HD5770 Card Upgrade

[Bshealey786]

Hey guys, I have an older PC, and for playing Starcraft 2 and the latest WoW expansion it works fine with no slow down at all. But I just got Star Wars: The Old Republic and it is very slow for me. I checked and I pass everything except for the graphics card....so i'm gonna have to upgrade there. Did some browsing and it looks like HD5770 is a good option for me. These are the current specs on my computer:

-AMD Phenom X4 9150e Quad-Core processor
-4GB System Memory
-500GB Harddrive
-GeForce 8400GS 512MB graphics card

But the issue I have seen is that the HD5770 is a PCI Express 2.1 card and my CPU has a 1.0 slot....I know 2.0 works fine with 1.0 slots, but have seen 2.1 can have problems with 1.0 slots. So should I look in a different direction towards another card, or would this one work? This card would be a huge upgrade over the one I currently have and should hopefully help the game run smoother. Thanks in advance!

 

[Headspin_69]

5770/6770 is a good enrey level card and I have read that it plays SWTOR real decent but your CPU is a real slug and I cant say jack about the pci - e 1.0 because I have never used or seen one how old is your mobo ?

 

[Bshealey786]

I probably bought the PC in 2008. I can't afford an entirely new PC though, and I meet all of the requirements but the graphics card, thats whats really hurting me running the game. But my main concern is the PCI-e 2.1 slot being able to run on this. If so, this card seems like a good option for me

 

[Sooth1]

Can you tell us more about your system? What motherboard you have, and what psu you are using?

 

[spentshells]

As long as your Motherboard can run a Phenom it can run an athlon2 x4 you could do a worthwhile upgrade 6770 and a Athlon2 x4 630 or 640.
Total upgrade after rebates would be just over 200 dollars and this will completely change the way your PC performs. I don't usually offer advice that is not requested but really it would be like a completely new system for 200.

 

[Bshealey786]

Spentshells....this sounds amazing and I greatly appreciate the advice. Plus its also in my price range of what I can upgrade to. I obviously don't know much about the hardware side, so just wanted to make sure I have the items right. I found these 2 links on newegg, and just like you said total after rebates is a little over 200 dollars:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006662&isNodeId=1&Description=HD6770&x=19&y=23

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871

Would these be the two upgrades you are refering to? Thanks a ton

 

[spentshells]

Indeed it is but you may need a PSU upgrade but perhaps not.

 

[Bshealey786]

Yeah I only have a 300watt powersupply....says I need a 450w or better. I pulled up 450watt PSUs on Newegg and they seem to range from $23-60. Should I stay away from the cheaper end, or are they all going to be virtually equal? Thanks again guys

 

[spentshells]

This will do just fine even short of 450 watts as it is high quality

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

25 after MIR and this will in no way be a bad choice since the recommendation of 450 includes some really poor brands.

 

[Deemo13]

This will do just fine even short of 450 watts as it is high quality

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

25 after MIR and this will in no way be a bad choice since the recommendation of 450 includes some really poor brands.

+1 to that, the CX430 is one of the highest quality PSU's with that wattage, have recommended it several times to some of my buddies/ people who want me to make stuff for them. The Radeon 5770 is one of the best bang-for-the-buck cards on the market today; I got one for my cousin for Christmas and I put a few in some older rigs, they are definitely the best out there looking for an upgrade for gaming that doesn't break the bank. It will also run on a CX430 I would come to believe.

 

[Bshealey786]

Spentshells, Thank you so much for all of your input and assistance. Ordered all 3 of the items and looking forward to the new PC. You have been such a huge help and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone else as well