The NVIDIA Integrated Graphics is built right into the processor, which is honestly plenty if you're just doing everyday tasks. Now, if you're looking to upgrade because you want to dive into some actual gaming—you know, those more demanding titles—you'll need to pick up a dedicated graphics card and plug it straight into the PCIe slot on your motherboard. Just a heads-up though—if you go that route, there's a very good chance you'll need to grab a new power supply too, since your current one probably won't have enough juice to handle a separate card. You can always take a look at the setup suggested by crimsonstag84 to get an idea.
AMD Ryzen 3 (3.40GHz, 512KB, 3MB, 54 W, 1150) Box, NVIDIA Integrated Graphics = $268 If you're really just planning to browse the web and use Microsoft Office, you could probably get away with an Intel Pentium which would save you $133 a bit of money—but if you've got your heart set on the Ryzen 3, then go for it, 😁
That motherboard is ATX, so it'll fit into a mid-tower case without any issues.. If the power supply ends up giving you trouble, you'll still have $133 the option to pick up a new one later. And hey, if you decide to go with the Pentium I mentioned earlier, you'd end up with an even $133 more budget-friendly build..
Well, that power supply should be just fine—it's more than enough for a setup that isn't particularly demanding. Regarding the hard drive, though, do you know if it’s SATA or the older PATA style? If it's the latter, you're looking at some pretty outdated tech, especially since modern motherboards only come with SATA connectors. Also, what kind of budget are we working with for a new build? You could probably put together a decent machine with integrated graphics, maybe 4GB of RAM and such, for around $300 or so... but seriously, definitely double-check that hard drive first.
What’s all this fuss about his voice? 😁 Honestly, I’d love to trade places with him in a heartbeat. 😍 I mean, can you blame me? You get to be a tech enthusiast—just chilling out, playing games, and making some seriously good money while doing it...
Man, I totally spaced on that—I guess I just wasn't thinking. To be honest, I haven't really bothered checking the power draw on the GTX 760 before, mostly because I just assumed—as usual—that Nvidia would be pulling less power than Intel 😬
Regarding the power supply, I think fadedorca66 is spot on here 😁
If I had some extra cash lying around right now, I’d probably ditch my 7870 and pick up a GTX 760—mostly just because Nvidia's power draw is way lower than what you get with Intel. Plus, from what I can see, Nvidia just dropped those new drivers that look like they might be their best ones yet...
To be honest, I have no clue which power supply you’re running—I haven't heard of that one before 😁 It sounds like a bit of a "wild card," if you know what I mean. As far as connecting everything goes, your PSU should ideally have a connector labeled "PCIe," though that really just depends on what kind of unit you've got under the hood... Could you grab the exact model for me? Just pop the case open and type out the specs from the sticker on the power supply itself so we can be sure
Regarding that PCIe connector, here is what it looks like...
Look, man... high-end graphics cards pull way more power from the PSU than what you're dealing with now. Your best bet is probably just picking up a card that's roughly on par with what you have currently—especially since you mentioned having trouble with that old HD 4350. As for the VGA output, you could just grab a $5.00 VGA to DVI adapter and call it a day. Problem 😉 solved .
At full load, this card only pulls a measly 61W. 😬 Your power supply should be more than enough for that—plus, the card draws its own power directly from the PCIe slot anyway... But if you want to be 100% certain, just pop that card into another PC and see how it behaves. That’s really the only way to know for sure, right? Does the GPU fan actually spin up when you boot the computer?
I’d bet it’s the graphics card... Honestly, don't sweat the wattage too much—the guys at PC Gamer always tend to exaggerate those specs. A solid 400W power supply from a reliable brand like Corsair should handle that card just fine without breaking a sweat. By the way, what kind of PSU are you actually running? It might be worth testing the card in another rig just to be absolutely sure about the hardware. Also—this might sound like a silly question—but did you remember to plug the PCIe power cables directly into the card itself?
If you've already tested both monitors and neither worked, then there's a 99% chance the issue is with your graphics card..
To be absolutely sure, I'd suggest swapping out the current card for something else in your PCI Express slot.. Basically, pull out that NVIDIA GeForce 6600 Pro and pop in a different one.. Just make sure the replacement uses the same pcie slot as the NVIDIA GeForce 6600 Pro did. Then, just see if you get an image on the screen or not..
It’s almost certainly going to be the K version—I mean, it’s not like Intel is that foolish, right? Plus, it’s a safe bet they’ll be releasing unlocked processors since the new Z97 chipset is launching alongside them. What’s the point of having an overclocking-friendly chipset if you can't actually use an unlocked processor? It just doesn't make any sense... But hey, if you don't trust Intel or you're feeling skeptical, then just go grab the Intel Core i5-4670k instead.
For gaming, an Intel Core i5-4670k will be more than enough—but you should keep in mind that the Haswell refresh processors are arriving soon. They aren't going to be revolutionary, but they'll have about 300 MHz more clock speed out of the box compared to the current Haswell chips. One nice little perk? They're supposed to run a bit cooler than the ones we're seeing now. Since you aren't planning on pulling the trigger on parts until this summer, why not just grab something like an Intel Core i5-4690 and wait for the Z97 chipset to drop in a month or two?
