samo

iTrader: (6)

Hi guys,

I have a PC I would like to upgrade my graphics on. I will be mainly using it for games, and also a bit of 3d graphic design.

My spec is:

Amd Athlon 2 x4 645 3.1ghz
Onboard graphics
8GB Ram
Windows 7 64 Bit

What graphics card would work best with my pc? I'm so lost when it comes to components these days, and ideally don't want to be buying a new pc.

Any help would be grand.

Thanks

Tidgy

very much dependant on budget, have you got one in mind?

samo

iTrader: (6)

Errrr, not really thought about budget to be honest. Say £200???

BlkKnight

no real point spending loads on gfx as the CPU will be the bottleneck in most games.

Loot at the AMD 7850 7870? (or the Nvidea equivalent?)

samo

iTrader: (6)

What do you mean by bottleneck? With those cards and processor, would I be able to run newer games?

Tidgy

also might depend on your psu, if it has power connector for graphics card

BlkKnight

To be blunt, your CPU is pretty slow.

Back in 2010 when it was bought out it wasn't as quick as the Intel i5's of the time - about on par with the Intel Pentium G6950

Nowadays I'd consider the i5 4670k (or non K) to be where you need to be for modern games.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/188?vs=837

This is a gaming bench using a 5870 (which is a little bit slower than a 7850)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...4-645-review/6

Save your money and pick up a complete rig.

samo

iTrader: (6)

I have seen a few youtube vids that show newer games running on this cpu?

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...x4+645+3.1ghz+

Would this graphics card be ok? And how would I know if i need a better power supply?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2GB-XFX-Ra...p2054897.l4275

BlkKnight

Sure it'll run em, but the settings will be way down.

Yes that card looks fine.

Look at the cables coming out of your PSU. Do they have the required PCIE (6 pin) connectors?

Does it state what watt it is?

Littleted

http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Shotgun.html

Just get that.

samo

iTrader: (6)

The PSU is 500 watt, and it does have a spare 6pin connector

BlkKnight

Depends on the rest of your components & the quality of the PSU

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Don't forget the capacitor ageing at the bottom - has a big impact

samo

iTrader: (6)

Thanks, the link that Littleted posted above (thanks by the way Littleted), looks decent enough???

Littleted

Samo I pasted that because it was the cheapest and came with a core I5, I don't know your circumstances, but if you have a few more pennies then this is the one

http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast...-Asgard-2.html. its only 50 quid ish.

And this one if you have a little more

http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Hive.html

The VGA on the last is better on the Hive and if it was my Money than that's where it would go. Take note of Number of USB ports etc. 4 is better

There are many suppliers out there but I use Chillblast and both my son and his mates have them, Sons Core I5 is now over 4 years old and still runs like a dream, Plays anything.

hes running 16gig and Radeon 5870.

Mines a newer Haswell I5 4670 clocked to 4gig, with a GTX770 and 32gig ram....

samo

iTrader: (6)

Thanks again Littleted

My pc journey started out wanting to upgrade my current pc (see first post), so it was able to run newer games and be able to handle my 3d graphic progs (cryengine, unreal engine, 3ds max).

However, from what has been said here, and with a good friend of mine, It would be wise to save a little and get a full machine.

Budget wise, well, I don't really have one, but obviously the cheaper the better. I have an xbox one and PS4 for my main gaming needs, but it would be nice to have a pc capable of running PC games as well.

The PC's and components are much harder to understand these days(for me anyway), and with sooo many out there, the choice is overwhelming.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

I have just upgraded my gpu and the power supply. The gpu I pulled out is only a 8800gtx but its more than capable for your pc and I have my old power supply. I can do you a CHEAP deal on both.

eagle

would look at changing the cpu cooler on the first prebuilt one, noctua d14 is large but very good on overclocked cpu's. and you can fit ram under it easily enough apart from that it looks good,.

Littleted

8 gig ram minimum.

Haswell core i5 minimum

Graphics card is where the money is, the more you spend the better it gets, as I said above my son's core i5 sadybridge is still going strong after 4 years all we do if upgrade video card, he plays warcraft diabolo call of duty and world of tanks near on full details at 1920

Core i7 will help you in 3ds max world but they cost and the difference in games u won't feel. Good luck and remember to try get an ssd drive for booting, these prove to be the best investment vs speed anyone Can buy

samo

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for all your help guys.

BlkKnight

an i5 4670 is fine for the moment. i7's are totally overkill for gaming.