Black Friday PC PSU + Graphics Card Upgrade

[Lunato]

Hey all of BG-Tech, I have a few questions about upgrading my PC I got for black friday. I'm hoping to use this PC to play FFXI and SCII on medium settings.

Here's the specs of the PC:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...odTypeId=12454

Hewlett-Packard PC :
AMD Athlon II X2 2.8 GHz Processor
6 GB Ram
1 TB Mem
250 W PSU
N-Alvorix-RS880-uATX (Alvorix) Mobo

What I want to do is get a better graphics card, but most of them require a 400 W PSU minimum. I also heard that HP has a sneaky streak of making their PSUs custom sized for their PCs, especially Black Friday ones. How do I figure out if a PSU from newegg would fit in the tower? This is the first time I'm ever fiddling with the PSU so I'm rather lost. Also, how do I figure out if a PSU won't fry my motherboard?

I did some searching on my own and I'm looking at a ATI Radeon HD 5670 or 5770 and 450 W PSU. Are they any good brands? I just hope they fit.

Thanks for everything in advance!

[xerodok]

The first thing you have to look at is how much space you have inside your computer. Meaning, make sure you have enough room for a bigger graphics card like a 5670 or 5770. Most graphics cards of this age are extremely long and thick that some pre-made computers have difficulty accommodating them. Just open your case and do a visual check, nothing to in depth.

After you've confirmed your case has enough room, make sure you have an open PCI slot, or one that you can sacrifice (another graphics card, sound card, etc). From what I can see, the motherboard in your computer has an integrated graphics/sound card, which is why it's important to check and see if there's a slot for it.

As for your PSU, more than likely you won't be able to upgrade it. Most computers that are pre-made and come from companies like Dell, HP, Gateway, etc will force you into staying with their computer. Meaning, once you buy their product, they want you to buy a whole new computer. This is their idea of upgrading. To check and make sure this isn't one of those computers, look and see if your PSU has mounting screws on the case. There should be a few outside where the fan is and inside in the metal chassis. If you are unsure, just take a picture of inside the computer and post it here. Also, you won't fry your motherboard with an upgraded PSU.

Other than that, your computer specs are great and I hope you'll be able to easily upgrade. You are absolutely right though, they do use the bare minimum in making these computers, especially for Black Friday. Just remember, they probably lose money on these machines, it's end users that aren't tech savvy like you that will go, oh, I want to play Starcraft II on High settings, then instantly start looking at a new HP computer, which will help them profit in the long run. Your choice of graphics cards are fine for what seems you're just going to be playing FFXI & SC2. They both are cheap now due to newer cards coming out but they will work just fine.

[Lunato]

I have several PCI-E slots open (one x16 and three x1) so I am good on that front. I also opened it up and I should be good on the clearance for the card. There's plenty of space but once I get pics up, I'll show you. the only thing it might bump into is the RAM inserts but I doubt it's that long.

I'll also post pics of the PSU once I get a camera from a friend. There are mounting screws outside on the case (x4) but inside the chassis, I can't seem to find any. Its being held in place by brackets, it seems. I'll post pictures later for clarity. It SEEMS to be a normally sized PSU though, I cross my fingers.

Oh, and its a Bestec ATX-250-12Z REV : D7R PSU.

[xerodok]

You're in luck, that should be removable. I was strictly referring to certain PCs having the power supplies built into the case.

Decide on which graphics card you want to get and I can give some advice on a PSU.

[Lunato]

Thanks for all the help so far, Xerodok.

I'm looking at a ATI Radeon 5670 or 5770 at the moment. I have a friend who has a 5670 sitting on their shelf collecting dust, so if I can't get it from him, I'm probably going to go with the 5770 to last me a while. The 5670 is what I'm leaning more towards. It's a nice card that can play both games I want really well. And it's cheap-ish.

Both are most likely going to be the 512 MB dedicated ones. Hopefully their fairly clunky fans have enough clearance!

[Olo401]

Oh, and its a Bestec ATX-250-12Z REV : D7R PSU.

You're really in lucky here having an ATX power supply.. you'll be able to upgrade to any third-party unit. To be honest I'm amazed they're able to run this computer on 250W.

Hewlett-Packard PC :
AMD Athlon II X2 2.8 GHz Processor
6 GB Ram (3 x 2GB)
1 TB Mem
250 W PSU
N-Alvorix-RS880-uATX (Alvorix) Mobo

This is another reason I hate brand name computers. They tossed an extra 2GB DIMM in there as a value-add, ignoring the fact that it would put the memory into single-channel mode and slow down the entire machine. You can fix this by either pulling out the odd DIMM, or by adding one that matches the oddball.

[xerodok]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139017

Do this up then get your graphics card.

[Lunato]

Perfect! That was the PSU that I was looking at myself, but I wanted to come here for more confirmation since you're more informed than I am about these things. I'm probably going to order it from Amazon since I have an odd Gift Card for 50 bucks lying around.

Also, removing the extra 2 MB DIMM insert will make my computer faster? How exactly does it do that? I may as well get an extra Ram if I have any money left over from the PSU.

[rog]

Also, removing the extra 2 MB DIMM insert will make my computer faster? How exactly does it do that? I may as well get an extra Ram if I have any money left over from the PSU.

They'll all run in single channel unless you have an even amount of them.

[Dmitry]

If you're only shooting for Medium settings, the 5770 might be overkill and could save yourself a little money with a cheaper card.