Can I stick in a graphics Cards

zale

Have :
Compaq 315eu
Windows 7 Pro (x64) Service Pack 1
2.90 gigahertz AMD Athlon II X2 245
MOBO :FOXCONN 2AAF 1.00
ATI Radeon 3000 Graphics
And I think PSU is 180v

As the title asks can I upgrade and if so what's the best I can hope for without having to change anything else.

Or what's the minimum I'd have to change.

Thanks

syklops

Is the PSU 180 watts? Or did you mean it is 18.0 Volts DC?

If it is 180 watts, I would advise upping it a bit if you want to put in a decent graphics card. Also go for a low-noise one. It'll be a tad more expensive, but worth it in the end.

As for graphics cards, I am a bit out of touch, but someone else will be able to advise you.

zale

Sorry syklops,

My bad that should have been a W for watts not a V.

Solitaire

Weird... According to HP that unit should come with a 230W PSU...

I don't suppose you could open up that PC and post a pic of the side of that PSU? It should be covered in a big label which gives all the details and specifications of the unit.

zale

PSU



MOBO...like you didn't know :rolleyes:

M00lers

New PSU required methinks!!!

Jonny7

Whats your budget?

Recently ATI 5670's have dropped to about 50 euros, it'll run most games fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piw2RjMR2ys&feature=related


But I wouldn't run one on that PSU, its simply awful, you could pick up a better one for about 30 to 40 euros

Tea_Bag

holy Batman! 11A?? unRAIL!


/ill grab my coat now

zale

So my computer is the equivalent of a smart car :P

So now I'm looking for recommendations on a psu and card.

Budget wise I'm not sure as I have no idea how much these things cost. Say €100 for both but flexible.

And thanks for the replies

ShadowHearth

First of all what you expect to play with that pc?

Hiw much ram ut has? If you want to play something in low to med with steady fps I would suggest 5770. You will need a pau of around 350-400watt

Or You could buy a proper good psu, for around 70eu? It will be handy when you will do a new biuld as psu don't get out of date like pc components. You will allways need psu and I can't see power usage to go beyond 750watt in near future.

All in all I would suggest to spend around 200eu to get something noticeable.

zale

ShadowHearth wrote: »

First of all what you expect to play with that pc?

Hiw much ram ut has? If you want to play something in low to med with steady fps I would suggest 5770. You will need a pau of around 350-400watt

Or You could buy a proper good psu, for around 70eu? It will be handy when you will do a new biuld as psu don't get out of date like pc components. You will allways need psu and I can't see power usage to go beyond 750watt in near future.

All in all I would suggest to spend around 200eu to get something noticeable.

My Kids are into the COD games and I've 4GB Ram in.

ShadowHearth

Well cod is not power hungry. I guess 5770/6770 with some 400watt psu will do you for a bit.

It will set you down by 150eu I guess.


Is that pre built pc ir custom? I would not put too much money in to previuos one, just a but to keep you rolling for now. Later on just do a custom pc.

deconduo

What resolution monitor do you have? If its less than 1080p this should do you fine. Comes to just under €100

PSU - http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-450S-XXB9-PRO450W-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310478838&sr=8-1

GPU - http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_01COM/10_GRPCARD/04_PCI-E/productdetails/20074933/Gigabyte_GV_R567D3_1GI_Graphics_adapter_Radeon/GV_R567D3_1GI/default.aspx

witnessmenow

Is there a PCI Express slot in that? it doesn't look like it from the picture supplied .....

deconduo

witnessmenow wrote: »

Is there a PCI Express slot in that? it doesn't look like it from the picture supplied .....

I assumed this was the PCI-E slot, but at that resolution its hard to tell. It looks too big to be a normal PCI slot though, and the notches above it look like PCI-E x1 slots.

witnessmenow

deconduo wrote: »

I assumed this was the PCI-E slot, but at that resolution its hard to tell. It looks too big to be a normal PCI slot though, and the notches above it look like PCI-E x1 slots.

to me that looks like solder points where a PCI Express slot should be!

It is hard to tell though

deconduo

witnessmenow wrote: »

to me that looks like solder points where a PCI Express slot should be!

It is hard to tell though

Mmm if thats the case then it might be difficult. You can use the PCI-E x1 lanes with a bit of modding, though at the cost of reduced performance.

Jonny7

Bad news, it looks very much like that mobo has only PCI Expressx1 slot (basically much slower than the "standard" PCI x16)

Fine little office/net machine.. but it is the anti-gaming machine

Building a new gaming PC would set you back about 350 euros min.

zale

Sorry about pic res.....That hi-lighted by deconduo is just solder, Had to google pci e x1 and thats what i have.

Bad news but just how bad, can I still stick in a card or is it not worth doing.

@ deconduo Screen res is 1920x1080

Thought buyin a pre build and adding to it would be cheaper.

ShadowHearth

zale wrote: »

Sorry about pic res.....That hi-lighted by deconduo is just solder, Had to google pci e x1 and thats what i have.

Bad news but just how bad, can I still stick in a card or is it not worth doing.

@ deconduo Screen res is 1920x1080

Thought buyin a pre build and adding to it would be cheaper.

lads, i dont want to sound stupid... but does it even has any sort of pci etc?

PseudoFamous

ShadowHearth wrote: »

lads, i dont want to sound stupid... but does it even has any sort of pci etc?

It does, but none that he could put a gfx card into. just x1 slots...

zale

So is I f***ed.

M00lers

Pretty much, unless you get a new motherboard, but I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe sell it and put the proceeds towards a new cheap build.

zale

moolers2000 wrote: »

Pretty much, unless you get a new motherboard, but I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe sell it and put the proceeds towards a new cheap build.

Well feck that, selling not an opinion only got the shaggin thing. Looks like I'll be turning the spare room into an office instead of games room. :rolleyes:

M00lers

Don't despair just yet, a new mobo might be an option for you, I'm sure the other lads on here will let you know if it's an option worth considering, my knowledge on AMD is pretty poor.

Monotype

I thought that it would be BTX, but it looks like mATX design, so upgrade might not be difficult.
You'd want to take measurements to be sure that the screw holes match up.

Monotype

Is that the one you have (attached). I'd forgotten that Compaq was owned by HP now. That's an mATX board. You can upgrade that alright, but your list of upgrades is gettting longer!

That is a pretty mean board (mean not meaning a good thing here like "wow, that's one mean bike").

ShadowHearth

PseudoFamous wrote: »

It does, but none that he could put a gfx card into. just x1 slots...

I must be blind m8. I can't see ****!

I see a spot where it should be, but it is just blank.


What brand pc is that? Looks very big standartish m8.

Monotype

The long row of dots is where it should be. The small black slots are the PCI-E x1 slots. This is all in the upper right-hand quadrant.

Brand is Compaq. Post no. 1 (maybe you are blind!).

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

The long row of dots is where it should be. The small black slots are the PCI-E x1 slots. This is all in the upper right-hand quadrant.

Brand is Compaq. Post no. 1 (maybe you are blind!).

I do have glasses on .

Dunno why by I expected pci slots to be a bit bigger. Ages since I took notice of them lol

Cheers!

Jonny7

Bit of a tricky situation.

I've done basic gaming PC's before for 150ish euros, but it involves know-how and quite a bit of scouring on Ebay. Refurbished Dell or HP base unit with XP and a core2duo processor. Then picking up a second-hand decent graphics card.

I've one in the house at the mo and it regularly runs Battlefield Bad Company 2, Starcraft 2, etc without a bother on a 19 inch monitor.

Apart from that, to get a shiny new budget gaming machine from Germany would cost you about 350 euros minimum.

deconduo

Budget solution:

Total build cost: €175.35 + €30 shipping
ASRock 760GM-GS3, Sockel AM3, mATX €39.75
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W €41.31
Sapphire HD6770 1G GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI / DVI-I / DP €94.29

Though spending a bit more to get a nice case as well mightn't be a bad idea:
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=43210&agid=631

How much RAM does that computer have?

Monotype

Haha, I think this is turning into a second computer.

Although I'd normally say to spend a bit on the motherboard to get the good features and future compatibility, that's probably a good choice of motherboard. Along with the price, you are more likely not to have to install windows again as both are 760G boards and windows 7 is pretty adaptable.
One other board to take a look at would be the Asus M5A78L-M LX. It's pretty much the same thing but the extra €5 allows you to use the new AMD processors for upgrades down the road.

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

Haha, I think this is turning into a second computer.

Although I'd normally say to spend a bit on the motherboard to get the good features and future compatibility, that's probably a good choice of motherboard. Along with the price, you are more likely not to have to install windows again as both are 760G boards and windows 7 is pretty adaptable.
One other board to take a look at would be the Asus M5A78L-M LX. It's pretty much the same thing but the extra €5 allows you to use the new AMD processors for upgrades down the road.

i think thats best root. that pc is very bottlenecked, so scavanging it for parts and biulding cheapish gaming pc is best root.

zale

Wow really appreciate all the replies. Was away all week but ye guys were obviously busy :cool: all I need now is for one of ye to call round and install it.

I'll more than likely go with that suggestion deconduo with Monotypes mobo but it'll have to wait till after the Galway races, I'll need ever spare penny for that week.

Thanks again peoples