Kk, well that shouldn't be too hard to get. I can prolly just talk my bro into getting one later on. Anywho, thanks for your help and time I prolly just wasted xD. Lastly, any suggestions as to what video card I should be looking for?
It all depends what sort of games you want to play on the system. If I'm honest, 'the best you can afford' is the thing to go for, in this order. Avoid anything else, even if it seems better. Go as far down the list as you can... Geforce 8500GT Geforce 8600GT Geforce 8600GTS Radeon HD3870 Geforce 8800GTX
Kk, thanks so very much again! I'll def. look into these and see what I can.. well, afford. And I play a pretty large variety of games, so I'm wanting a fairly good one. Thanks again.
As a general rule, the fastest card off that list you should really 'need' is the HD3870. The 8800GTX, while faster, is not as fast as the increase in price suggests. If anything, it's a bit of a 'bragging rights' card.
Ok cool. Actually I just finished talking to my friend, who works at a pc shop in town and he said I need a PCI-Express x 16 card. So he's gonna hook me up with the best he can get, So thanks again for all the help x)
Remember, badger him one for one on that list. Don't settle for something like a 7350LE, 7600GS or anything like that.
Yup! Will do. Only they have none of those in the shop... so I'd have to go to buy it online, or possibly order. Which is no problem really. Do you know the price range for the listed cards? I'm on a tight budget, no more than $20o-250 xP
They are all common graphics cards (although there is a shortage of HD3870s at the moment) so if the shop doesn't have any of them, I'd never buy a graphics card from that shop. The HD3870 is around $220 I believe. The cards below that are less. Oh but don't forget, you MUST get a decent power supply if you're going with a powerful graphics card.
hey im new here. looks like you guys are throwing around some good info. i need some help, just bought a new PC. http://computers.pricegrabber.com/desktop/m/53299191/details/ im not sure if i can install a new graphics card in it its got the 6150SE that yall know as junk. i installed ut3 and it looks like the original DOOM. it plays all my old games (RON, halo, etc.) but i wanna stick a new card in it. its got a PCIx16 slot, do i only need a nicer card. ive got an idea of how it works but no experience with it, do i just plug the new card in and install or what. what would be a good one for me, i can spend a little but nothing crazy. i want the best one i can get without changing other stuff. sorry for the long post, and thanks for the help
Hi there Awalk, and welcome! The upgrading a prebuilt PC is a commonly tread path (I've been there), but there are a few things that you should be aware of. Firstly, warranty info. Make sure you keep ALL the documentation for a prebuilt PC if you're modifying it, and if you ever remove any of the components to upgrade, keep them somewhere in good condition, so if you ever need to return the PC under warranty, you can sneak them back. Case intrusion sensors are used by companies like HP to monitor people adding components to PCs, but they shouldn't be enough to void the warranty on their own. The second is the power supply. Prebuilt PCs use basic, low end power supplies that get the job done but are neither powerful units nor well made. Consequently adding components to prebuilt units stresses the PSU significantly, and if overstressed they can break, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Things like hard drives you will SOMETIMES be alright, but generally if you ever upgrade a premade PC with anything other than extra RAM or a single additional disk drive it is HIGHLY recommended you upgrade the power supply. The one downside of this of course is that premade PCs are sometimes built such that you can't replace the power supplies in them. You should check whether you can upgrade the PSU in your HP before you proceed any further. The good news, however, is that the rest of the PC is powerful and with a good graphics card will be able to play any current game you can throw at it. I particularly like the fact it has 3GB of RAM in it, not a feature I often see these days in standard prebuilt units.
THANKS FOR THE INFO SAM, i see yalls talk about video cards and chipsets are they the same or does the card plug into the chipset? could i trouble ya for a few links and info that i should look for in a card? is something like this what i should get? 8600GT
Think of the chipset as like a mini version of the processor that's on your PC's main circuit board (a.k.a. motherboard). it sends info to and from the processor about the USB ports, Integrated Sound, S-ATA and IDE (Hard and CD/DVD drives), floppy drives etc. a bit like the CPU's messenger to all the components in the PC. The graphics card plugs into the motherboard via a PCI Express 16x slot, a long coloured slot (the colour's irrelevant, it's just for style) designed for ultra-high bandwidth uses, such as a graphics card. The 8600GT is an example of a low-midrange graphics card, often used by gamers on a lower budget. Whilst it has the vast majority of the features found on high-end cards, its performance is very low by comparison.
thanks for explaining that sam. is there a big difference between the 8600GT and the 8600GTS id like to stay a fair amount under $200. i wanna play UT3 with decent graphics
The 8600GTS is hugely faster than the 8600GT. I'd recommend you get one of those if you can afford it.
well i just ordered the card i last linked to (the PNY 8600GTS) and it said it needed at least a 350watt power supply so i ordered a 400 watt supply with 2 fans in it. hell i even paid the extra 25 bucks for overnight shipping. im all excited now, i hope it all goes in and works without issues. i popped that case open and it looks like i have plenty of room for the card and sinks and fans. is there anything i should know about putting that stuff in? thanks again fo rthe help Sam
Which Power supply did you get? Bear in mind a lot of cheap power supplies out there are absolute crap and should NEVER be used. I've seen too many PCs go up in flames due to cheap power supplies.
this one i couldnt spend too much after buying that 200 dollar video card, but this one had the best reviews i could find
