Video Card Upgrade [ Edited ]

[Big_Dave]

Hi klh2032,

Check the Skyrim forum and web site for a recommended video card or look here.

The Corsair CX500 and the ATI Radeon 6850 should work for you.

Open up your PC and do some measuring in parallel with the PCI-E x16 slot to see how long of a video card will fit. The slot adjacent to the PCI-E x16 slot needs to be vacant.

These HP "how-to" articles should be helpful.  Install the power supply first and get your PC stable before installing the video card.

[Big_Dave]

Hi JohnnyInNY,

Be careful with using a 700 watt power supply.  I have seen posts where power supplies over 650 watts didn't work in HP PCs. Based on the size of the HP mid-towers you really don't need any more than 600 watts unless you want perhaps a modular PSU like the Corsair HX650 that I am using in my e9280t.

[Jon_Ament]

well still having lagg problems

[Cantilopery]

I'm playing on a somewhat similar HP Pavilion a6250t with 2G ram and an nVidia 8500 from four years ago.  The game plays fine on "Low" and the graphics are pretty fine except for extreme close ups and distances.  Santa is going to bring me two more gigs of Ram and an nVidia 440 though -- so soon I'll be playing at Ultra I hope!

I don't know what this "game card" is that someone recomended.  As far as I know the two relevant characteristics are the video card and the RAM.

If indeed the problem is with a video card and you have an nVidia one, I found the "email support" folks at nVidia VERY fast and helpful.  

 

Michael

[Lance_Rogers]

A little off topic perhaps, but thought I would speak to lag in games a little:

Lag and reasons for lag are not soley a problem with video and RAM, but video and RAM are typically the two easiest to fix and within your control.  Running other programs while gaming (lot of standard stuff on most people's computers should be turned off or prevented from running), poor performance on the network (Can be slow or saturated network or firewall and anti-virus related), CPU capability or lack thereof (Old Single core, Dual Core, Quad Core, etc.) are other possible causes for lag.  Some games are more resource intensive than others, some allow for video settings to be lowered to play, some games can be huge resource hogs on several levels.  There are more reasons as well that may need to be looked at.  Things like which version of DirectX are you running, are all your drivers current for your operating system.  How much available disk space do you have.  Is it optimized, etc. etc. etc.

Sometimes Lag is a not a problem with any of the above but the gaming network implementation.  For Example, Modern Warfare 3 uses steam and IWNet and some goofy solution for determing which person in a particular game will serve as the "best" host.  Many times, in this kind of configuration, the lag is a result of the host that is hosting the game and has nothing to do with any of the other factors I listed above.

Given that this thread is a video card thread and which cards work with specific HP systems, the advice given on which cards and power supplies will work has been spot on; but, be aware that video card upgrades alone may not solve all issues.

[joerevis]

I have tried to update my video card with a, Diamond  3 Graphics s92590 Edition: ATI radeon; and it has just not work out! I have changed my set for the On board video. It just by passes the window with my settings and recovery screen.

Please help if you can, I'm going to take it to a computer shop if I can't find a answer. 

Thank You 

Joe R.

[Big_Dave]

Hi Joe,

Please post the exact HP product number for your PC. 

The Diamond video card is PCI and not PCI-E, right?

[Yorkie53]

I am trying to fit a Radeon HD5450 in my DX2250 desktop. I have fitted a 400W PSU but when I power on I only get a black screen, no boot. and PSU fan runs fast.

[Big_Dave]

Hi Yorkie,

Does your PC boot up with the previous video card installed?

[JohnInNY]

Hi dave, just got it in from UPS today. Are we speaking physical (size) or wattages? Now I'm worried. Have not taken anything out of boxes yet. the card I'm getting requires 550 (500 min) So, I planned for the future, wonder if I went overboard?

* Note, I just edited this. I went to newegg (which I find the best place to compare products) and the 400, 650 and 700 watt cooler master ps are the same "size" 5.9" x 5.5" x 3.4" . I'm going to research which ps they use in the p6 2014 desktop. I know it's a 300 watt.