Graphics cards

Vejovis

I am buying my son a graphics card for his computer. He previously asked about an AMD Radeon HD 7800, however searches for this bring up the Asus HD 7870.

This looks fine to me, however I am worried about the compatibility, I don't want to spend all that money if it won't work in his computer. He has an Intel processor in his computer, will this card work?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-7870-Radeon-DirectCU-Graphics/dp/B008A1C252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383608758&sr=8-1&keywords=amd+radeon+hd+7800

Thanks

atrixblue.-MFR-.

youll need to give us a little more info:

power supply wattage.

motherboard pci express slot is it pci express x 16 or is it old school AGP x8.

what type of pc case tower does he have a small one or a large type one.

if you know the make and model pc he has this would help us rather than ask your son questions.

does it have to be AMD radeon or can it be a Nvidia GTX equivellant.

what maximum budget do you have for this purchase.

jaydeeuk1

AMD will give you more bang for your buck.

Best price for a decent brand 7870 is this

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/newsletter?productId=55140&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=XFX+DD+Radeon+HD+7870+GHz+Edition+(Tahiti+LE)+2GB+GDDR5+Graphics+Card+%5bFX-787A-CNAC%5d+%2b+2+FREE+GAMES!&utm_campaign=newsletter161013

Nvidia don't make anything quicker for under £140.

As long as you have a semi decent 400w PSU, a 7870 will be fine. In a core i7, ssd and HD etc at peak the system will draw about 250-280w. As above though, check the rest of the specs. Chances are if the PC was built in the last 4/5 years the graphics card will at least be compatible (it isn't that long a card, so assuming it isn't a mini case that needs half height then it should be ok). Whether this 'Intel' CPU is good enough to get the best from it is another question.

Vejovis

Right the information I have is

It's an Acer Aspire X - XC600

Intel core i3 processor 2130
Intel HD graphics
1TB hard drive
6 Gb DDR 3 memory

It's not a very big case, about 4inch wide and 12 inch deep.

It'll be a year old in December.

JohnStuart_2

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

youll need to give us a little more info:

power supply wattage.

motherboard pci express slot is it pci express x 16 or is it old school AGP x8.

what type of pc case tower does he have a small one or a large type one.

if you know the make and model pc he has this would help us rather than ask your son questions.

does it have to be AMD radeon or can it be a Nvidia GTX equivellant.

what maximum budget do you have for this purchase.

They should know these things, i should start a thread on this topic.

savemoney

Your PSU is very low 220w which probably wont be enough at least for a modern card

Maximum Power Supply Wattage 220 W

http://www.acer.co.uk/ac/en/GB/content/model-datasheet/DT.SLJEK.028

sk240

If the case is only 4" wide then its not going to fit, also the power supply is not big enough.
That pc is a small form factor pc, and not designed to be upgraded.
It does have a x16 PCI slot but you will be restricted to a half height card.

jaydeeuk1

Vejovis wrote: »

Right the information I have is

It's an Acer Aspire X - XC600

Intel core i3 processor 2130
Intel HD graphics
1TB hard drive
6 Gb DDR 3 memory

It's not a very big case, about 4inch wide and 12 inch deep.

It'll be a year old in December.

A 7870 will not fit in that case, even if the SFF could take full height cards, the length may pose a problem. Plus the PSU is only 220w, and I doubt its a standard ATX model.

Your best bet is a low profile 7750 (or see what the new model is like) to be on the safe side. The 220w PSU will be fine with that, even though a 7790 is much better value, that PSU may not be up to it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11202-10-20G-Profile-Graphics-Eyefinity/dp/B008H7T7YI/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1383654862&sr=1-3&keywords=7750

No where near as quick as 7870, but you are somewhat limited by your case and PSU. Will play most games at at least medium settings at 1920x1080 (my 5770 can)

Alternative is to buy a cheap new case and PSU (about £50) and transfer the parts over, but this will eat in to your GPU budget.

Vejovis

sk240 wrote: »

If the case is only 4" wide then its not going to fit, also the power supply is not big enough.
That pc is a small form factor pc, and not designed to be upgraded.
It does have a x16 PCI slot but you will be restricted to a half height card.

You wouldn't have any recommendations would you? He wants to be able to play games like WWE, FIFA, Skyrim. I know Skyrim works fine in the system as it stands, but the newer the games the more they seem to need.

@johnstewart, why should I know these things, isn't the point of a techie forum to allow people who don't know to ask for help?

bingo_bango

Vejovis wrote: »

@johnstewart, why should I know these things, isn't the point of a techie forum to allow people who don't know to ask for help?

I think the point John is making is not about your lack of knowledge on graphics cards, more about the generality of people posting asking about replacement or new components, but not letting anyone know what it needs to go into.

As you can see, the PSU capability and case size are key here.
A list of the other components also goes a long way in helping to decide as extra RAM, extra HDD etc will impact on the overall power available to utilise for the new component.

If we could get users to post details of their current system when asking a question, that would make it easier to answer queries first time with a more informed opinion.

Don't take it personally, just think of it as giving the forum users a good idea to perhaps run with.

Vejovis

bingo_bango wrote: »

I think the point John is making is not about your lack of knowledge on graphics cards, more about the generality of people posting asking about replacement or new components, but not letting anyone know what it needs to go into.

As you can see, the PSU capability and case size are key here.
A list of the other components also goes a long way in helping to decide as extra RAM, extra HDD etc will impact on the overall power available to utilise for the new component.

If we could get users to post details of their current system when asking a question, that would make it easier to answer queries first time with a more informed opinion.

Don't take it personally, just think of it as giving the forum users a good idea to perhaps run with.

I see what you mean