm not a tech person, so excuse me if I seem completely ignorant. Currently I have an odd issue.

I currently have an ATI Radeon HD 5570 card: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5570/Pages/hd-5570-overview.aspx

This is the PC I have: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02063037&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&site=null&product=4182092&key=null

I've been playing a few random games, and while I can achieve high graphical quality, my frame rate will be okay or terrible. The most recent game I've been playing is Fable 3, and if I turn it up to highest settings, I get about 10-14 frames per second. Unfortunately I haven't played many recent PC games. The last one I played was the Duke Nukem Forever demo, and in that I received quite a bit of FPS lag.

Additionally, this is my 3DMark score.

3DMark Score - P1243
Graphics Score - 1091
Physics Score - 6268
Combined Score - 1079
GraphicsTest1 - 5 FPS
GraphicsTest2 - 5 FPS
GraphicsTest3 - 6 FPS
GraphicsTest4 - 3 FPS
PhysicsTest - 19 FPS
CombinedTest - 5 FPS

My main concern is I don't know if I will able to upgrade hardware like the GPU/PSU without the computer giving me issues, since it's pre-built. The case is also pretty small, so room seems like a dilemma too.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7245.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7248.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7249.jpg

Many thanks.

 

[dragonfire321123]

Are you sure you have the ATI card enabled? Some computers can switch between integrated graphics and your GPU.

 

[Knigasera]

The device listed is the ATI card, so I believe it is enabled. Is there a specific way to check?

 

[dragonfire321123]

Im not to sure, but you can probably google it.

 

[hapkiman]

I'm not a tech person, so excuse me if I seem completely ignorant. Currently I have an odd issue.

I currently have an ATI Radeon HD 5570 card: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5570/Pages/hd-5570-overview.aspx

This is the PC I have: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02063037&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&site=null&product=4182092&key=null

I've been playing a few random games, and while I can achieve high graphical quality, my frame rate will be okay or terrible. The most recent game I've been playing is Fable 3, and if I turn it up to highest settings, I get about 10-14 frames per second. Unfortunately I haven't played many recent PC games. The last one I played was the Duke Nukem Forever demo, and in that I received quite a bit of FPS lag.

Additionally, this is my 3DMark score.

3DMark Score - P1243
Graphics Score - 1091
Physics Score - 6268
Combined Score - 1079
GraphicsTest1 - 5 FPS
GraphicsTest2 - 5 FPS
GraphicsTest3 - 6 FPS
GraphicsTest4 - 3 FPS
PhysicsTest - 19 FPS
CombinedTest - 5 FPS

My main concern is I don't know if I will able to upgrade hardware like the GPU/PSU without the computer giving me issues, since it's pre-built. The case is also pretty small, so room seems like a dilemma too.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7245.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7248.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/luminatingheart/Other/IMG_7249.jpg

Many thanks.

Well, the Radeon HD 5570 is not a "bad" card, but it isn't very good for gaming. You should consider an upgrade of (first) your PSU to about a 600 or so watts (the 300 watts will not cut it), and then your graphics card.

A Radeon HD 5770 can be found for a little over a hundred bucks, and it is WAY better than the 5570 for gaming. It will play any new game with no problems or hiccups.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+5570

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+5770

If you want to step it up a little more, consider the Radeon HD 6870 or 6970 (a lot more $ though).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125327

Also, it is possible that your card is being under powered by your PSU. I'm actually surprised that HP put that card with only a 300 watt PSU. AMD recommends at least a 400 watt PSU for the 5570. I believe that HP now uses standard ATX form factor PSU's so you should be able to find one for under $100 on Newegg.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5570/Pages/hd-5570-overview.aspx#3

Dell Studio XPS 7100 with Windows 7 Professional. AMD Phenom II x6 1090T 3.2GHz, 6 GB DDR3 RAM @1333, 16x Blu-Ray, 1 TB Western Dig HDD 7200RPM, Corsair TX650 watt PSU, Radeon HD 5770.