Need to upgrade Video Card

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neatobassman

New Member
Hey, new to this forum and the world of computer hardware.

Right now I have a Nvidia GeForce 9200 card built into my motherboard, and I need an upgrade. I have a slim tower desktop and only have an extra PCI express port left and don't want to spend more than $250. What are my options.
 
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for any upgrade you'll likely need a new power supply. If that's an OEM machine, they usually ship with (shitty) PSUs in the 250W - 300W range. With $250 you could manage both a video card and PSU, so long as the case conforms to ATX standards. some of these cases are of a proprietary design and won't allow a power supply upgrade...

That's assuming this isn't a custom build you currently own. When you say slim tower, I think of a HP/compaq or emachines.
 
mep916 said:
Yeah that's running a 220W power supply. You're not gonna be able to upgrade unless you can jam a new PSU in there.
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If I could find one that would fit, could I replace the one I have now? I'm sure that more money than I want to spend, I just wanna learn more for when I replace this machine.
 
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neatobassman said:
If I could find one that would fit, could I replace the one I have now? I'm sure that more money than I want to spend, I just wanna learn more for when I replace this machine.
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you could take everything from the acer, throw it into a new case and upgrade the power supply and video card. You could get another (decent) case for as low as $40 from microcenter or fry's. That's assuming you can't fit a new PSU in the slim line. I'm not really sure to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say no.

To answer your question, yes, if a new PSU would fit, then you'd just buy one and replace the old one.
 
mep916 said:
you could take everything from the acer, throw it into a new case and upgrade the power supply and video card. You could get another (decent) case for as low as $40 from microcenter or fry's. That's assuming you can't fit a new PSU in the slim line. I'm not really sure to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say no.

To answer your question, yes, if a new PSU would fit, then you'd just buy one and replace the old one.
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what do I risk powering the replacement card with a lower suggested psu? It just not working and reverting to the original card or the computer crashing because the power is being drained?
 
neatobassman said:
what do I risk powering the replacement card with a lower suggested psu? It just not working and reverting to the original card or the computer crashing because the power is being drained?
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Yeah it either won't boot, crash, or generally run improperly. It won't work. Trust me, I've tried it.

http://www.computerforum.com/93687-300w-psu-radeon-x1300-pro.html

I tried something similar a few years ago, back when I knew nothing about computers. That thread sorta discussed the problems I had and some solutions I tried. I just ended up building a new PC. I posted that issue on other forums and everyone pretty much told me what I'm telling you. :( That's the biggest downside to owning a pre built machine - no room to upgrade, in most cases.
 
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