Upgrading my graphic card

[deidei]

Was looking into buying a GTX 580 upgrading from my old GT230, but I am however unsure if it's compatible with my PC.

[h=1]

[/h]My specs are:

 

[h=1]AMD Phenom II X4 820 Deneb 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor[/h]8Gb ram

 

If more info if needed I will try to dig it up, I appriciate any help I can get.

[KenB]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

Your old card ( GT230 ) requires a PSU of 300 Watts minimum.

The new card ( GTX 580 ) requires a PSU of 600 Watts minimum.

 

I suspect that if you go with the GTX 580 you will need to upgrade your PSU too.

 

Both cards are PCIe x 16 - so the GTX 580 will fit into the present slot.

[deidei]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

Your old card ( GT230 ) requires a PSU of 300 Watts minimum.

The new card ( GTX 580 ) requires a PSU of 600 Watts minimum.

 

I suspect that if you go with the GTX 580 you will need to upgrade your PSU too.

 

Both cards are PCIe x 16 - so the GTX 580 will fit into the present slot.

 

As my knowledge when it comes to this isn't very broad, I'd want to avoid changing more than the GFX card. Is there any other comparable cards on the market that doesn't require more watt?

[KenB]

Hi

Changing the PSU is not a big job - it just looks complicated due to all of the wires.

You really need to consider this if you wish to upgrade your Video Card.

 

Take a look here

 

Use a digital camera to record the process.

 

You cannot put any connections in the wrong place as they are all different and only fit where they should.

 

Let me know what you think.

[deidei]

Well if I were to change the PSU, which one would you recommend? also thanks for the video it was quite helpful.

[KenB]

Well if I were to change the PSU, which one would you recommend?

 

You are paying expensive for the Video Card you don't want a cheap PSU.

Here are 2 examples:

 

click here

 

click here

 

Good makes of PSU are:

OCZ

Antec

Corsair

Thermaltake

 

I also found this;

click here

 

You obviously have to go with what you can afford.

There are less expensive PSUs on the market.

 

One thing you need to be aware of is that decent Video Cards specify not only the Wattage but also the minimum Amps on the 12v rail.

 

I have not advised a 600 Watt PSU as this is the minimum for that card and PSUs ( even "good" ones ) are not very efficient.

 

If you give a link to the specific card that you are interested in it may be possible to give you more specific advice.