upgrading my pc

[harry_webster]

hi,

im looking to upgrade my pc because i want to play games and the games i have are a little bit too demanding which is causing quite a low fps. 

i have about £200 to spend on upgrades and i was thinking of getting a NVIDIA GTX 750 ti as that is the highest performing graphics card i could find that would be even slightly compatable. but i would like to know whether that is the best option i can get, which variant i should get as there are many, which one will fit in my case and exactly what i need to go with it and how to go abouts upgrading it i would also like to know whether overclocking would be a safe option and how to do it to squeaze all the performance out without starting a fire.

preferences: i would like something that has a minimum of 2GB of VRAM but preferably 4GB, i would like to upgrade from 8GB of RAM to 16GB whilst still within the budget (i dont know which RAM i have otherwise i would list it) but this isnt a must for me, i can probably live without. 

i currently have a gt 705 and my power suppply is 180w, i have upgraded my operating system from windows 8 to windows 10 64bit, i have no clue what RAM and motherboard i have, sorry

if you could help i will be grateful and if you could leave direct links to products you talk about that would be a savior so i dont buy something by mistake that wasnt what i was looking for. thanks for any help, harry

[old_geekster]

@harry_webster, welcome to the forum.

The truth is, getting you what you want will be impossible and stay within your budget.  The first thing that you will have to do is upgrade the power supply unit (PSU).  The external 180W PSU is not going to be powerful enough.  You will have to check to see if there is space for an internal PSU ($80 USD).  The PSU is the backbone of the system.  If you want to game having stable, clean, power is very important.  I like Corsair products.  I recommend at least 500W.

Now, for the video card ($250 USD).  I suggest that you choose a manufacturer and contact their Tech Support for help with choosing the best card for your system and needs.  They are the experts on their products; especially, those in the UK.

One upgrade that will help system performance tremendously is a SSD ($200 USD).  They increase boot times and load times for apps more than you can believe.  I will never have a computer again that doesn't have a SSD boot drive.

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[harry_webster]

@old_geekster thanks for the help i will admit it wasn't entirely what i was hoping for but i am grateful nonetheless. im sorry but i dont think i will click the Accept as Solution button because i am hoping for a post slightly more towards what i was hoping for. thanks for your help though.

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the additional information, @harry_webster.  I knew that what I had to say wasn't what you wanted to hear, but I have always tried to be honest and helpful with my suggestions.  I don't want you to spend money that won't do what you want it to do.  I know from your budget you don't waste money.

Now, with that said, here is a video card that will fit nicely into your computer.  Read the Customer Reviews to see what users have to say about it.  The card recommends at least 350W to operate properly.  You should buy a PSU that has at least 100W more than the manufacturer's recommendations.  This will give you extra wattage for peak needs.  If you want to look at a more powerful card, you should measure the space for the card.  You can do this by measuring from the Back I/O ports to the front of the case.

Here is another card that will work.

If you want more information, please let me know.

[harry_webster]

ok thank you again @old_geekster that is almost exactly what i was loooking for, i have had a quick read up on it and it seems like it IS exactly what i want however there are a concerning number of reviews that say it might stop working very shortly after installing it. be it a week or month after install : / so im slightly worried about that. i also am getting lots of different results for power requirements such as you saying its 350w some places say its 75w and others saying  it is 70w?? i think i will go with the highest option just to be safe.

also how do i find out whether a psu will fit in my case without opening it up or are they all compatable with everything dimensions-wize? thanks agin with the help 🙂

[harry_webster]

Hi Harrys Dad here:   This is the motherboard -----HP MS-7906 V2 Orchid2 AMD Bolton D3 MB 782614-002

@old_geekster  hi this is Harry's motherboard-- will the radeon rx460 fit in this without drawing too much power and effecting performance in other areas.

Corsair CX500M Power supply - 500 Watt

is this a suitable power suppluy and will this fit in the pavillion 500.. Would ramping his RAm up to  16gig also help game performance or are we flogging a dead horse trying to upgrade this HP model.....was bought hoping it would upgrade to some degree.

cheers mike

[old_geekster]

Yes, the video card should be fine.  The Corsair PSU will be a good upgrade, as well.  I like Corsair products because they provide clean, stable, power for the entire system.