Time to upgrade graphics

[phatpat]

Hey guys,
Been toying around with upgrading my graphics on my pre-built future shop computer for a while now and feel its a good time for me. I couldn't find the exact one, but here is the closest one, with a few minor differences:
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...ae6333d381en02

1) the gpu is a nvidia 420
2) it only has 1tb of memory

I was looking to spend around 130-180 (including a new psu as I expect that'll need an upgrade as it is only at 300 watts).
Any recommendations? And will most gpu and cpu's fit fine with what I am using?
Any help would be appreciated

---------- Post added 2012-09-22 at 05:58 AM ----------

Whoops meant power supplies, not cpu's :/

[Biernot]

First off, no matter what parts you chose, make sure they fit in the case. The dimensions they specify seem pretty small (but should be µATX standard).

There are fairly powerful GPUs out there, that do not require an extra power plug: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814102969
So for this one you shouldn't need to upgrade your psu at all.
If you want something more powerful, then you need a new psu. But then again you will be very fast over your budget. A decent psu with enough power will cost at least $50, so that only leaves you with $80-130 for the graphics card (which you see, is about the price for the above mentioned card, which does not require a new psu).

[phatpat]

ah i see. is upgrading to that 7750 worth it? i mostly play LoL, sc2 and may get back into wow. My comp handles them all fine now, but would like to upgrade because my gpu is old and not great to begin with.
or is it better to save up 200-300 and go for something better? keep in mind im used to playing low-medium settings and dont need ultra

[Biernot]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/610?vs=535
This is a comparison between the Geforce GT 440 and the Radeon HD 7750-800 (that is the one that doesn't need a power plug). As you can see, the Radeon is about 2-3 times as fast in the games listed. Now keep in mind: i used the GT 440 as comparison (because the 420 isn't in this list) and even this card is at least 2 times faster than your GT 420...
So all in all, you look at an increase of like 500% compared to your current card. I would say it is worth it.

But on the other end, if you invest a bit more, you will even have more power. It all comes down to what your expectations are.

If you plan to stick to the games you mentioned (WoW, LoL, SC2), then the Radeon 7750 is enough if you don't need the highest settings. It will run those games smoothly with high/medium settings @ 1080p.
But if you have set your eyes on other, more demanding titles, then you would need a more powerful card. The nest step up would probably be a Radeon 7850 / 7870 or a Geforce GTX 660. These cards in turn are about 2-3 times faster than the Radeon 7750 and cost about $200-250. So together with a new psu you would look at $250-300.

[phatpat]

thanks a lot for the comparison Biernot! I think the 7750 will be just fine for what I need.... I've never built/upgraded a computer, and am wondering if I buy the 7750, will it fit into my computer? one last check before I make the purchase
thanks for the help
also...wondering what the difference is between the 7750 you linked, and
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814102985

[Biernot]

thanks a lot for the comparison Biernot! I think the 7750 will be just fine for what I need.... I've never built/upgraded a computer, and am wondering if I buy the 7750, will it fit into my computer? one last check before I make the purchase
thanks for the help
also...wondering what the difference is between the 7750 you linked, and
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814102985

The one you linked, has slightly higher clocks. And while this will get you about 5% more performance, it also costs 10% more. And it will also have a higher power usage, so with your limited psu, i would be careful. Seeing as it still does not need an extra power plug, you should be fine, but better be safe than sorry.

As for space constrains in your case: I don't know how your case looks in the inside, but unless there is some weired shit going on, this card should fit nicely. The Radeon 7750 is barely longer than the pcie slot it sits in and also is not higher than the slots at the back of the case. It should only be a little bigger than your current card.

[Xuvial]

For just LoL/SC2/WoW a low-midrange GPU will be more than enough.

An Antec EarthWatts 380w ($45 USD) will give you safe, comfortable power for an HD7770 GPU ($125 USD), so $170 total.

However if your build really has an i7 2600 which is a really solid CPU as far as games go, for any more stressful games you will have no room to upgrade the GPU.

There are obviously better combos like XFX ProSeries 450w ($60 USD) + HD6870 ($150 USD), $210 total. As you can see you'll have to poke a bit more room into your budget for stronger PSU + graphics combinations.

Oh keep in mind that the above PSU has enough room to accomodate an HD7850 ($180 USD) as well, that's about as strong a card as you'll ever need for the games you play lol.

The reason I'm recommending PSU's is because I really can't trust those 300w OEM PSU's lol, they are generally really trash-quality only aimed at powering CPU-oriented builds with no actual GPU (like what you have).

[phatpat]

It's sort of sounding like if I'm willing to spend $110 bucks on a new gpu (which I intend on keeping for a while) I might as well spend the extra 75-100 bucks and just get a new psu with, say a 7770?
Since I'm already going through the process, it's probably worth the extra few bucks in the long run right?