Replacing p6310y Graphics Card for Diablo3- Any advice greatly appreciated

[Ridic]

Hi,

Diablo 3 is only days away and it's time for me to upgrade my HP. I've read a few of the stickied guides on the forum including how to choose a power supply and how to choose a discrete gpu, and based on my research I have a couple products in my NewEgg cart. Please let me know if I'm on the right track or if I'm making any mistakes. Thanks!

CPU: HP p6310y (FACTORY PARTS)

Desired Playability: Diablo 3 System requirements

As you can see from the factory parts link above, the problem is that all I have to work with is a single PCIe x16 and a 300 watt psu. So, I'm under the impression that I will need a new power supply. Here's what I've chosen:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 (this should definitely fit in my case right?)

For the gpu, here's what I'm thinking:

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

Now, the website does list the gpu as a PCIe 2.0, but I called EVGA and they told me that it is backwards compatible with 1.0. They weren't wrong right?

Please let me know ASAP haha because I'm seconds away from placing the order. Thanks in advance!

[Big_Dave]

Hi Ridic,

What you have chosen should work.  Wait just a few minutes and I can perhaps find a better video card.

Review this posted document for background information.

The Sapphire 6850 or 6870 will also work.  Better performance but more $$.

You can compare the card performance here and then decide which fits your performance needs and your pocketbook.

[Ridic]

Alright awesome thanks. I ended up ordering the two products that I listed in my original post, mostly because EVGA told me that it was backwards compatible and it was a top rated item on NewEGG (lower price helped too). I appreciate your help and I'll let you know how the installation and operation go.

[Ridic · Accepted solution]

Everything I ordered works great! Playing games on high to very high graphics now. Highly recommend the above mentioned products to anyone trying to upgrade their p6310y.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Good show!    Thanks for getting back to us.

What products did you install?

[MrBigMike]

I too have a p6310y and needed to upgrade for D3. I chose very similar products from my local Best Buy, I was wondering if your PC gets warm on the right side of the tower when you are playing?

My upgrades were -

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/PNY+-+GeForce+GTX+550Ti+1GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/2264415.p?id...

and 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Thermaltake+-+600W+TR2+ATX+Power+Supply/9827268.p?id=1218179699692&skuId...

I made my purchase partially based on this thread and I was wondering if you have noticed heat at all and if its an issue for you?

[MrBigMike]

My system does not really seem to be overheating, but there is a significant warmth that is only present when playing D3. When I purchased the computer I tried to install a wireless card, but with Windows 7 being so new at the time the only ones in stock were not compatible yet so I returned it and went with a USB Netcard. I lost the cover for the rear slot, but the space now acts as a vent.

Warm to very warm air is pushing out when I play D3 and the right side (over graphics card) and top feel warm to the touch after only a few minutes. After playing for a few hours, the system doesnt seem to be getting any warmer than after only a few minutes and it cools soon after Im done playing. I take this as a good sign.

I figured out that I had my PSU installed upside down but when I corrected this, it made the problem worse and the side went from warm to hot! After flipping it back over and doing some research I have updated my drivers, made adjustments to please performance over quality and even tried running on a lower visual setting in the game and I still seem to be running much warmer than when preforming other tasks. I know its somewhat normal to run at higher temps when playing games but does this sound safe?

From my research, I think my main issue with heat could be the room temp as it is very hot in my house during summer. With a room fan pointed at the right side of the PC, the tower feels cool and the problem seems to disappear entirely except for the warm exhaust.

Any thoughts? How hot can the P6310y get without hurting anything? Is there somekind of additional cooling system I can install?