Need to upgrade graphics card and powersupply

[MTyson3284]

Hey everyone,

I've been wanting to upgrade my computer for sometime now and the only things I'd think it needs are a better graphics card and power supply. I would mostly use this for playing mostly Diablo 3 and StarCraft 2 games and possibly eventually hooking it up to my home theater receiver to watch movies off my PC.

My questions are: can I even fit a graphics card of these sizes in my computer and what size power supply do I need both wattage and actual physical size since my computer is I guess considered a minitower? I'd also prefer the whole ordeal to be as plug and playish as possible. Also obviously what graphics cards and power supplies are compatible with my computer (motherboard)? Sorry for all the questions but I can't find much info on my computer specifically.

My PC is here: Gateway DX4300-22 Refurbished Desktop PC - AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR2, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

Some cards I've been looking at are:



SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 6870 1 GB XFX HD-687A-ZNFC 256BIT DDR5




POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON HD6870 1 GB DDR5 VIDEO CARD AX6870 ...




XFX ATI Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E Graphics Card - HD...

XFX CORE Edition FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16


SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1...




Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 6850 GV-R685OC-1GD - Slightly Used...

 

[Roark]

You're actually going to have to do most of the leg work to figure this out, unless there is a member here with the same computer.
Not all that difficult, just open the side panel and start measuring.
You already have a discrete graphics card, so you can measure how much more room you have from the end of it until you hit an obstruction.

The HD 6870 needs a 500W+ power supply, again just measure your current power supply and find one that will fit in the current mounting bracket.
If there aren't any obstructions around it than you can find one that is a little bigger if need be.

 

[PP Mguire]

PSu that is in it currently is a 300. You will need I'd say a 550w PSU to power the whole thing. A regular sized PSU will fit in the case.

A 6870 will fit in there as well.

 

[MTyson3284]

Thanks for the help.

 

[ImTorey]

Is it still the same with ATI vs NVIDIA in the 6,000 series as where the nvidia performs better in game but ati is better on chart programs? If so I'd go nvidia. 560 ti or something.

 

[PP Mguire]

Is it still the same with ATI vs NVIDIA in the 6,000 series as where the nvidia performs better in game but ati is better on chart programs? If so I'd go nvidia. 560 ti or something.

No. Now it is AMD will release a new card 6 months before Nvidia and then Nvidia will release something new that performs better till the holidays. Rinse, repeat.

 

[ImTorey]

Ah yea i knew it was something, basically from all the video reviews ive seen nvidia performs better in game but lower chart marks and amd is opposite. from tech of tommrrow motherboards.org w.e those sites.

 

[PP Mguire]

Hasen't been that way for some time. Nvidia has had the upper hand in everything until AMD releases their stuff during the holidays. The only thing I can really see AMD doing better is double precision GPGPU.

 

[ImTorey]

You watch any of the comparisons with bench systems, new nv cards always out perform in game.

 

[PP Mguire]

You watch any of the comparisons with bench systems, new nv cards always out perform in game.

I just said that. They outperform in everything until AMD release something new. Been this way since the 400 series.