Looking for a new Graphics Card - $200 max

R

Ritzy

New Member
Hey! I am very new to this type of thing. A while ago, I posted a similar thread on a different website, but I had forgotten what I had told me. Perhaps it would help to hear from you guys. Please note you may have to use simpler English with me because I probably will not be able to understand terms like 'motherboard' or 'gpu'. Anyway, here is my system, tell me what you think I need to upgrade to.

I have a GeForce 9200 at the moment.

System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire X1300
Processor: AMD Athlon 7450 Dual-Core Processor ~ 2.4GHz
Memory: 3072MB RAM
Resolution: 1360 x 768

My case for my computer is also small. They suggested I get a low-profile card; but I'm not too sure what that is! Please clarify.

On the previous sytem; they also advised me to upgrade my power supply, as it had a 220w - which would not be sufficient to run a more advanced video card. So, for the maximum of $200, what is the best solution for both power supply and graphics card?

I want to be able to play games like Sims 3 and Civilization V, maybe a few modern games at medium settings, but I want to know the best I can get for 200 dollars, also tell me what I'd be able to play with that sort of deal. Options at 100 and 150 would be nice to hear as well. The maximum on both together would be $200.

I do remember the power supply they recommended, it was a Corsair 400w one, it was about 40 dollars I think on newegg.

Also - please tell me exactly where to find the product you say. Because when I take the suggestions I get and google it in on a website like newegg, I end up with like 10 results of the 'same' item. So please link me to the exact location of the product you are speaking of.

Anyway, to spell it out for you, I need to find a graphics card and sufficient power supply for 200 dollars or less, and be able to play games such as Sims 3 and Civilization V on at least medium settings. Please link me to the ones you tell me about. The card should be low-profile because of my case size!
 
I think you might be sunk just from the power supply alone...that bugger has a very slim psu, and the screws just dont line up with any of the smallish ones im seeing on newegg...you could try adding a low profile card...but i wouldnt recommend it, your best bet at this point is to start fresh if you want any reasonable performance, but then again you might be able to fit a gt430 or something in that power envelope...but it might be 'pushing it' i am wary of the 220W envelope that system has.

Just made a wishlist...waiting for it to go public, if you can make your budget a little larger, say 500-550 including a new OS and reuse your DVD drive and HDD, you can build something that has some upgrade potental around a socket 1155 platform

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11606749

could possibly swap gpu and cpu power...and give yourself some more headroom on the games that do use more gpu...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116398

-saves about 40 bucks...which you could throw at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102940
 
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Thank you for the reply, but I am not really interested in putting together a new computer. Is there any solution to my current desktop?
 
you could put a low power gt430 in there...but id be afraid to, i dont trust the power supply as far as i can throw it...that power supply is a form factor that was adopted for only that machine... so you cannot simply get a new one like you could a atx machine...however... you COULD possibly migrate the motherboard and components to a new case...add a new psu and gpu...
 
Depending on the cost of that ; that may be good idea, however I am not really skilled when it comes to putting PC components together.

Also I have another question. I want to upgrade my memory, would that be possible? Since right now it has only 3GB and I want at least 4GB.

Thanks. Also, can you suggest me a good case? And maybe if its a case big enough, perhaps a better video card?

If I'm going to be moving everything to a new case, might as well ugprade a few components. Will I be able to upgrade the memory, psu, gpu, for less than $300?

You've been a real help so far. This computer had been getting a bit of a pain, so can't hurt to upgrade this junker!

Yet another question I will throw at you: How much time and skill would I need to take it all apart and put it in a new case? It seems like a daunting task for someone clueless when it comes to hardware. lol

I guess simple terms:

1. New case
2. new gpu
3. new psu
4. upgrade memory?
5. for under 300 dollars.

Is this possible? My computer at the moment has 3GB of RAM, but it seems nowadays computers have 4GB. Is 3GB enough to run games? or is it worth upgrading it to at least 4. Thanks.
 
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Ritzy said:
Depending on the cost of that ; that may be good idea, however I am not really skilled when it comes to putting PC components together.

Thanks. Also, can you suggest me a good case? And maybe if its a case big enough, perhaps a better video card?

If I'm going to be moving everything to a new case, might as well ugprade a few components. Will I be able to upgrade the memory, psu, gpu, for less than $300?


Yet another question I will throw at you: How much time and skill would I need to take it all apart and put it in a new case? It seems like a daunting task for someone clueless when it comes to hardware. lol
Click to expand...

There might be a problem here. From what I can tell, that computer has the motherboard mounted on the opposite side of the case to standard ATX.

For example, with most computers, if it's standing up and the front is facing you, the motherboard will be on the right side of the case. The Aspire X1300 appears to have it on the left side.

I'll need other members to confirm, but from my perspective that's what it looks like.

There might be a fix to this, if it's just a standard motherboard, just mounted on the other side.
 
looks that way, and the pic i looked at didn't even seam to have any kind of slot for a gpu to go in.
 
The Board DOES have a PCI-e x1 and x16 slot. It is m-atx, it can be migrated to another chassis as long as it supports m-atx, most system manufacturers just use small mainboards, if you look at their teardown on this page its obvious:

http://support.acer.com/acerpanam/Manuals/acer/2010/ServiceGuides/SG_Aspire_X1301_BOOK.pdf

only issues i can see is the back panel, you can skip the I/O shield without worry. just be sure you can get a diagram for the front panel connections so you can hook up your power and reset buttons properly along with USB and you will be golden. thats the 'hardest' part honestly, just you have to make sure you line up your motherboard holes with the standoffs properly, dont have an extra one under the case, or you will short it out. watch for esd...and you will be good.

Don't mess with the ram...it might be a little pricey for ddr2, and with your OS you might gain 500 megs? not a big deal if you are playing one game at a time. Reason I say that is due to the OS. If its 32-bit you will be limited to 4 gig max, minus a bit allocated for other things.

-Suggestion then: grab the rosewill tower, corsair psu, and one of the gpus, the 6770 would be faster, and probably wouldnt be slowed by the triple core chip...might but i doubt it.
 
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