looking to upgrade a hp p6813w graphics card...suggestions?

[jwhittie]

So I have a I have a HP p6813w; looks like i have one PCIex16 slot I can upgrade graphics with; was wondering if anyone ahd any suggestions?  The game that will probably 'push' the graphics required the most for me is Skyrim; and I'd like to play it on a reasonable setting(Medium-ish)  Other than that as long as it can handle RIFT's graphics I should be fine.  Looking around in here a bit it looks like I will also have to upgrade my power supply to handle a better graphics card; Is there much benefit in going with a 700 watt psu over a 500 or 600, or does that depend more on what graphics card I end up with?

[wb2001]

jwhittie,

An excellently formulated question. The PSU will determine the power range of your graphic card choices. I linked the

recommended requirements for Skyrim: http://www.hwcompare.com/1771/geforce-gtx-260-vs-radeon-hd-4890-1gb/

The 4890 seems to be obsolete now, so I did a hard search by comparing different cards.

better: http://www.hwcompare.com/6148/radeon-hd-4890-1gb-vs-radeon-hd-6950/

cards:

All manuf of 6950's with 1GB memory.http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600083901%20600095873%206000...

XFX:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523

        http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150552

All manuf of 6950's with 2GB memory:http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600083901%20600095873%206000...

xfx:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191

You will need to measure to be sure the card will fit. It will also occupy 2 slots.

I seriously hope this helped you.

[jwhittie]

"You will need to measure to be sure the card will fit. It will also occupy 2 slots."

It only needs to be connected through the 1 PCIe16x slot though right?  The slot directly next to that is a PCIe 1x; and I plan on leaving it empty; but is this what you mean?  Simply due to space it will go past that slot?  Don't want to buy it and realize my motherboard doesn't have the correct slot for it.

[Big_Dave · Accepted solution]

Hi jwittie,

The length and width of a new video card is important.  The wider modern video cards will cover the PCI-E slot that is adjacent to the PCI-E x16 slot.  It's best to measure in parallel with the PCI-E x16 slot to see how much room you have and then look at potential video card to see they they will fit.

Skyrim is going to need a big video card depending on the screen resolution and game settings.  Review these specifications.

The NVIDIA GXT 560 or 560 TI should work.  The AMD Radeon 6850 will also do the job but review the length before your buy.

A good quality PSU such as the Corsair CX500 which is a steal at $27 will work for the above video cards.

[jwhittie]

I'm looking at ordering the card/PSU at last; was put off for a while by finances and a wife who was less than enthusiastic about money going into this...   I have somewhat narrowed down my choices to the following 3 graphic cards, but wanted to know if the this PSU (Cosair CX500) would work for all 3, and any other advice people can give me on the 3 cards...  They all seem comparable to me but if you know how to rate these effectively I'd love for some feedback:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161371

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

I'm looking to buy a graphics card and a PSU in the next 24-48 hours(before my wife has a chance to change her mind) so any prompt feedback would be appreciated!

And compulsively looking through NewEgg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127545