Upgrading graphics card please help

[ck2033]

hello everyone I am looking for someone to help me.

I have this computer (I bought it from this place):

http://www.simplyacer.com/Acer_Predator_G5900_1081411.html

I was wondering if i can upgrade this computer? I bought this a while back but now I am starting to play games quite a lot and the gt440 is OK but not that good so I would possibly like to upgrade however I have never upgraded a computer before. I would like to play games on high settings. I have been playing a mod for Arma 2 called DayZ with my friend but the game lags and Arma 2 also gets lowish fps. This computer does not have much power (it definitely has only 300w or 400w i havn't actually opened the computer yet because Ican't find the screwdriver lol) so I think i'll most probably need to buy a new power supply to go with the new graphics card but I don't know.

So to conclude could somebody please tell me if I can actually upgrade this computer and also could somebody please recommend a good graphics card and power supply(if that's needed). My budget would be around £150 but I would like to spend as little as possible. Oh and I have a 22inch monitor and the native resolution is 1920x1080

Thank you to anyone who helps me

 

[lordofdeath242]

you really need to know what psu and available connections you have to answer properly, some of those machines come with a "750W" psu, if you have such, and ample connectors you are only really limited by budget, otherwise a 7750 is about the best card you can run from a pci-e slot alone
also, the 7770 is about the best new card in that price range
but better last gen cards can be had for the same price

 

[paddys09]

Some good cards around that price at the moment. What make is your PSU and what is it rated for?

 

[ck2033]

Thanks a lot for replying

Well I can't check how good the psu is or the make of it at the moment becuase I don't have a screwdriver but obviously i'll get one asap lol but I get a strong feeling it's not going to be very good. So if it isn't good could I just buy a new power supply along with a graphics card(possibly a nvidia geforce 550 ti??) and hopefully everything would be ok? If possible could someone reccomend any power supply or graphics card to me what will go well together?

Thank you !

 

[Sunius]

I would not recommend anything lower than GTX 560 SE/Radeon HD 6850. Otherwise you will not really feel a difference.

Let's assume you'll need to upgrade the power supply unit.

Let's say a combo:
Corsair CX 500 - $59.99 before rebates/$39.99 after rebates
Asus GTX 560 DCII - $169.99 before rebates/$149.99 after rebates.

That brings total to $229.98 before rebates/$189.98 after rebates. Since you never said how much you wanted to spend, that is my recommendation. You'll see a huge improvement in performance .

 

[paddys09]

Well i was going to suggest a 560ti/7850 as they can be picked up for about £150/160.

If you need a PSU I would recommend you save, a 550ti doesnt have great performance for the price you'll pay.

If you have to wait a bit longer then so be it, the 660's should be released pretty soon and that should drive prices on those cards down too.

 

[ck2033]

@Sunius hello thanks for the reply but I don't think new egg ships to the UK but thx anyway

@paddys09 hi thanks for the reply.

What do you think of these? Are they ok and would they be ok installing on my computer? Or should i get something a bit better? I'm not really sure :/ :

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards+-+GPUs/Graphics+Cards+-+NVIDIA/GeForce+GTX+560/PALIT+GeForce+GTX+560+Smart+Edition+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=49841

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies+-+PSUs/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/500W+OCZ+CoreXStream+80PLUS+Power+Supply+?productId=50221#rqc


Thanks a lot !!

 

[paddys09]

The PSU is good, I would try and get together the extra money to get the 560ti, its much better.

Arma2/DayZ are pretty intensive youll need as much as you can get. If you really have to go for a 560 se I'd recommend this one:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-msi-gtx-560-overclocked-3828mhz-gddr5-gpu-750mhz-shader-336-cores-2-x-dvi-1-x-mini-hdmi

 

[Sunius]

Sorry about the link to newegg, I didn't notice you were from UK . That graphics card you linked is a very nice deal. However, I'd stay away from OCZ PSUs because they tend to be of bad quality. I'd suggest sticking with Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, XFX.

 

[ck2033]

Ok thanks again guys! What about these then:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-msi-gtx-560ti-oc-twin-frozr-ii-40nm-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-880mhz-shader-1760mhz-384-cores

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-550s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v2

I took advice from both of you and decided i'm going to get the 560ti with a better power supply.

Some other things are worrying me though. These might be stupid questions but i've never done this before so if someone could possibly answer them i'd really really appreciate it !

Would they both fit in the case ok and would everything fit togehter ok? Here is a picture of inside the case and the full specs of the machine:

http://photos.pcpro.co.uk/images/front_picture_library_PC_Pro/dir_336/it_photo_168349_52.jpg
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/desktops/369727/acer-predator-g5900/specifications

Also are there any other tools other than a screwdriver i'd need when i'm installing these?

Thanks again to anyone who helps me !

 

[paddys09]

The twin frozr II is one of the best 560ti you can get, runs really cool, OC'D with room for a bit more too. Thoroughly recommend.

The XFX is a good power supply. Have to disagree with Sunius on the OCZ, they make decent PSU's. The majority are JonnyGURU recommended and use high quality parts, decent caps etc.

The Corsairs are obviously an option and are priced similarly to the XFX. I would probably recommend them more. Here they are:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-corsair-builder-series-cmpsu-500cxv2uk-80-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-corsair-builder-series-cmpsu-500cxv2uk-80-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

Edit: Yep screwdriver is all you should need. Possibly a set of side cutters if you have to remove any cable ties.

 

[Sunius]

It will fit without any problems. I'd go with that XFX unit you picked yourself, it's better than Corsair CX 500 because it has more amps on 12V rail, and it has higher efficiency certification. They cost almost the same.

It will fit your case without any problems .

 

[ck2033]

Thanks guys i really appreciate all this help !

So just to clarify will the graphics card fit well inside the case? I understand that the psu should fit ok

It says on the website that it's ' Interface: PCIe 2.0 (x16) ' and my computer has ' Extension card slot 1 x PCI Express® 2.0 x16 slot ' so it should be ok?

Also on the website for the graphic card it says ' Connectivity:2 x DVI-I 1 x mini HDMI ' so would I still be able to install it ok?

Sorry for the (probably stupid) questions but i've never done this before and i'm a bit worried that somthing won't fit correctly and I end up wasting my money

Anyway thanks a lot for helping me once again

 

[Sunius]

Don't worry, it will fit without problems . DVI-I and mini-HDMI are the connectors that will stick out of your case and to which you will connect your monitor.

 

[ck2033]

thanks ! I'll order them sometime before monday. Hopefully everything goes ok. Thanks again for all the help

 

[Sunius]

Glad I helped .

 

[ck2033]

hi guys i've delayed a bit with ordering them but now I am going to order them very soon(most likely today) and I was quickly wondering if the 550w power supply would be enough for my system?
Thanks again once i've got an answer i'll order them

 

[paddys09]

100% sure. Enjoy the new card

 

[ck2033]

Thanks ! Now all i need to do is install them when they get here I don't think the graphics card will be a problem but the power supply might be. There are wires going all around the computer to different things so it will probably be a bit tricky. I guess i'll just find a guide to follow or a video or something lol

Thanks again!!

 

[ck2033]

Hello again guys everything went well with me installing the graphics card and the PSU. I can play games with much better FPS now However I downloaded and installed EVGA Precision X and checked the temperature of the card and when i'm playing DayZ the temperature of the card ranges from 80-100 degrees. I tried Men of war : Vietnam and it was at around 70 degrees which still seems quite high. So I was wondering if this is normal and will it effect anything such as the FPS? Should/Could I do something about this? Thanks for any help!

 

[Sunius]

That's too high. It's strange, is the fan spinning at 100%?

 

[paddys09]

Yea thats high for a reference card. Twin frozr should be well below that.

Just out of curiosity try downloading msi afterburner, sometimes software doesn't give accurate readings.

 

[ck2033]

I opened the case and the fans are both definitely spinning ( Sorry if that's not what you meant. I think you can alter the fan speeds in this MSI afterburner but I don't know. I don't really want to edit anything in case I mes something up lol) .
I downloaded the Msi afterburner and left the case open and went on DayZ and the temperature was hovering around mainly 65 degrees but it can go to 75. I tried Men of war : Vietnam again and the temperature was around 55-60 degrees so things improved when I opened the case. When i'm not in a game the temperature is 50-55 degrees. The fans of the graphics card are facing the bottom of the case so could that be the problem? Anyway I have got a fan aimed at the holes on the side of the case now and i've just tried DayZ and it's temperature is around 65-75 degrees . Also what tmperature should it actually be at? Thanks !

 

[paddys09]

Well those temps are much better well within safe limits, so it must be related to you're airflow, your idle temps seem to confirm this.

How many fans are in your case? and what way are they set up? Intake/exhaust?

Also if you set up a custom fan curve youll shave some degrees off, In afterburner click settings and its on the 2nd tab.

Id still expect the twin frozr to run slightly cooler that that but could just be the case again.

 

[Sunius]

If it's at 75° maximum, I would not worry about it at all. It's very normal for a graphics card in a game like that - Witcher 2 pushes my GTX 560 Ti to 74°C during hot days, and I do have a good airflow .