Windows 7: Graphics Card Upgrade

I would get this PSU, assuming your case comforms to ATX standards:



Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

This GPU:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100291L Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

And this CPU if your mobo supports it:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Best thing about the GPU is it supports DirectX11 and the quad-core athlon will last for another 2 or 3 years, regardless of who you give it too. The PSU is self-explanatory - excellent quality and the right wattage.

The GPU has a 64-bit interface and 512 megas of ddr2? Even if it supports DirectX11 it wont be able to play games that use it.

He wants to retire the desktop, so gaming doesn't seem to be a priority.

Gaming is going to be a concern for at least a year.

Well whats the point in having the DX11 then, if he's not gonna game? And like Fumz proved, gaming is going to be a priority.

Howdy all. I decided to get the Sapphire HD4670. It's fantastic. EXCEPT. It is overriding my existing Realtek HiFi Audio drivers with the Graphics Card's HDMI HD audio drivers. I'm not using an HDMI cable to connect to a TV...I'm using a VGA cable to connect to a big monitor...

My volume icon in the tray has a big X on it, and it only detects an HDMI HD Audio Device...no matter what I plug into. I can't even use headphones! (If I could, I'd just run my speakers through that jack). Nothing is detected. At all.

How do I get my computer to re-detect my speakers and use my Realtek Audio instead of the HD Audio? I've tried uninstalling everything, then reinstalling the Realtek Audio drivers. No go, the only device it detects in teh HDMI Audio. Which I'm not using. Even if I did connect my HDMI cable from the graphics card to a TV or HDMI monitor, I don't see how that would change my AUDIO device. The only thing I haven't done yet is pulling out the card, uninstalling, getting audio back, and then trying to do it step by step...

I'll post this same issue elsewhere on the forum, under sound/audio. Halp plx.

Disable the HDMI sound controller in the control panel. I would never use VGA - the quality is crap.

I would use the HDMI but it turns out the monitor only has DVI, not HDMI, input. FAIL, right? Anyway, I figure I can get an HDMI to DVI converter, possibly.

Anyway...do you mean under Sound, disable the HDMI controller? Sorry, but: duh. Tried, and the result is that I still have no sound. For some reason it has ceased to detect my speakers, headphones, etc, which plug into the integrated Realtek Card--because for some reason it does not seem to want to use the Realtek Audio and only recognizes the HDMI Audio.

Did you mean disable the HDMI Sound Controller some other way?

I've attached a screenshot of the control panel and sound controller opened. All disconnected/disabled devices are supposedly shown.

In the control panel, the Realtek HD Audio Manager should be the Realtek software that comes with the system. However, clicking it does nothing. I included an S/N of the Realtek folder in my C: drive.

I'm going to turn off the computer, remove my new vid card, plug my monitor into my integrated vid card >cry< and then uninstall the new vid card and the realtek software. Then I'll reinstall the Realtek software and see if sound plays. Then I'll boot up with the monitor plugged into the new vid card and see where shit gets hairy.

Thanks

Resolved it.

In the BIOS under Audio I turned "Use Onboard Audio" from Auto to Enabled. Then Ran windows Updater, got newest Realtek Drivers (had uninstalled them and every other audio driver to find out problem, so presumably the drivers were not the issue at all, but still had to update), and audio now works.

Seems the problem was that the HD4670 really wanted to control the audio and use only HDMI...for some weird ass reason. Because even if the HDMI cable was used and plugged into my monitor or TV...how would that have affected my audio?

Ehemm... DVI is Full HD, made for monitors. Whats the fail in that? Everybody uses DVI. You do not want to convert HDMI to DVI if DVI is awesome.