Out of Pod Experience

But I'm not sure if the best option is to just buy a new one (or buy a new custom PC), or upgrade what I have. I like to think I'm more knowledgeable than the average Joe when it comes to computers, but I'm out of my league at this level. Unfortunately, build and upgrading computers is something I never got in to, which I regret. I only have a few friends knowledgeable about PCs to this degree and want more opinions, so I come to you guys.

My PC is an out-of-the-box HP that I bought from woot! because it was cheap and could do the basic work tasks (mainly Microsoft Office) I need for school. It can run most games I play on decent settings, but I do notice some slow down on certain games.

Let me know what info you guys need to make an opinion (buy something new/custom or upgrade what I have) and I'll provide the info.

Basically straight out of my DxDiag...
Windows 7
Intel Core i5 CPU 650 @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
8192MB RAM
DirectX 11
ATI Radeon HD 5570

Again, let me know if you need any other info and I can get it.

You should go for a newer graphics card, like a GTX 660 or something, but just to be safe check if you have an adequate power supply to support such a card.

300 Watts sounds about right for brand name factory pc, I think I have seen as low as 240 Watts in such very basic consumer units.

I usually buy "no name" generic power supplies in 500-600 Watts range just in case. I think my last one was 520 Watts, my current one is 550 Watts. The 520 stopped working, so I went to "computer" store and bought next one larger, which was 550, I don't think they had any 520 at the time.

From this thread and a few friends' suggestions, I'm looking at upgrading the video card to something in the Radeon HD 7000 series. There are a lot. What specifically should I look for in the video card, other than price?

Along with the video card upgrade, I'll upgrade my power supply. It seems like this will be necessary regardless of which video card I get.

If I have money left over, (i.e. if I can justify the expense to my wife), it sounds like the next most beneficial upgrade would be to add another 8gb of RAM. Opinions on that?

And finally, the last upgrade a friend recommended was a larger fan to keep everything cool. I assume a larger power supply and the more power intensive parts generate more heat. If necessary, the larger fan(s) might require a new case. Opinions on that?

I fancy myself a bit more knowledgeable than the average Joe on computer related topics, but this is a bit over my head. I'm confident that with clear instructions, I can do the installation myself. Any advice on the actual installation?



EDIT: I'm looking specifically at the HD 7730 and HD 7790, but only for a vague reason that they 'seem to be good for the price.'

I had seen one or two suggestions to get an SSD but I'm skeptical. One suggestion was to use both my current HDD along with an SSD and move the programs the most utilize the hard drive to the SSD. Would it be a noticeable performance increase?

I used to use ATI Radeon years ago, but got fed up with failures and driver support. Not to mention NVIDIA makes far superior developer tools in graphics and shader development, but you probably have no concerns over that.






SSD is only an issue with high-volume servers. But even then they could be used, and the low power and low heat is a positive factor in the life of the overall server (text bomb if I start in on server chatter). Those HHD's throw off a LOT of heat. I put an SSD into my notebook, the system fan hardly ever comes on any longer, and when it does it's just pulling low RPM to hose off the 8GB of RAM which is the only slight heat spot underneath now. These things are a Godsend for laptops for sure, shock resistant and all. And only thing better is when they integrate them directly onto the mobo and buss.

For boot speeds, yeah windows on the SSD. But once it's loaded is much less accessed apart from virtual memory allocation so it's not really a big issue. But any app/game or media that continuously access it's own files from the HD, it's a huge improvement only second to a RAM drive.

I haven't dropped one onto my desktop yet, since it's SATA2 and my upgrades onto this system are done with. But on my laptop, which I run Ubuntu with hefty features/apps, it's about a 1.5 second boot hehe. Used to take 10-15 seconds, but pretty much on login screen as soon as BIOS looks for the boot sector. Things like Blender 3D open instantaneously, where as on my windows desktop takes 13 seconds from HHD, and from an overall faster computer compared to my notebook.

My next desktop will run off SSD alone, maybe even integrated if I can find a brand I like (pref Asus) when the time comes to get a new system. HHD is pretty much antiquated, but for gaming first priority is the video card, yes. Second the RAM, then third the HD. SSD vs HHD is about a 10x difference, not to mention improved temperatures, power usage, noise reduction (~0) and shock resistance.

I don't really know what Hp model your PC is (however old). If you're looking to upgrade, as everyone said it: Upgrade your Power Supply to support higher GFX cards. 4GB RAM is fine for gaming with a dual or quad CPU.

SSD cards are good (+expensive), I don't have one installed on my rig currently but they're reliable more-so than a disc drive. Expensive however.


If you think about a custom built rig have this done by yourself or a local company. Custom rigs are more flexible to upgrade in the future and less expensive, by my experience. So long as you keep good care of your hardware.

Based on the advice I've been given, upgrading is the way to go rather than buying a new PC.

Right now, the upgrade I'm looking at is a graphics card and power supply (if necessary, sounds like it will be.)
-Potential extra upgrades include in no particular order, more RAM, an SSD to work together with my HDD, and larger fans with a new case to accommodate them if necessary.

It occurs to me to ask, is there a difference between a video card and a GPU?

As for the video cards (GPUs?), I'm a bit confused as to manufacturers. I'm aware of NVIDIA and see ATI Radeon and AMD Radeon frequently. Are they the same company? Any other manufacturers out there to research? I'm not sure what I should be looking for other than a lot of posts that ATI/AMD cards aren't compatible with Linux, but Windows fills all my current needs, so that's not a problem.

What qualities do I need to look for in choosing a new graphics card?

Advice has been great, very helpful. Hopefully within the next couple months (when this semester is over) I can let you guys know what I got and how it went!

Thank you every one for the helpful advice! :)

I never had any issues. I use Mouse/keyboard during engagement and the touch to rotate the camera, look around and when casually going gate to gate.