Graphics card choice

I have a HP Pavilion p7-1456c. I have 6GB DDR3 memory presently installed and with the 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz memory stick that was given to me would put my pc I have at 12GB total. The pc came with an Intel Quad Core i5-3300 3GHz CPU, 1TB SATA hard drive, a 300W power supply, and Intel integrated graphics.

I want to upgrade my graphics card to give my system the ability to handle multimedia apps, video, and some occasional gaming. I would like to stay with my current power supply. Thanks

 

That's a rather tall order, sticking with your current PSU. I wouldn't risk any graphics that requires a direct power connection (75 Watts+) so a sub-75W card would be the maximum I'd risk.

The HD7750 (get the GDDR5 version) is the best of the current crop, probably using 60-65W whilst gaming.

 

What PSU would you recommend? I'm not completely immoveable from not getting one.

 

I'd recommend a Seasonic or XFX, they're all made by Seasonic and are all very good to excellent quality (many other 'makers' may have a number of higher quality models from high quality factories but others in their range may be made in factories with a reputation for very low quality products/components/build quality).

BeQuiet would get into third place, especially if you're in EU, as they're German-based and design their own models that have a good reputation across the range.

As for capacity, it really depends on the graphics card you're looking at. There are very few quality PSUs below 300W, primarily because many people believe more is better - even if their rig only uses 150W max. This results in the sub -450W segment being a low volume market that is saturated with older, inefficient and poor designs that are cheaply made, the 3-4 Seasonics and a few BeQuiet's are the only ones I'd consider (I have a 360W Gold Seasonic, I could have bought 3-4 el cheapos for what I paid).

The Gold reference relates to electrical conversion efficiency, the higher the rating, the more efficient it is, in the low end, only saving a dollar or two each month. From the PC standpoint, it means a lot more - less heat being wasted during conversion = less effort needed to lower overall temperatures + less noise created exhausting that excess heat = less stressed components and a quieter office/home environment, especially important if you are in a region that sees temperatures regularly in excess of 30 degrees C.

Don't buy less than a Bronze certified PSU - not only will it be more efficient, it will also be of a more recent design, much better suited to modern PC architecture.

Bottom line: a 360-520W Seasonic/XFX (or BeQuiet) should be fine with your system + a 75-200W (low to mainstream gaming) GPU. Check specifics like cable lengths, you might need an extension if you have a tall/large case. If the card needs 150W+ then you'll need 2x 6-pin connectors from the PSU (or 1x 6 and 1x 6+2) to power it.

 

Thanks man. I just installed the 8GB stick to give me 12GB total. I appreciate your help and advice. You wouldn't care to elaborate on a brand of gaming GPU. My last system came with an EVGA NVIDIA card. It was pretty reliable but I never really played any games that required a lot of power to play. Sorry for rambling on. Once again thanks for the information.

 

I think it's more difficult to categorise the brands when it comes to graphics cards (and motherboards). It's probably easier to rule out certain models/groups of GPU as being potentially more problematic.

In recent years I've been using an EU etailer's returns data to help get a handle on what's good/bad (here's the last report in English, I've just tracked down the latest 2, they're in the original French: report 8, report 9), I suggest you study the older English version for background and then check the stats in the cartes graphiques sections of the more recent FR reports to get a feel for the current trend.

Quick tip: steer clear of Sapphire, especially their HD 7870/7890 models, the others are more difficult to pick out at a glance. Nvidia cards are less returned overall.

My opinion/study is swayed by a desire to economise yet retain decent performance and in my bracket, lower mainstream, I guess, the Intel CPU/AMD GPU combination is hard to beat for efficiency (I have an HD 5770 and an HD 7850 and am planning to retire the older card if funds allow, dropping the 7850 into the lesser rig and getting an R9 270 non -X).



On the PSU question, one of the later reports states (translated) "Seasonic gets the last position despite a rate that is reasonable.", the only Seasonic that shows on the reports, the S12II-520 at 3.31%, I own one* and retired it almost a year ago due to a high-pitched noise. My research showed that this was quite a common problem at that time, almost certainly due to a bad batch of components supplied to them. Hopefully, and the latest report shows an improving trend, they've since improved their supply chain and QC. (*I replaced that with the excellent G 360W.)