Graphics card upgrade for Pavilion 500-314

[MarkG3]

Please suggest a graphics card for me.

I have the integrated AMD Radion R7 that came with the motherboard when I purchased the desktop a couple of years ago. Max resolution appears to be 1600x1200.  I want to upgrade my monitors (two) and the graphics card to better support my Adobe Lightfoot work.  I do not and never will do any gaming.  The desktop's power supply is 300W.

I'd like to keep the card price under $100. I have not picked out monitors so I don't know what my target resolution will be, but 1600x1200 is too low.

Thanks.

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

@MarkG3, welcome to the forum.

Here is a video card that should do what you need.  It is a bit over your budget, but it is truly worth the extra money.  The specs on EVGA's website state that it requires at least 300W to operate properly.  However, there have been several reports on the forum that 400W is required.  Read the Customer Reviews to see what users have to say about it.

If you decide to buy it you can try it with your current power supply unit (PSU).  It won't damage anything.  It will simply not work properly.

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

[MarkG3]

I put the question to EVGA pre-sales support (after correcting the spelling of Lightroom. I had called it Lightfoot in this thread.) Below is their answer. I must say I am impressed and will probably go with an EVGA product.  I'm amused at how everyone thinks that 20%-40% is "slightly" over my budget.  🙂  But in the long run it really isn't much money.  I am even more amused that the board thinks I'm a student. I'll be 60 yrs old next month. I think its time to find a monitor or two to go with the card. This photography hobby is expensive!!!

"The best card for your particular system would be either the GTX 750 Ti: http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=02G-P4-3751-KR or the GTX 950 Low Power: http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=02G-P4-0952-KR. They are both slightly over $100, with the 750 Ti coming in at $119.99 at the time of this message and the 950 coming in at $139.99, but being approximately 50% more powerful than the 750 Ti. They both do not require supplementary power, so there's no need to worry about your power supply not providing this and the recommended wattage is 300 watts. Since your computer is fairly recent, I also do not anticipate any compatibility issues with either of these cards. Of course, you could opt for something significantly cheaper and less powerful, like the GT 730. There are several models of the 730 available, so you will want to research which one is best for you, if you decide to go that route. The 730 supports a maximum digital resolution of 2560x1600 and both the 750 Ti and the 950 support a maximum digital resolution of 4096x2160."

[old_geekster]

Thank you for the follow-up, @MarkG3.  I am glad that you are impressed with EVGA's Tech Support.  I have always had great responses from them.

As you can see, I am not a young guy, either.  I just turned 71 yoa in July.  Thus, the old_geekster screen name.