Graphics card help

Forums › Desktop computing › Graphics card help

c3rn

291 posts

Ultimate Geek

#31857 1-Apr-2009 21:05

Well I went to play GTA 4 for the first time yesterday, it installed and ran ok except the picture quality is terrible. I then discovered that although the game will run with a 256Mb video card, the recommended amount it 512mb.

This brings me to my next delima, I want to upgrade my video card but do now know enough about this process. I found a card that I want (Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - http://tinyurl.com/c4pbol) - looks low priced but not sure if it's compatible with my PC.

Specs are:
Processor: Acer AMD Phenom 9500 (Quad) 2.2GHz, 2MB L2 + 2MB L3 Cache
Current graphic: AMD RS780 with 256MB shared and Radeon HD3450 256mb DDRII DSUB+DVI+TVO PAL
Motherboard: Acer RS780HVF. Chipset: AMD 780G

Can anyone advise if the Radeon HD 4650 1GB will work with my PC?
How easy is it to change the card? Is it just a matter of removing the case, pulling out the old one and slotting in the new one?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

vexxxboy

4243 posts

Uber Geek

#204816 1-Apr-2009 22:47

the main spec we need and the most important one is the power supply ie how many watts is your power supply, that will govern if it can run your new graphic card. you will need 400w minimum and if the new card is only one pci slot then yes it is just a matter of plugging in the new one

Common sense is not as common as you think.

c3rn

291 posts

Ultimate Geek

#204826 2-Apr-2009 00:07

Thanks for your reply. After reading a bit more into this I think I do need to upgrade my PSU first as I currently have a PSU with an ouput of 250W.

Do you know if a Hyena 500W Power Supply (details below) will work with my PC?

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Compliant
12v 12cm Ball Bearing Fan
1 x 20 + 4 pins M/B power plug
1 x 12v 4pin M/B power plug
1 x PCI-E 5 Pins power plug
6 x IDE power plug
1 x SATA power plug
2 x FDD power plug
Dimensions: 5.5 x 6.0 x 3.4 Inches

garvani

1873 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#204837 2-Apr-2009 08:41

Yes that powersupply is fine.

Now in other news, your running headfirst into a marketing gimick!! There is no point in getting the 1gb version of that card, the bandwidth of the card isnt fast enough to address that much ram. In other words even though you have 1gb it will never use that much. A lot of people dont realise this but its fact. Only in the higher end cards with gddr3-gddr5 and 256mbit bus are you able to access all the ram. Theres pleanty of information about it on the net so if you think im full of it then do some research

. In some cases the 1gb card is even slower than the same 512mb card.

In my opinon you will be much better off getting a good 512mb card, have a look at the 512mb ati radeon hd4830, for the money there is nothing better!!

c3rn

291 posts

Ultimate Geek

#204857 2-Apr-2009 10:26

thanks for your advice!

Ragnor

8219 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#204891 2-Apr-2009 12:55

Make sure your motherboard has a PCI-Express 16x or 8x slot slot (8x physical slot size is the same as the 16x fyi)

Also in my opinion the PSU is the most important component in a system and I would avoid a low ball cheap make like Hyena. Go with known reliable brands like: Corsair, Enermax, Thermaltake etc.

I have a Corsair HX520 and would recommend it, the modular cabling is very nice.