Need help with upgrading a graphics card!

D

denz000

New Member
Hi, i have the i5 2500k processor..and im currently using the on board graphics which im told are actually pretty good considering.. but i am wondering what would be the best card to upgrade to. Ideally not too expensive but i want one powerful enough to make a difference. Maybe a card nearer £100 if possible..and then one a little more around £150..and then see whether the card seems worth the extra money. Will this improve performance and speed of computer as well as graphics?

Any help will be appreciated, Thanks!
 
Hi denz000. We need a bit more information before we can give you a good recommendation.

Power supply?
Motherboard?
Screen Resolution?
Games that you play?
Website you want to order from?
That I am assuming this is a custom build.
 
Get a 7850 if your power supply is good enough. For £150, that's about the best card you can get right now. I think the 7870 may be around the £150 mark too (though closer to £200 I think), but if you can get a 7870 cheap, then that's an awesome deal too.

I recommend buying from novatech.co.uk. :)
 
Msi z77a-g43 and cx corsair 430.. and my computer display is my 32" HD tv if that helps you at all. I play games such as football manager, strategy war games and battlefield. As for the site, im not too fussed, if its pc world i can pick it up..otherwise i will order online.
 
It looks like you could do it if there was no OCing. It just makes me nervous.

GPU power consumption that I found

~£100 7790 = 90w
~£150 7850 = 106w
£150 and up 7870 = 120w
 
depends on what you are doing. Games will gain a few FPS, applications that are cpu heavy will be faster, but you would need a new PSU and better cooling if you wanted to go down that road.
 
I wouldn't risk it mate. Upgrade your power supply too. A Corsair CX 600 will be more than enough to run any of the cards mentioned in this thread.

Then with that see how much money you have left over and see what you can buy with that. 7850 I presume. ;)
 
I put all on my computer components through on pcpartpicker..and with the mentioned above graphics cards it got no higher than 369w...does this mean it would be fine with the current psu or is it still recommended for a higher one?
 
Almost any video card are going to be better than Intel HD Graphics. The Intel HD Graphics are fast but poor clarity. The text on my i3-2105 (IHDG 3000) were blurry so I replaced it with the Radeon HD 6670. That was a major improvement and the text are sharp.
 
denz000 said:
I put all on my computer components through on pcpartpicker..and with the mentioned above graphics cards it got no higher than 369w...does this mean it would be fine with the current psu or is it still recommended for a higher one?
Click to expand...

I would still recommend a higher one. PSUs will not operate at their maximum wattage for very long. Good PSUs will be close but I think 60w of overhead is cutting it too close.
 
denz000 said:
I put all on my computer components through on pcpartpicker..and with the mentioned above graphics cards it got no higher than 369w...does this mean it would be fine with the current psu or is it still recommended for a higher one?
Click to expand...

I'd get yourself a CX 600 or something like that. I for one don't trust these so called 'watt calculator' things which you see online. They're often inaccurate. :/

600W is more than enough for a 7850 or a 7870 and gives you headroom which is always a good thing. :)
 
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