Can i run this graphics card?

[Curtis Argent]

Hi im wanting to upgrade my graphics card come Christmas time and i have my eyes on a AMD Radeon HIS HD 7950 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card.

i have a AMD Anthlon II X2 250 Processor 3.00 GHz, 4096MB of RAM

 

The graphics card i use at the moment is a AMD Radeon HD 5450.

 

Would i be able to buy and use that graphics card listed at the top of the thread?

 

Thanks for feedback!!! :)

[Plastic Nev]

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help.

Could you please tell us the make and model of your motherboard, or at least make and model of computer so we can check compatibility.

Thanks,

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

Your present card only requires 400 Watts PSU and you proposed new one will need at least 500Watts.

Does your present PSU comply with this ?

 

Also - the proposed card needs 2 x 75 Watt 6 pin power connectors.

Does your present PSU have these ?

 

The 7950 is a PCIe 3.0 card.

The chances are your m/board PCIe x 16 slot will be 2.0.

The new card will be backwards compatible with 2.0 but there may be a slight difference in performance ( probably hardly noticeable )

 

There is no VGA port on the 7950

If your present monitor is VGA then you will need an adapter.

[Curtis Argent]

Could you give me a way to find out this information as im not used to in depth component information.

[KenB]

Hi

 

The PSU will have a label on it that will give you specific information re. Watts.

 

If you look inside the case there will be some cables from the PSU that are not used ( this is normal )

I somehow doubt that you will have 2 spare PCIe 6 pin power connectors.

They look like this:

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/pcie6index.jpg

 

You can create this using an adapter - but you need 2 spare Molex power connectors.

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/peripheralindex.jpg

[Curtis Argent]

my psu says it is 500w and i dont know if this is the motherboard but something has ASRock N68C-S UCC with DDR2 1066 DDR3 1600 Dual channel written next to it. Is this the mother board

If so can i use the 7950?

 

Thanks :)

 

Plus VGA wont be an issue as i use HDMI port.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Curtis Argent

[KenB]

ASRock N68C-S UCC

This is your motherboard

click here

 

The 7950 will fit in the single PCIe x 16 slot that you have available

( where the present card is now )

 

Don't forget to check if you have 2 6 pin power connectors available :)

[Curtis Argent]

Yep! I have a few spare Molex power connectors scattered around the case and a spare PCIe 6 pin power connector in there so all is well and that means i can buy and use this card correct?

 

If so thanks for your time to reply to this post and i hope to get some awesome gameplay going for the new year!

 

Thanks :)

[KenB]

i can buy and use this card correct?

I can't see anything else that would stop you.

 

Sometimes cards specify the Amps required on the 12v rail ( often 25A ) but on many PSUs this information is difficult / impossible to find.

 

i hope to get some awesome gameplay going for the new year!

I am not a gamer - but gaming requires a decent CPU and RAM in addition to the Video Card.

 

You have 4GB RAM.

If your O/S is 32bit then you cannot add any more.

If you have a 64 bit O/S then I would consider saving up for another 4 GB

Try the games first - you may not need it :)

 

One other thing ....

PSUs are notoriously inefficient.

It may say 500 Watts - the max that you will get will be less than this by some way. ( Makes vary )

When we advise on PSUs - if the card asks for 500 Watt we always up it and suggest 600 Watts for this reason.

However - the thing to do is try it. If there are problems then you know where to look.

[Curtis Argent]

Ok well my computer is 64 bit so if it is a RAM issue then that can be sorted.

 

Having said for the psu i am not sure what the make of it is and i am not prepared to open my case unless i take it in somewhere as i dont want to have the risk of accidentaly damaging or changing anything.

 

Hopefully it is all ok and as you said i will give it a go and if all fails i will contact you again to ask what psu's would be suitable for the job for the best budget :)

 

Thanks.

[KenB]

You are welcome - let us know how you get on :)

[Curtis Argent]

well ive had the card for a few days now and the performance is great. the only thing im concerned about is that on this web page (http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/AMD-Radeon-HD-7950-3GB-Graphics-Card-Review/Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim) it says that i should be getting average 62 fps at all times. This is true when i am in certain areas, e.g. buildings, caves, etc. but when am in the open landscape it drops down to around 30 fps. I wandering if this is to do with the card or whether it is because i need more RAM or a better processor to match the card.

 

Thanks for feedback.

[KenB]

Hi

 

Sorry for the late response - I have been away for a few days.

 

I am not a gamer so fps doesn't really bother me on my own systems.

 

You have 4GB RAM on a 64 bit system.

You could double this - assuming your motherboard will support 8GB RAM.

 

It could also be linked with your processor as you suggest.

I have just checked and your AMD processor is 3GHz

The socket is AM3 and the best in the range is 3.4GHz ( not a great deal of difference ) however there is a quad core available that would fit your system.

click here

 

Bear in mind that you have socket AM3

Your present CPU is dual core. A quad core will not be twice as fast - but it will cope with games better.

 

Having said all of this - it could well be software related to the specific game.

Do you get the drop in fps on other games?

If it is just this one I would suspect the software.

[Curtis Argent]

I read some reviews about the CPU you linked me to, and people have been saying the fan on this certain CPU is really loud. if this is the case, is it possible to put a new fan in this and if so how much would that be.

and also how could i find out if my motherboard can support 8GB of RAM because if that can give me a performance boost then i'm all for it.

 

Also skyrim isn't the only game i have had problems with - saints row the third dips down to around 20 fps when i am driving around in a car and it annoys me quite a bit. i can hardly ever get above 35 fps on far cry 3 either and since that game came with the graphics card i expected it to be able to run it fine

 

 

Thanks for feedback

 

:)

[KenB]

As you are having problems with other games there is obviously a system problem.

 

The Crucial Scan will give you specific information re. your motherboard and supported RAM

click here

[Curtis Argent]

k i will check it out.

[Curtis Argent]

it said there is a 8gb ram that is compatible with my motherboard it is qiute expensive though and so im not sure if i can upgrade that anytime soon. But i will probably get the cpu you linked me to some time early next year. Untill then this rig is still good and im not ungratful at all for the graphics card that i have. thanks

[KenB]

Hi

You don't have to buy RAM from Crucial - just use their specs.

You may find it cheaper.

 

The CPU you refer to requires 30 Watts more power than your old one.

I would think that your PSU would cope with this.

[Curtis Argent]

Ok well i dont know if you can determine any problems the scanner found from this print screnn as i dont know where to look:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1813[/ATTACH]

[KenB]

Sorry - I can't read the details

[Curtis Argent]

Would this link work? http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/viewscanbyid.aspx?id=CAA09D2D31D926C3

[KenB]

ASRock N68C-S UCC with DDR2 1066 DDR3 1600 Dual channel written next to it.

You wrote this earlier ( and the Crucial scan confirms the motherboard )

Your motherboard supports both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. ( DDR3 is faster )

 

I don't know if you saw the full list of compatible RAM ?

Click on "Show all Compatible Computer Memory"

click here

 

Take the part number and Google it if you want to find the UK equivalent.

[Curtis Argent]

My friends were having an argument over which CPU's better:

Here are the links, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-403-IN http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-336-AM

 

Can you say which one is better.

 

BTW: could i run either of these cpu's with my motherboard and if not how much is the cheapest motherboard to buy gthat can support these

 

Thanks :)

[Helcaraxe]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your motherboard will not support either of those CPU's. The AMD Piledriver is AM3+ socket whilst the Intel i7 is socket LGA1155, your present motherboard supports AM2/AM2+ and AM3 CPU's.

 

You would need a different board for either of those CPU's as one is Intel and one AMD. Intel are more expensive and considered by many to be better than AMD but that does not mean that AMD's offerings are not any good, it's down to your personal preference and budget.

 

The Overclockers site you link has some very good offerings from AMD and Intel and frequently have weekly offers on so it can be worthwhile regularly checking for good deals.

[Curtis Argent]

Would this motherboard support the AMD Pilediver along with my graphics card and a future 8 gb of ram. I would like to know because its a very good budget motherboard and i would like to have that particular cpu...( Looks Boss :D )

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-485-AS

Thanks :)

Edited January 9, 2013 by Curtis Argent