These are my computer’s relevant specs:
Model: HPE h9-1100z Phoenix
Power output wattage
• 600 watt
Expansion Slots
• PCI Express x16: 1 (Generation 2 speed)
• PCI Express x1: 3 (Generation 2 speed)
• PCI Express x1 minicard socket: 1 (Generation 2 speed)
probably less relevant stuff
Memory
• 10 GB DDR3 PC3-10600
Motherboard
• Manufacturer: M3970AM-HP
• HP: Angelica
Chipset
• AMD 970
Hard drives
• 2 TB 5400 RPM SATA (primary)
• 500 GB 7200 RPM SATA (secondary)
Oh, I also have two monitors, an HP 25" that’s a few months old, and an older 19" Samsung. I play games on the big one, while the smaller, closer one lets me write and/or surf the web at the same time.
While it’s a nice computer and meant for gaming, it came with an integrated graphics card :rolleyes:
I currently play a few Steam games and The Sims 3, will play The Sims 4 next year, and I’m interested in trying things like the Bioshock series. Not the most graphic-intensive gaming in the world, but it’d be nice if my sims had toes and stuff.
What are my best options for graphic cards at about the $100, $150 and $200 price points? If there are any recs for a pci slot case fan that’d pair well with the cards you suggest, that’d be nice too (the system is air-cooled).
Every month, Toms hardware does an article on the best graphics cards at every price point.
You’re wrong about something. Either you don’t have the PC you think you have, or you don’t have integrated graphics. Very few AMD FX motherboards have onboard graphics, since the CPU doesn’t have graphics integrated like almost all intel CPUs and AMD APUs. Those that do have incredibly weak essentially 2d only graphics driven by the motherboard, and according to everything I can find your motherboard and system is not one of those.
According to HP:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c03136164&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=5154893
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c03117539#N299
You had to choose one of the following:
GeForce GTX 550 (1 GB)
GeForce GTX 580 (1.5 GB)
Radeon HD 6850 (1 GB)
Radeon HD 7670 (1 GB)
Radeon HD 7770 (2 GB)
Radeon HD 7950 (3 GB)
If you have a 550 or 7670 you can improve a lot by upgrading, else you will see only an incremental upgrade or no upgrade at all at $100-$200. The best graphics cards for the money right now at <$200 are generally the GeForce GTX 660, and Radeon HD 7850 and 7870, which despite what toms will tell you about MSRP are all available from newegg.com after rebate for well under $200 if you can wait a few days to a week or two and follow slickdeals.net
What’s the difference between integrated and OEM-only GPU, then? I’ve read the product page at AMD about it and still have no idea clear idea of what the term means. It’s this one, the Radeon HD 7670.
Thanks for the recs, it jives with what I’ve gleened from looking at reviews on new egg.
The only concern I have about the 660 is the photos like here on new egg make it look like it’s twice as wide as any of the other cards I’ve ever installed. Is it going to fit in the expansion slot spaces? I’m fine with it if it takes up two spots, rending one unusable by blocking it off, I just don’t want to need to return it because the shape makes it altogether unworkable.
An integrated graphics card is one that is part of the motherboard or CPU, and thus can’t be removed from the system at all. An OEM only graphics card just means you can’t order it from NewEgg.com or Amazon.com - only in huge orders like from Dell, HP, etc. Generally OEM only graphics card are rebrands of existing graphics card with perhaps a cheaper cooler, slightly underclocked, less RAM, or something else to make it a little cheaper, or exactly the same as another card but with a different name.
Any decent gaming graphics card worth having is a two or occasionally three slot card, so yes, it will definitely block the slot it uses and one slot below. Given that your system has an option of a 7950, which is also a longish dual slot card, it clearly can fit inside the case.
That graphics card specifically is $169 AR right now, see http://slickdeals.net/f/6084252-Video-Cards-ASUS-Radeon-HD-7850-2GB-3-Gaming-Coupons-153-99-after-Rebate-ASUS-GeForce-GTX-660-2GB-Metro-Last-Light-168-99-after-Rebate-Free-Shipping if you didn’t already see the promo code.
From that last link, the $153 HD 7850 comes with Bioshock: Infinite and a few other games. If you were planning to buy that game anyways, that seems like a pretty sweet deal for you.
Is there much difference between the 7850 and the 660?
AMD cards generally have the better bundle, GTX 660 is maybe 10, 15% faster than 7850 ? Both can play most games at 1920x1080, some not at highest detail settings/most AA.
So, I bought the 7850. I installed it, and despite having monitors plugged into the HDMI and DVI ports, the main monitor said it could find no signal at all (the other just stayed dark). I spent two hours trying to get it to work, then back and forth for an afternoon with tech support before the tech said it was probably a dud. So Amazon sent me a new one.
The replacement doesn’t get a signal either :mad:
Any bright suggestions before I return this one too? Either PowerColor does very shoddy work, releasing lots of non-functional cards, or there’s something I’m doing wrong.
This is what I told the tech guy I did, and he didn’t have further words of wisdom other than pack it up and send it back
Definitely have to plug the 6 pin into it from the power supply. Definitely won’t work if you don’t do that, as it can’t draw enough power from the PCI-E slot alone. Make sure you are pushing the 6 pin pci-e cable in fully (and not upside down, they are supposed to be “keyed” but some power supplies have crappy tolerances and the plug piece is small enough to fit both ways). Make sure the 6 pin pci-e cable is connected to the power supply, and reconnect it again, if it is a modular style power supply. Make sure the 4 or 8 pin power supply cable is connected to the motherboard itself, in the right orientation, and fully seated. Pull the graphics card out and put it back in, this time push it in pretty firmly - you have to make sure it is in there all the way. Try it with each monitor connected individually. If none of that works, I’d probably suspect the power supply next, because buying an OEM they tend to give you a crappy supply “600 watts” or not. You’d wish you had another computer for testing at that point though because it is only a guess -although at least you are only out $20 if you are wrong (CORSAIR CX Series CX430 430W 80 PLUS BRONZE Active PFC ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply - Newegg.com - despite being “430 watts” this a quality supply that will run a 7850 no problem.)