First-time video card upgrader with some questions

A: PCI-E is designed to be backwards compatible right to 1.0, so you'll be fine there.

B: Looking at your case, you could take a full profile card. However if you want a low profile one, then go ahead it will make no difference in this case.

C: You'll definitely need to upgrade that PSU to be on the safe side (you don't want it blowing up after all, do you?) I'd suggest a little 450W unit from Corsair or Antec. Nothing special. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

D: All graphics hardware have heat dissipation methods as standard. You don't need to worry at all, especially since you're after a very low power one that will produce barely any heat.

E: Your computer looks like it will receive the upgrade you're after just fine. You say you can get the installation down well, which is good, just make sure you install the drivers for the new graphics card properly (basically follow the instructions) and you'll be fine.

Lastly, the card you suggested, while good, is now old. May i suggest moving up to the more power efficient 6 series? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168....

Coming back to the PSU issue, i still say you upgrade to a solid unit like the one i linked you to. Corsair are known for their stability and will serve you very faithfully (i know this as i use Corsair in all the setups i've used and never ever had a problem).

A: I know for a certainty that pcie 1.0 has problems with pcie 2.1 cards. Pcie 2.0 cards are fine. Get those. If you are getting the 5670, 300W is sufficient if its a good quality psu. If not, you are better off buying a new psu and also a more powerful graphic card, like the 5770. Good luck. Again, stay away from 2.1 pcie cards. Get the 2.0 ones. They will work fine.

AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 65w: $63

Corsair CX500 & AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz: $98 before $10 rebate

Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 512mb DDR5: $75 before $10 rebate

Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR3: $75 before $20 rebate

Here's the deal ...

At 2.1GHz the 8450x3 is killing yah. The extra core will help with video encoding but otherwise the clock speed is a bummer. So is the simple fact it is a 95w cpu.

If you want a 95w CPU with a bunch of cores the AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz is $90 with promo code EMCKEGJ23 valid till 06/06/2011.

Otherwise, a fast 65w dual-core would be a great upgrade.

If your screen resolution is less than 16x10 the 512mb DDR5 card is the way to go. At something like 19x10 the 1GB DDR3 card would be best - even with a touch slower memory.

The HD5670 video card will pull around 50w with a 3d load in gaming, or around 15w in 2d. The Athlon II X4 640 Propus at 100% load with your motherboard will pull less than 140w so essentially, even with a 70% efficient power supply, you should be safely within operating parameters.

You will have to determine whether you wish to operate your new components on an 'old' power supply. If you have been a 'casual' user over the years I don't see that as a problem initially, but I would certainly recommend that a new PSU be added to your 'upgrade list' in the next 12 months or so, simply because they are always the 'weakest link' in an OEM system.

You motherboard is a Foxconn 780g. It is a decent OEM motherboard with a BIOS that is not severely 'locked down'. A new processor should work fine though your system may not 'recognize' it. The processor will run at spec speed but may be listed as 'unknown'.

Also ... if you go with the power supply combo listed above you will need to purchase some thermal grease to install the processor HSF.

That is all. You will be tested later  

Wow... thanks for all the help. I'm not used to folks actually being helpful on the internet. Usually my experience is closer to this Penny Arcade comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/5/16/


I think I should add some more information to my previous specs: I'm using a 1366x768 VGA monitor and I'm not really looking to upgrade that since it's working pretty well. Just for kicks I looked at 1080p monitors and they are quite cheap, around $100, so I hope whatever graphics card I purchase could handle that resolution if/when the time comes to get a new monitor. Also, researching my motherboard, I think the PCI-Express slot is actually PCI-e 2.0... but I'm not sure. The official specs on Gateway's website don't specify 2.0, but again, I'm not really sure. This is the Wikipedia page I found that gave me pause: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_700_chipset_series#780...

Should I stay away from 2.1 cards, just to be safe?

Finally, how do I know if the PSU I'm going to buy will fit in my computer case? Should I measure my current one? And I'm having trouble finding which cords and cables are included with PSUs on Newegg. Is it standard for them to come with all of the necessary cables, or do I need to purchase them separately? Is it possible to take the cords out of my current PSU and reuse them with a new one?

Sorry if these are pathetically basic or annoying questions. I'm very new to all this.  

Get a decent 400-500w PSU from Antec. I recommend anywhere from a 5450-5670 for mostly multi-media, if want to game-5770. Most of these cards are below $100, except for the 5770. Pci-e 2.0 and 2.1 are compatable.

The Nvidia cards seem to underperform at the budget level and consume too much power to recommend them in a budget system.

Just wanted to say thanks again for all the help. I think I'm going to gather the courage and make some purchases. Hopefully everything works out.

Thanks again! This forum has been incredibly helpful.  

Best answer selected by secretmoblin.