$500$200 is the absolute ceiling here; anything more is just throwing money away. I have my doubts about whether this software is even legitimate—he didn't explicitly confirm it—and given how much he's padding the price, it feels off. Plus, if those wins are just being run through a loader, the entire software component is essentially worthless to me.
Take this one for example. Even though he hasn't laid out every single spec, you're looking at a full PC on a modern AM3 platform with a superior processor and a much more reasonable price tag.
The runner-up would be this link. You get less storage, but it comes with a dedicated GPU, which doesn't really matter if you aren't gaming anyway.
Or you could go with this option featuring the quad-core setup.
Every single one of these is an incomparably better deal.
Nicholas Long78 said:I'm honestly not sure if his power supply can handle it. It’s rated for maybe 300W max, and I’d be worried about it dying and taking the rest of the components down with it.
I remember back in the day when I was running an Intel Pentium 4 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200... I had a generic 300W power supply, and the moment I threw in a second DVD-RW drive just to have two burners, the whole system started acting up. It would randomly reboot during startup or while I was working in macOS, forcing me to shell out cash immediately for a name-brand replacement.😵
Even 300W isn't enough.
Look, his CPU pulls 65W—and that GPU I mentioned draws its power from the PCI-E slot (around 60-65W). Under full load, we aren't looking at more than 150W total. Raw wattage isn't the issue here; the real problem is the lack of build quality.😬 At least the hardware isn't ancient...
We’re all on the same page here—as soon as you try to install anything even remotely serious, the whole system loses its balance. You really have to invest in at least two other components just to keep things stable.
If you pick up a decent used graphics card like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650... $100 If you want something that actually works—meaning it supports DX11 and won't kill your power bill—this is the way to go. It’s a minimal investment for a massive jump in performance. I mean, if the kid was struggling to get anything running on an NVIDIA GeForce GT 210, he's going to feel like a king with this upgrade. He can just ride that wave and enjoy the games while they last.
He can run an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or even an HD7750, among other things. Those are really just the more expensive used options available right now—and honestly, they're pretty hard to find at the moment anyway.
I figured you were running that power supply 🙂 Judging by the GPU, it’s clearly one of those off-the-shelf builds from the 2011 holiday season. My neighbor actually has a nearly identical setup he picked up from Best Buy
If you want the best bang for your buck, I'd suggest dropping about 300-$117 on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 with DDR5. Given the power supply and your current CPU (assuming you aren't planning an upgrade anytime soon), the value proposition just makes sense
swiftridge29 said:Hey everyone, I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card. My current one is just too weak, and it’s honestly getting frustrating—I have to crank every modern game down to the lowest settings just to get them to run, and even then, the stuttering is driving me crazy. 😁
Here is my current setup:
Windows 7 Ultimate 32
Motherboard: MSI MS-7309 with an NVIDIA GeForce 7025 chipset.
CPU: AMD Athlon ii x2 245 2.90 GHz
Memory: 2 x 2048 MB DDR2
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 5450 512
400 Watts power supply.
Looking for a setup with a budget of around $500?$200 What’s my budget for an upgrade? I've managed to get quite a few games running on this graphics card, even if I have to stick to low settings, but I've hit a wall. I've been playing through the Assassin's Creed series, and now that I've reached Black Flag, the performance is just struggling. It's stuttering constantly, and honestly, playing on low settings is miserable because the visuals look absolutely terrible. 😁
In that case, I’m open to any advice you can offer. 🙂
Look, I'll be blunt—your processor is going to struggle once you start trying to run modern games. 😬
Let’s assume your power supply is failing—which, frankly, seems like a safe bet here.
I can't quite make sense of that last bit—looks like you might have cut off mid-sentence! What were you trying to say? $67 That seems highly suspicious.
EDIT
It isn't exactly true that the R7 260 is some low-power, negligible consumer.
How much power does an AMD Radeon R7-260 actually pull?
My system is pulling 120 Watts just sitting at idle. Total system power draw hits 220 Watts when the GPU is under full stress. The power delta comes out to exactly 100 Watts. Don't forget to factor in an additional ~10 Watts for the average idle power draw. Based on my own testing, I’m seeing a subjective GPU power draw of roughly 110 Watts.
The original timeout was set to exactly 30 seconds. It’s a bit like setting a timer on your oven—you expect one thing, but reality has other plans. Without any of those new drivers installed, the system fires up in about 5 to 8 seconds flat. But once you throw the new ones into the mix? It drags its feet until it hits the 1:30 mark. Honestly, I don't think swapping things out would actually fix the underlying issue.
Quote : Sandra White10
wiredcanyon94 As it were said by: Honestly, I feel like everything I can possibly think of... you've already tried it. Every single thing! If there is one thing I would still suggest doing—and I really mean this—it would be to reach out directly to the manufacturer of the graphics card. You should sit down, write them a detailed account of exactly what’s happening, describe the issue in full, and then earnestly ask for their advice or some form of technical assistance. It’s like when you have a persistent glitch with a high-end appliance; sometimes, you just have to go straight to the source to get a real answer. If you’re running into this particular headache, I can almost guarantee you aren't the first person to deal with it. It’s like when you realize a specific model of car always has the same quirky engine rattle—it isn't just you; someone else has definitely been through the exact same struggle already.
And yes, looking at your post, I can see you really know your stuff regarding all of this. Is IT your actual profession? Or is it more of a dedicated hobby?
I suspect the whole mess stems from a conflict between the dual graphics setups. It’s quite possible that when I went ahead and installed those recent updates individually—just treating them as separate tasks—that’s exactly what triggered this entire boot issue. It was a bit of a headache, honestly. But, looking back, once I rolled everything back to the original Dell drivers, it hit me like a bolt of lightning: I could have just used one of those Driver Update Utility programs to handle the updates all at once! It's funny how you overlook the simplest solution right in front of you while you're staring down a technical crisis. I’ve been doing a bit of digging lately—trying to find the absolute best software to handle all this technical stuff—and I finally stumbled upon Driver Detective. It turns out my AMD driver was actually quite outdated! After running the tool, it found the update and installed version 8.951.6.0 from March 29, 2012. The installation process was smooth as silk, no hiccups at all, and everything is running perfectly now. Honestly, it's such a relief when things just work! Here is a curious little conundrum that’s been rattling around my brain! It turns out that both the Intel HD 3000 and the AMD Radeon HD 7470m actually share the exact SAME driver. I mean, seriously, how is that even physically possible?? It defies all logic! And yet, despite this shared DNA, the laptop still insists on recognizing them as two completely separate graphics processors. It’s like having two different people living in one house who somehow share the exact same brain—it just doesn't add up! Here is the screenshot -> click Quote
Honestly, I know quite a bit about computers. It’s something I’ve picked up over the years—more of a hobby, really. To give you an idea, just before Christmas, I actually tore this laptop apart twice! I was cleaning out the fan and reapplying thermal paste to both the CPU and the GPU. But, uh, that belongs in a different thread on the forum, doesn't it?
That’s just not possible. You can grab the autodetect driver directly from the official AMD website.
I'm not entirely sure how much this has to do with your graphics card drivers, but I've heard that SanDisk SSD 500 drives can run into similar slowdown issues—like taking forever just to boot up or shut down—which usually requires a firmware update.
Take a look through the thread if you think that might be the culprit. http://forum.pcekspert.com/showthrea...223098&page=19
Obviously—you have to swap out the stock cooler for those builds; that’s just common knowledge. And once you’ve actually got a decent cooler installed, it would be a crime not to overclock those processors...
1 x MSI R7 260 OC 1GD5, 1GB DDR5, DVI-I, DVI, DP, HDMI, R7 260 1GD5 1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, SATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003 1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+ 1 x Intel Core i3-4160 Processor (3.60GHz, 512KB, 3MB, 54 W, 1150) Box 1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, s1150, Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2 xDDR3 1 x Zalman ZM-T1 PLUS micro tower case, 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm 1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1600MHz CL11
$1083 You can also check this out at Best Buy.
If you are looking to shave some money off the total, consider swapping in an MS Phenix case, a Fortron Hexa 400W unit, a cheaper i3 4xxx model, a 500GB hard drive, or a more budget-friendly H81 motherboard from Asus or Gigabyte. However, if you want a case with USB 3.0 ports (like the Zalman listed here), stick with the H81M-HDS so you have the necessary USB 3.0 header.
Fair enough regarding the power draw, but that voltage is incredibly low for 4.5 GHz—that's impressive. Can it actually hold steady through a Prime95 stress test?
By the way, it’s a shame you didn't grab the ASUS ROG Strix since they're in the same price bracket. On average, users have much better luck with overclocking on that board, whereas the G46 doesn't get much love; honestly, it's pretty much hated by the community.
Charles Bennett5, you should just grab the GTX 970. It would probably pull less than 400W even under a full load... By the way, what motherboard are you running, and what voltage are you pushing the CPU at to hit 4.5?
Adam Hernandez7 Look, you could always pivot to a cheaper motherboard or just grab an SSD instead (like an Intel 520). If you're dead set on the H97 chipset—which gives you that path toward newer Broadwell chips—you might want to look at the Z97 anniversary edition. It’s priced almost exactly the same as the PRO4, but you get the added bonus of CPU overclocking, which is a nice safety net for later on. Though, to be fair, you can actually squeeze some overclocking out of the H97 boards now via the OC Tweaker settings anyway.
As for getting the most out of that 4750—honestly, even an i3 is overkill for it 🙂—but let's face it: you won't be stuck using that setup forever...
Honestly, GTX 1050 - it’s just not worth picking up anything weaker than this. You don't save much money, but you lose a massive amount of performance.
Jose Walker72 said:It says I need to register just to see the product, but I really can't be bothered with all that paperwork right now. Could you maybe give me a quick rundown of what we're actually looking at?
You can definitely do that, and it’ll work, but I wouldn't recommend skimping on the power supply—maybe grab something more reliable like an EVGA unit instead. Since you're just running an i3 and a GTX 750, they don't pull much power, so even a budget generic unit would technically get the job done, but why risk it?