Updating Graphics Card

Falarin · 10-14-10, 02:46 PM

I recently asked about an upgrade for a Graphics Card for my system (Specs at bottom). Someone referred this card to me.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-173-_-Product

My only issue is, I seem to have lost some of the extra cables from my PSU (All the cables were seperate except the main one and you had to plug them into the PSU then into the device). I have an 8-Pin connector and 3 4-Pin Molex(?) connectors available. Although one of the 4-pins are black instead of white, not sure that makes any difference. When I looked through the card on Newegg it says it needs 2 6-pin connectors (of course those are the ones I am missing) and the picture shows that it comes with two converters that take 2x 4-pin Molexs and make them into a single 6-pin PCI plug. I could really use some help as I am not very good with what goes with what and I am in need of a new card after this last graphics update.

PSU: OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD4550
Processor: AMD Athlon II x2 240 Processor 2.80 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS M3A76-CM
RAM: 4GB

I will be checking back frequently in case someone needs any clarification.

Thanks

Also I did find this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812706024 will that work for one of the 6-pin requirements? And then use the 2x 4-pin -> 6-pin converter for the other?

Landrell · 10-14-10, 03:14 PM

The card looks sound, and Nvidia does have a decent name. Though I'm not sure about Zotac since they are a third party brand like Sapphire is with ATi. What I'd recommend is doing a google search and reading whatever reviews I can on it, including what others have to say about the company's reputation and customer service.

It's only got five reviews so I've be cautious if I were you. As far as the pins, it looks to two 2 6-pin connections. May have to check OCZ's website to see if they sell optional cabling for you to purchase for the modular PSU. Another thing I noticed is that you are using only a 550-watt, where as the thing suggests at least 450 or up to 450. Might wanna do some calculations on what your memory, cpu and heatsink are taking up as well to make sure you have adequate power to run the thing.

I could be missing a couple of things, but those were some items I just noticed right off hand.

Update: Looked at the piccie again on the site and noticed that they do give you the conversion cables from 4-pin molex to the 6-pins, so 86 the idea of looking on the OCZ site for the cables. Just make sure you are giving adequate power to your system along with having plenty of 4-pins to power the thing.

Falarin · 10-14-10, 03:18 PM

How can I check what my PC is using power wise? Also it comes with 2 4-pin -> 6-pin converters, I found an 8-pin -> 6+2-pin converter also, so i was wondering if using 1 of the 4-pin-> 6-pin and the 8-pin-> 6+2-pin would work as well?

Falarin · 10-14-10, 03:28 PM

Also people were saying to look into HD5750/5770's as an upgrade, I have been looking around and they seem to mostly only use 1 6-pin and include the converter, and they don't seem to use as much power (based on reviews). How about something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-447-_-Product

I'm not looking to run Ultra by any means, but currently I play at 1440x900 and have everything at low and I would like at least a little bit of "prettiness" with still nice FPS.

Cralor · 10-14-10, 05:26 PM

Between the two GPUs you posted, GTX460 is way better. The GTX460 is the most popular card in the new Fermi line, and with good reason. It's the BEST bang for your buck. (SLI two of them, and you out-perform a GTX480!)

Comparing the 5770 posted with the GTX460 posted price wise, they are extremely close. The 5770 is $135 after $20 MIR (free shipping). The GTX460 is $132 after 6% promo code discount and $25 MIR ($2 shipping).

As you can see, you are going to be paying $3 less for the GTX460, a card that outperforms the 5770 utterly. See here for proof: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/29...770-benchmarks

As for power issues, the GTX460 and 5770 both recommend a 450-watt PSU. This DOES include all components already. There is NO WAY a GPU can draw 450-watts single-handedly. 550-watt PSU is perfectly capable of the upgrade you will be doing. You have 100-watts more headroom than the "test" setup they used to obtain that 450-watt recommendation value. Use this calculator for added re-assurance: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Lastly, as for correct cables, the GTX460 does require 2 6-pin 12v connectors. The 5770 only needs one. Your PSU came with a 6-pin as well as a 6+2-pin (this means that you could utilize a card that requires 1 6-pin and 1 8-pin, too). (This also means that the 6+2-pin can be used as just a 6-pin!) So, that means your PSU does support a card like the GTX460 power-wise. The GTX460 you have listed DOES come with Molex to PCI-E converters. The only issue is that you will need 4 available Molex cables to run the card. However, if you are referring to the "8pin" as the "6+2-pin", then you can use that one, as well as 2 available Molex connectors attached to the converter it will come with, to fully power the GPU.

Sorry for all of the text/information, but it should be of some help

Feel free to continue to ask any questions!!

EDIT: I also wanted to take note that the new AMD 6000 series is coming out within the month, so you might as well wait for that as you might have a better choice of card from the latest line-up. The worst case is that you end up with a 5000 series at a cheaper price

Landrell · 10-14-10, 06:10 PM

Thanks for the clarifcation there, Cralor. You knew exactly what he was getting at more than I did in the long run. One thing that I will point out is that you will wanna be careful with the 5000 series in general since alot of those cards have had GSoD issues with the lot of them. My husband has one and he's been having troubles with the very issue as well. Most people don't have the issue, but some will. Just throwing that out there if you are in serious consideration of that card.

Cralor · 10-14-10, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by Landrell

Thanks for the clarifcation there, Cralor. You knew exactly what he was getting at more than I did in the long run. One thing that I will point out is that you will wanna be careful with the 5000 series in general since alot of those cards have had GSoD issues with the lot of them. My husband has one and he's been having troubles with the very issue as well. Most people don't have the issue, but some will. Just throwing that out there if you are in serious consideration of that card.

No problem!

I enjoy contributing to topics where I am most knowledgeable

I purchased the XFX 5850 a month or two ago, and did experience this once, but haven't since. I've updated drivers every time they are released. AMD has been better with driver updates (still no where near as good as NVIDIA driver quality), but I haven't had any issues.

Just sharing my experience

Coote · 10-14-10, 07:46 PM

The GTX460 is definitely the more powerful card, but if you're really worried about heat/power usage, the HD5770 might be your best option. The 5770 uses far less power, and gives off far less heat than the GTX460, but as said before, is a bit less powerful. The 5770 is about neck in neck with the GTS450, with the GTX460 being a good bit more powerful than both.

Really depends on your needs, but both are great cards.

Falarin · 10-14-10, 07:47 PM

Thank you so much for the information, I did however end up choosing the 5770 before I got to your post and because it was cheaper xD. I hope this was not a bad decision and that I will still see a decent gain above my current card (HD4550)? Especially since I am not expecting to play at Ultra settings. Thanks again to both of you for the help as it is much appreciated!

Falarin · 10-14-10, 07:49 PM

And thank you also TMcMahon51, another factor that I was afraid of with the GTX460 would be bottleneck (?) not to sure what it is exactly, but I know that card is a bit newer and my system is at least a year older.

Cralor · 10-14-10, 07:53 PM

Yeah, bottlenecking is when a component is too good for the rest - causing the other components to not be able to fully utilize that one great component.

I'm not sure if it would be too much of an issue with your system, but the 5770 is a great choice

You will be pleased.

Let us know how it turns out!!

Falarin · 10-14-10, 07:55 PM

I certainly will! I should receive it tomorrow or Saturday thanks to next day delivery!

voodoodad · 10-14-10, 08:45 PM

Just to through another monkey into this wrench, I'm running an HD5750 @1920 x 1020 on a 24 inch monitor. Getting a solid 60+FPS on ultra settings everywhere but Dala, and even there it never drops below 40 or so. So you should be really happy with the 5770.

Falarin · 10-14-10, 10:04 PM

Wow if that is the amount of performance increase I can expect I'll be sooooooo happy!

voodoodad · 10-14-10, 10:43 PM

Here are my system specs. You may be able to compare to your own and make a good guess at what kind of performance boost you'll get.

Processor AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1035T

Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB

Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series

Gaming graphics 4083 MB Total available graphics memory

Falarin · 10-18-10, 04:44 PM

Well I got my card today! Started WoW, and all I could do was stare! I have always been the one that had to play games with complete low settings, I can set it to Ultra and still get solid 75 FPS everywhere (Cept Dal but it's still smooth!). I lowered some settings though just because I didn't notice a different and figured it would put less strain (if there even is any now). So thanks for the suggestions and help, I love the new card!

Ferous · 10-18-10, 04:56 PM

Thank you for the info! I've been wanting to get a new graphics card myself, and this is exactly the topic i was looking for, thanks!

Cralor · 10-18-10, 04:59 PM

Glad it is working out well

Falarin · 10-23-10, 08:23 AM

Recently I have run into one minor issue after getting the card, it's not much of a bother but if the computer is off for a while (like overnight) and I go to turn it on, everything lights up and the fans start but there is no Beep like normal and the computer doesn't boot. If I push the power button to turn it off and then push it again it starts normally. Not sure the issue here, as once it's on it works perfectly fine and this only happens when the PC has been off for a few hours.

Dawn · 10-24-10, 03:59 PM

Have you made sure that your power supply unit can handle the card (provides enough power)?