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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphics & Displays > Graphics Cards > How do i tell if a GFX is compatible with my pc

How do i tell if a GFX is compatible with my pc

Forum Graphics & Displays : Graphics Cards How do i tell if a GFX is compatible with my pc

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my pc is a
Emachines ET1331G

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

If the GPU is a PCI-E GPU and you have a PCI-E slot, then you are good. Make sure your case has the room though.

Reply to HostileDonut

Does that -E stand for Express, How do i tell if i hav the room

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

Yup, the is for express. For space, just make sure you have enough space. If the card is a 9 inch card, make sure you have 9 inches of space for it to fit inside where the PCI-E slot is. Also, if you get a card that is dual slot, make sure you have another expansion slot by the PCI-E slot.

Reply to HostileDonut

Im Lookin at my pc spec its says and it says under expansion slots

Total
1-PCI
2-PCI-E x1
1-PCI-E x16

All the total are available cause my pc has intgrated graphics

im trying to play Minecraft, WoW, DCUO maybe

and i was lookin at this GFX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130625

also getting a bigger power supply
would that GFX hook up with my PCI- slots

also lookin to hook up Dual Monitors

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

you also need to consider power requirements... emachines and all oems come with a power supply that's designed for the components it came with.

Reply to unksol

That card will support dual monitors, but not for gaming. Only one for gaming I believe. Also, what is your resolution and what settings? Get a Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, OCZ, PC Power and Cooling, or an Antec PSU. What is the board layout? How many slots or open spaces are under the PCI-E slot?

Reply to HostileDonut

ima get a 500w to 600w powr supply

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

I would suggest getting something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] air%20430w

Reply to HostileDonut

i cant look right now gonna have to unhook it tomorrow and move it, ill have to look at the slots and board layout tomorrow. what do you need to know about the board layout

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Reply to DEADPOOL_515

for the price a 6850 is a much better card

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp [...] 6814102908

Reply to unksol

so the wattage will run the new GFX fine, also will i need to get a new fan

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

DEADPOOL_515 wrote :

i cant look right now gonna have to unhook it tomorrow and move it, ill have to look at the slots and board layout tomorrow. what do you need to know about the board layout

How much space is under the PCI-E slot or if there is another free expansion slot under it. That is a dual slot card, so you need two slots.

Reply to HostileDonut

DEADPOOL_515 wrote :

so the wattage will run the new GFX fine, also will i need to get a new fan

Yep, that PSU will be fine, and the hd6850 is better. Also, you don't need a new fan.

Reply to HostileDonut

so if my pc has 2 PCI-E slots. i can get the corsair 430w PSU and the Saphire 6850 and play WoW fine

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Reply to DEADPOOL_515

also how do i figure out my resolution and settings

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

you resolution is determined by the monitor. right click on desktop, display settings (or something like that) will show you your current settings

Reply to unksol

my new monitors be here tomorrow is there a certain resolution im lookin for though

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

there is no certain resolution people are looking for. It is based off of personal preference.

Higher resolutions stress the gpu more than lower ones.

gaming performance on dual monitors @ 1920 by 1080 each on a single 6850 will be ok at best.

Message edited by thesnappyfingers on 02-09-2012 at 05:33:00 AM

Reply to thesnappyfingers

the monitors would have listed the resolution when you bought them... if you didn't know the resolution, well.... you probably shouldn't have bought them. but I digress. link or tell us the model number and well tell you. may need a higher gpu if they are hi Res and you want to use both gaming

Reply to unksol

a friend is giving them to me so i didnt buy them, i dont have to dual monitor but can you game on on whil having a web page or something on the other. if so will that take some of th stress off of th gpu

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

DEADPOOL_515 wrote :

so if my pc has 2 PCI-E slots. i can get the corsair 430w PSU and the Saphire 6850 and play WoW fine

THAT 430w is fine because it is a high-quality Corsair PSU. It can actually put out the 430w it says it can. You just have to have any expansion slot under the PCI-E slot you are plugging it into. It only plugs into one PCI- slot, but the fan will cover another PCI-E, PCI, PCI-E x1, or whatever expansion slot is under it.

Reply to HostileDonut

Ok cool thanks. i was considering upgradeing to a better processor would i need a larger PSU for that

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

I looked up your machine but there were some different versions of it. What version? like I found a -03w and a -05w version. What CPU do you have? Both CPUs are pretty slow though, so I would suggest upgrading. Maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103885

That should be pretty decent along with an hd6850. That 430w Corsair I linked yould run both the hd6850 and the Athlon II X4 I linked just fine.

Message edited by HostileDonut on 02-09-2012 at 08:54:16 PM

Reply to HostileDonut

mine is the 07w its a 1.60 ghz

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

so the CPU is the right socket type for my PC

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

Yeah, it should work, unless the TDP on the board doesn't support it. What board is it? I can help you there.

Reply to HostileDonut

not sure i should have time to get into my tower tomorrow to let you know

btw you have been extremely helpful. Thank you

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

No problem!

Reply to HostileDonut

after i make sure the GFX will fit in my pc, im hopin to get it ordered today, will i be able to play WoW with for a week or 2 before i can get the PSU or will i have to have the PSU immediatly

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

I hope this helps.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193 [...] 289940.jpg

will that 6850 fit
also my PSU is on top, so do all PSU have the same size dimensions?
also im not sure how to take out the 2 slots on the back of case for the GFX

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Message edited by DEADPOOL_515 on 02-10-2012 at 09:03:00 PM

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

also the 6850 is a PCI-E 2.1 does that make a difference to whether it will fit or not

after doin some searchin it says ill need a minimun of 500w PSU

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Message edited by DEADPOOL_515 on 02-10-2012 at 09:59:15 PM

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

You need a tape measure to figure out if it will fit. When people say 'make sure it fits' they are usually refering to the dimensions of the case. So in your instance you have to figure out the length of the particular 6850 that you are looking at and then figure out the distance from the back of the case to the front of the hard drive bay holder contraption.

Message edited by thesnappyfingers on 02-11-2012 at 01:09:40 AM

Reply to thesnappyfingers

DEADPOOL_515 wrote :

I hope this helps.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193 [...] 289940.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192 [...] 286130.jpg

will that 6850 fit
also my PSU is on top, so do all PSU have the same size dimensions?
also im not sure how to take out the 2 slots on the back of case for the GFX

You need to measure the inside of the case and make sure there is enough room where the GPU sits and if you could post a picture of the inside of the machine that would be helpful.

Reply to HostileDonut

DEADPOOL_515 wrote :

also the 6850 is a PCI-E 2.1 does that make a difference to whether it will fit or not

after doin some searchin it says ill need a minimun of 500w PSU

PCI-E is backwards compatible, but some PCI-E 2.1 card don't work with PCI-E 1.x. Mine did, but your may not, so I would suggest getting a PCI-E 2.0 card. Maybe a GTX 460 1gb because the performance is on par with the hd6850 and it uses PCI-E 2.0. Also, what is the name of your motherboard?

Also, you don't need a 500w. 430w is just fine. They say 500w because many "500w" PSUs actually only support 300w on the 12v rail, which is what the GPU runs off of. That 430w is a solid 430w and can support the rated power. It's solid.

Message edited by HostileDonut on 02-12-2012 at 12:24:39 AM

Reply to HostileDonut

this is what i found out about motherboard

eMachines MCP61PM-GM is the MB. So will it fit the HD 6850 please say it will. i made the order yesterday.

Message edited by DEADPOOL_515 on 02-12-2012 at 06:55:35 AM

Reply to DEADPOOL_515

I will find out after church as long as the case supports it!

Reply to HostileDonut

Yes, it should support the GPU, but when I looked up the board, it said it was an AM2 board, but you are running an AM3 CPU. I am really confused as to how it even runs. :??: This is what I found you can upgrade the CPU to, AMD Athlon II X4 605e, 615e, or 620e. They are all pretty slow. What is your budget?

Reply to HostileDonut

Now I found that it support AM3 CPUs? Some of them I guess under 95 TDP? So, I would get an Athlon II X2 that has a under 89w TDP. Can't find any online. They are fading fast. It also has to be socket AM3, not FM1.

Reply to HostileDonut