Hi,
I am looking to buy a graphics card, and most likely a power supply, for my system, but I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I was hoping someone here might be able to give me some advice and maybe point me in the right direction.
I have read many forums on this website and find it to be very helpful. This is my first topic here, so I apologize in advance if I have posted anything in the wrong format / location.
I realise I will need to purchase a new power supply with my graphics card, I would be very grateful for some advice on this too.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible.
BUDGET RANGE: Graphics card: £200/$320 (I may be able to increase this budget, if need be.) - Power supply: £100/$160
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: I mainly need it to run WoW: Mists of Pandaria at the best possible graphics with no fps issues, but it would be nice if my new card could run a game like Battlefield 3, maybe not on full graphics, but at a low/medium level.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: I currently have no graphics card (I have "Intel HD" on-board graphics) and my power supply is only 300w, I am expecting to purchase a new power supply with my graphics card, this purchase will have it's own budget.
I bought the computer from 'PC World' for £650 and I haven't altered any of it's components.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: I'm not exactly sure what my system specs are, but I'll give as much details as I can.
Motherboard: Acer Aspire M3970 - (I'm guessing this is the name of my motherboard.)
CPU: Intel Core i5 2300
Memory: 6GB DDR3
Graphics: On-board Intel HD
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
(the motherboard has one "PCI-E x16" slot, if that helps)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I have no preferred website for parts. Although I see many users on these forums putting their trust in newegg.com. I would like to purchase from a website that has some sort of warranty, but this isn't necessary.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have read somewhere on these forums that Nvidia graphics cards give a slight boost to World of Warcraft specifically. I'm not sure if this is true, but if it is, then I may be better off getting an Nvidia graphics card, as I rarely play any other game.
OVERCLOCKING: I have a slight idea of what overclocking is, but I am not 100% sure, so I guess this doesn't apply to me.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I honestly have no idea what "SLI" or "Crossfire" mean.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
I have a standard case, so I am guessing I might need a GPU with a decent fan / cooling system?
I live in the UK, so I may not be able to purchase goods from certain websites out side of the UK.
When buying a new power supply, do I need to worry about it being compatible with my motherboard?
Will the power supply fit in my case? Or are they of a universal shape / size?
Sorry for the amateur post, but from what I have read on these forums, this seems an understanding and helpful community, so I am hoping I may get some help and advice here. It would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Louis.
I am looking to buy a graphics card, and most likely a power supply, for my system, but I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I was hoping someone here might be able to give me some advice and maybe point me in the right direction.
I have read many forums on this website and find it to be very helpful. This is my first topic here, so I apologize in advance if I have posted anything in the wrong format / location.
I realise I will need to purchase a new power supply with my graphics card, I would be very grateful for some advice on this too.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible.
BUDGET RANGE: Graphics card: £200/$320 (I may be able to increase this budget, if need be.) - Power supply: £100/$160
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: I mainly need it to run WoW: Mists of Pandaria at the best possible graphics with no fps issues, but it would be nice if my new card could run a game like Battlefield 3, maybe not on full graphics, but at a low/medium level.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: I currently have no graphics card (I have "Intel HD" on-board graphics) and my power supply is only 300w, I am expecting to purchase a new power supply with my graphics card, this purchase will have it's own budget.
I bought the computer from 'PC World' for £650 and I haven't altered any of it's components.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: I'm not exactly sure what my system specs are, but I'll give as much details as I can.
Motherboard: Acer Aspire M3970 - (I'm guessing this is the name of my motherboard.)
CPU: Intel Core i5 2300
Memory: 6GB DDR3
Graphics: On-board Intel HD
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
(the motherboard has one "PCI-E x16" slot, if that helps)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I have no preferred website for parts. Although I see many users on these forums putting their trust in newegg.com. I would like to purchase from a website that has some sort of warranty, but this isn't necessary.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have read somewhere on these forums that Nvidia graphics cards give a slight boost to World of Warcraft specifically. I'm not sure if this is true, but if it is, then I may be better off getting an Nvidia graphics card, as I rarely play any other game.
OVERCLOCKING: I have a slight idea of what overclocking is, but I am not 100% sure, so I guess this doesn't apply to me.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I honestly have no idea what "SLI" or "Crossfire" mean.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
I have a standard case, so I am guessing I might need a GPU with a decent fan / cooling system?
I live in the UK, so I may not be able to purchase goods from certain websites out side of the UK.
When buying a new power supply, do I need to worry about it being compatible with my motherboard?
Will the power supply fit in my case? Or are they of a universal shape / size?
Sorry for the amateur post, but from what I have read on these forums, this seems an understanding and helpful community, so I am hoping I may get some help and advice here. It would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Louis.