ok well my 4GB of ram should be comming soon,I have integrated GFX, but from what ive read it still wont run most high end games without a videocard (video card ram is quicker than normal ram from what ive read). My question is how do I know what card to get, and how do I know if my mobo supports it. my mobo specs are here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01386897&lc=en&dlc=de&cc=ch&product=3758982&lang=de from that ive gathered that I have one PCIe x16 slot which is for GFX cards. so logically im looking at PCIe x16 GFX cards. In general if i get one of these (lets say this one for example: http://www.c1com.co.nz/shop/step1.php?number=11540) can I just simply plug her in the PCIe slot and go, or is there a lot more to it than that? also there are some much cheaper and faster PCIe 2.0 cards, are those compatible with my system? from what loony has said power supply also seems to be a factor, is it likely that I will have to upgrade my power supply to support a video card? ive heard some horror stories about underpowered power supplies and I dont really want to blow anything up lol. Im also open to card suggestions, ive read through most of loony and equiteys posts so I think I can make a conclusion from them, im looking to spend around $150NZD, and C1 shopping mall have some serious deals on at the moment (cards down from $1100 to $200). Cheers for the help in advance, im pretty lost these days, I havnt built a PC since win95-98 lol.
gaming cards will require dedicated power connectors, (6 pin PCI-E off the PSU, some cards might need 2, you can use an adaptor to turn 2x 4pin molex (CD drive) connectors into a 6 pin PCI-E). PCI-E 2.0 is fully backwards compatible. Tell us what power supply rating you have before buying anything.
what you looking for? get you by, mid range or top end. just remember when your building the thing to give a blood sacrifice to the pc gods for good fortune and smooth running (i don't mean kill a goat or anything just accidentally cut your finger on the case, its good luck!)
About the PCI-E power connectors: Many new PSUs nowadays have the PCI-E cables. If you're using a brand name computer such as a Dell or HP, you may not have that cable. So check to see if you have enough cables and PSU wattage to satisfy the demands of your graphics card. For most midrange graphics cards, you should have at least one free PCI-E connector or two free Molex connectors. Psst... choose Nvidia. ;D
Im pretty sure I have 2 free PCI-E connectors, not sure about the cables. Eitherway I got arrested urinating in public and for drunk and disorderly (only because I hit the cop) the other night so I have to pay a fine instead of buying a video card
sorry finally got my PC running again after moving, had a look and ive got a 300watt power supply. Will this need upgrading for a video card? currently running 2 1.60ghz cpus and 4GB RAM (2x2GB DDR2 800mhz).
short answer: yes long answer: depends on what card you get but if its a good one then yes and i'd suggest to have more then 300watt on any modern system anyway but that's just me
ignore equity's long answer, just upgrade it. 300W is far too low for a modern computer, especially as its probably a no-name PSU.
cheers guys, do you have a recommendation of a rating, 500w seems to be within my price range, should do the trick yes?
