Guide for Selecting a Discrete Video Card

[Big_Dave]

Hi Luis9161,

Install the power supply that I had recommeded above.  Then go to eBay and buy an used NVIDIA GTX 460. You can buy it for $60.

[Speed20103]

Hey dave, Would I lose much performance I put a GTX 650 TI in a PCI-E 1.1 x 16 slot?

[Big_Dave]

Hi Speed20103,

You probably will not see much of a performance drop using the reference level 650 TI.  There is a 650 TI boost model that will probably not reach it's full potential under peak performance conditions. You would of course need to check with the manufacturer to ensure that the 650 TI PCI-E version 3 card will even work in a PCI-E version 1.1 slot which would make this a moot point.

Theoretically on paper there is a big performance difference between PCI-E version 1, version 2 and version 3. If you had an enthusiast level motherboard that you could change the PCI-E slot version (number of active lanes) then you could in fact benchmark the difference.

[Speed20103]

Thanks for Reply Dave.

www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/6.html

Not much performance lost on a GTX690

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

From what I have read (not your article) there was up to a 7% performance drop between version 2 and version 3 with no mention of the slower version 1 slot.

Your mileage will vary based on the memory speed, cpu speed and the HP motherboard.  You could see even a bigger performance drop as the HP motherboard is not an enthusiast level motherboard.

Read the conclusion from your posted article.  It should open your eyes about video performance.

[X-Calibar]

Greetings Dave!  I was hoping to ask your advice about purchasing a new video card and power supply for my hp pavillion HPE, h8-1287c.

The current card, my Radeon HD 7450 runs silently, and is able to perform most tasks flawlessly.  However, for demanding games like Mass Effect 3, or Alan Wake at high quality, at resolutions like 1680x1050 reduces to unplayable framerates...

Do you have any recommendations?

I was looking at the following equipment :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182271

Rosewill 500W Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161429

HIS Radeon HD 7950

The power supply has a slightly larger depth from the specifications listed for my hp PSU.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03360397

But, that shouldn't be a problem right?  And the design of the power supply... that would work fine?

As for the video card (11.75" x 5" x 1.5"), just eyeballing the motherboard, and looking at the diagram; a double width, long card such as that will cover some parts, like a heatsink thing on the motherboard, as well as the battery, and other low parts.  Without measuring, it looks like the car should on sit on top, fine... But, would it be okay to cover those parts?  And would airflow be a problem?

Why are they all double width cards... should I look for a single width card after all?

Lastly, new Radeon HD 9000 series cards should start to appear this fall/winter; would it be best to wait until then?  Thanks!

[Speed20103]

I think they are all double with at the end for connections.

[Big_Dave]

Hi X-Calibar,

The power supply that you are looking at might be a bit too long which could cause some cables behind the optical drive to be bent too sharply.  Look at the Corsair CX600 as it has the same dimensions as the HP PSU.

The 11.75" video card I believe is too long for the HP mini-tower.  I had asked a recent poster to upload an photo of this same card in the HP PC but the poster had many excuses for not doing so which leads me to believe that his/her claim was a "red herring".  I could be wrong.

Most of the better video cards are double wide so take note from the recommendations posted at the start of this thread.

The NVIDIA 660 would be a good choice, it's price reasonably and should fit.

[X-Calibar]

Dave,

I just wanted to say thank you for the advice!  I purchased the Corsair CX600, and an EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB video card.  (The 660 was the same size as the 760, and the price was only 40$ more at the time!)

I've had it about a week now, and I can confirm it works beautifully.  No problems with airflow, heat, or installation.  And it's SO MUCH FASTER than the Radeon HD 7450!  I'm able to run most new games on max settings.

In reflection I would have preferred a modular powersupply, as the CX600 has a very hefty amount of sizeable power connectors with some unused.  Fortuantely the extra space where the second optical drive would go was free.

I'll also note that the PSU didn't QUITE fit as snug compared to the HP power supply.  The button you press down and hold to release the HP PSU was still slightly pressed down after installation, but it doesn't seem to be an issue as long as the screws are tight.

And the video card *was* large, but it fit without issue.  With modular wires I would imagine even that Radeon HD card would have worked without much issue (as long as the fan isn't too far deep in the case, and the harddrive wires were moved)...  But, this card was the perfect size for this HP system, and I wanted to say thanks for the advice.

Thanks again Dave.

[Speed20103]

Hey Caliber,
how much was that 760 4GB?