Acer ax1420G-u5832

[vladoman]

Would Like to update GFX
on this small machine i picked up at Wallmart

Only about 4 inches inside

Questions:
1. Do I need to upgrade psu to add a gfx
2. What low profile gfx cards available?

 

[clutchc]

Either of these low profile HD 7750 cards will be the best you can do in that machine. They get all their power from the 75W available on the PCIe X16 slot itself. So the PSU you have now should be fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600286767&IsNodeId=1&srchInDesc=low%20profile&name=Radeon%20HD%207000%20series&ActiveSearchResult=True

What processor does your machine have?

 

[vladoman]

Thanks!

 

[vladoman]

The processor I have is a Athlon II x4 645 at 3.10 ghz, with 4 gigs of ram. The Windows Experience number is 3.2, limited primarily by the graphics card.

Quick follow up question: the specs on the two cards in on the link you provided (thanks again) indicate System Requirements as "Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply."

This machine's psu is 230 watts... can it work without an upgrade?

 

[clutchc]

While 230W is quite weak, the HD 7750 uses only 55W... and that is only if it is running maxed out. If the PC was built correctly, it should be able to handle any card inserted in the 75W PCIe X16 slot. Generally those PSU estimates the card manufacturers give is extremely high. If, however, you find you get an occasional re-boot or the system shuts down by itself, that could be an indication it needs a bigger PSU. But I think you'll be fine.

 

[vladoman]

Okay, after reading the 30 reviews on EGG, I am ordering the
SAPPHIRE 100357LP Radeon HD 7750

Several reasons for the decision:
1. With a rebate, it's $10 bucks cheaper.
2. It comes low profile, so no need to modify the bracket for my machine
3. It's width measurement is smaller, so it will have a better chance to fit into the case.
4. It has more reviews, all positive, so maybe it has a longer track record/more popular.
5. It did not have complaints about stability with a low number PSU, in fact reviewers reported that it ran well with a low PSU number. The Power Color card did have one complaint about insufficient PSU causing crashes.

I will install as soon as I receive it, and will get back here to report.

Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[clutchc]

I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at how it helps turn your slim-line PC into a pretty fair gamer. You may not be able to go above 720p (1369x768) resolution without frame rates dropping to undesirable levels, but the HD 7750 and the Athlon II X4 645 will be a perfect match with each other.

Good luck with the rebate. By the time you get it, you'll have forgotten what it was for. But it will eventually arrive. Probably in the form of a pre-paid debit card.

 

[vladoman]

Got the Saphire gfx card in the mail on Friday and installed it last night. It was a really tight fit with the tiny case, but the card's fan ended up in a perfect place to take advantage of the vent holes on top of the case. It ran Red Orchestra II Beta (at about 90% graphics settings) very smoothly, and no power crashes. It could not quite keep up on more complicated maps at maxed out settings, and still had no power issues. The card is surprisingly quiet, and so far seems to run fairly cool.

WE went from 3.2 to 5.9 (limited by the disk transfer rate - the card is a 7.4) good enough for my needs.

Thanks for the suggestion.



Another happy customer.

 

[vladoman]

Best answer selected by vladoman.