Buying a graphics card, new to this

[Tomahass]

I've half decided i'm going to be buying the Sapphire Radeon HD7770 Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5) but i don't know if it will work with my current setup. What do you need to know about my PC?

 

[djangoringo]

You need to know if you have a pcie 1.0/1.1/2.0/3.0 slot and a decent psu with 400w with a 6 pin pcie.

 

[Tomahass]

Don't intend to sound lazy here but here are the specs for my PC

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c02889484&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=5080737&prodTypeId=12454

Only difference is i've added 8GB RAM to total at 12GB

 

[dheeraj9933]

u've got a really nice PC!!
it's just that the PSU is just 300W,
and with an i7 CPU, getting a low end card like the 7770 is just a shame,
what is your budget?

 

[djangoringo]

Yes, the 300W power supply won't do for that card, you have a pcie slot x16 though.
Either buy a 6670 amd or 7750 or buy a new power supply with ~450w (from a good brand).

 

[Tomahass]

I'm fine with getting a new power supply. I know it's a shame. Just remembered i've got a student loan coming in at the end of the month. Combine that with christmas and £150 is probably the most i'd spend. Maybe add £20 if it's worth it.

 

[djangoringo]

From uk there is the xfx 450w pro : http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/XFX/P1-450S-X2B9.html?

And the 7770 for about 87 pounds : http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdhd7770series/MSI/R7770-PMD1GD5.html?


Total : 124 pounds.

 

[Tomahass]

That looks good to me. Is there any difference between the model if it's made by MSI, Saphire , ASUS etc.? I know someone who sells computer components, unfortunately not upgrades like sound/graphics card, so the power supple should be a bit discounted. I've noticed there's quite a big jump between price between the £90 range to the £140. Sucks.

 

[djangoringo]

MSI is a good brand, in the top brands AMD overall (ASUS, Sapphire, Gigabyte and MSI) and that 7770 is a ghz edition(means it's overclock to 1000mhz).
About the psu, it's the best price i see for a quality(xfx is a good brand) psu 450w.

 

[7out]

There are a couple of options depending on how much of a discount you manage to get for the PSU.

An OC'd 7770 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-Radeon-HD7770-Graphics-GDDR5/dp/B00776DHXW/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354819044&sr=1-9

Cheap 7850 http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-Edition-Graphics-Express/dp/B008HZXRKU/ref=sr_1_41?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354819356&sr=1-41

Another option is to see if you can hang on till after crimbo and go for something with a bit more of a kick like a 660 or 7870. Amazon seems fairly decently priced with a 660 running about 180 right now http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics-Card/dp/B0099AOD50/ref=sr_1_11?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354819044&sr=1-11