Upgrading Graphics

[damjannisevic]

Hello,
I have a gateway dx4320-02e running linuxmint 12. I want to upgrade the graphics card to the geforce gtx550ti . I am wondering if this is possible and worth it ? I would like to play games like starcraft 2, diablo 3 , and elder scrolls online once it is out.

 

[bloc97]

Yes, your PC should have a PCI-E x16 slot, if not sure, you can check your motherboard if it has a long brown/black slot that has a notch at the end to secure the graphic card.
Also, yes it is very worth it, the GTX 550Ti can run all those games at maximum settings, plus you have a Quad-Core processor, which most games cannot fully use even today.

Note that you posted this in the wrong forums, if you want to update to a nVidia GPU.

-Hope it helps!
Bloc97

 

[mace200200]

I used to play games on Xubuntu Linux and Nvidia is the way to go, the drivers work better. The most demanding game you listed is Starcraft 2 and it runs much better on Nvidia cards so you should be just fine.

What do you have for a PSU? I hope it's not stock.

 

[damjannisevic]

I have a 300-watt stock, Im planning to buy a new PSU as well with the graphics card. Now Im guessing I should install Windows as well so I can run the games .

 

[mace200200]

It depends if you want to install windows, starcraft 2 worked really well for me on ubuntu, you can always go the dual boot route, I used to do that on this machine but eventually I decided to just cut xubuntu out for the most part. My router is to slow to keep to OS's patched up.

A small PSU like this would cut it for a 550 Ti: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
unless you have one picked out already.

 

[damjannisevic]

I was planning on keeping linux on one hard drive for personal use and then having a separate hard drive dedicated to windows & games. And now I highly doubt the gtx 550 would fit into my case ...

 

[mace200200]

The 550 Ti isn't a large card compared to some higher end ones, just look inside, it should be about the length of the motherboard probably a bit shorter.

If your planning on playing your games in Windows instead now, I would recommend the 7770 instead. It's more powerful than the 550 Ti it just that Nvidias work better under Linux. They're usually smaller too if your afraid space is in issue. I think mine is something like 6.6 inch's long.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541?vs=536

 

[damjannisevic]

Best answer selected by damjannisevic.

 

[damjannisevic]

The 550 Ti isn't a large card compared to some higher end ones, just look inside, it should be about the length of the motherboard probably a bit shorter.

If your planning on playing your games in Windows instead now, I would recommend the 7770 instead. It's more powerful than the 550 Ti it just that Nvidias work better under Linux. They're usually smaller too if your afraid space is in issue. I think mine is something like 6.6 inch's long.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541?vs=536

Heres a picture

http://tinypic.com/r/w89750/6

I was thinking that the cables to the right of the PCI slot would interfere and as long as the 7770 fits I'll deff get it.

 

[mace200200]

I'm not seeing any reason why it won't fit. When I was upgrading my GPU I had to find a card that wouldn't block my SATA ports so I had a similiar problem. But I think your SATA ports are down far enough that they won't be blocked. Otherwise there's still two more rows to use. Otherwise for a bit more money the 650 Ti performs a tiny bit better, but most importantly they are really really small.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130838

I think the 7770 is a better value though, but I like these cards a lot to, it's something to keep in mind if you have size issues.

 

[damjannisevic]

I just realized , I was talking about it going into the regular PCI slot but you were talking about the PCI 16 express ! And in that case either cards would fit. So happy about that !
I noticed on Newegg that the cards are both around $130-140. Im thinking Ill probably get the 650Ti for the extra 10 bucks and its 6" long so itll be fine in my case. Now on the requirements for the card it says I should have a 400 W power supply , that would exclude the one below ?
What do you think about this PSU ?
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-VP450&c=fr&pid=e9b55a50f1058eac6515f5a79d2dee8702f2fb23b0a53cbf0a7ef4f41afd28e8&gclid=CMKvqI2ztrMCFU-d4AodQxUAAg

 

[mace200200]

The Antec VPs are well liked. You'll be alright on that PSU.

 

[damjannisevic]

The Antec VPs are well liked. You'll be alright on that PSU.

Thank you so much ! you were extremely helpful through this.