Upgrading Graphics & Sound Cards for a Hardware Nub


  1. captcadaver
    Posts : 16
    Windows 7 Home Premium
       New #1

    Upgrading Graphics & Sound Cards for a Hardware Nub


    Hi there,
    I'm a complete nub with hardware. There are several events that have made me realize I need to upgrade my sound and graphics cards:
    1. According to "Can I Run It" (Can You RUN It | Can I run that game | Game system requirements), my current graphics card doesn't allow me to run the newest games like Modern Warfare 3, etc. I've had my current desktop since fall 2008.
    2. Whenever I try to run a full screened video (e.g., on YouTube, in VLC), the frame rate chugs and the sound is choppy. I've gotten used to never watching anything in full screen. Some of my hardware savvy friends claim that there's interference from my sound card that screws up my graphics card.
    3. It's Black Friday! Deals FTW.


    Here are my specs:
    • HP Compaq dc7800 Convertible Minitower
    • Intel Core2 Quad CPU Q660 @ 2.40 GHz
    • Nvidia GeForce 8400 GS
    • "High Definition Audio Device" (Sound card. Not sure what it is. Device Manager doesn't give useful info. Do I need to open up my computer?)
    • 931 GB, 233 GB hard drives
    • Dual screen monitors. One is 1024 x 768 x 75 hertz, other is greater resolution.
    • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

    So, I think it's in my best interest to upgrade my graphics and sound card. Unfortunately, I have no idea
    (a) what sets of graphics and sound cards are compatible with my computer and
    (b) what is the optimal purchase? :)

    If you respond, could you please walk me through your process and recommendation? :)
    Last edited by captcadaver; 25 Nov 2011 at 14:40. Reason: Crap, my specs aren't up anymore. Give me a few minutes.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. Sub Styler
    Posts : 740
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       New #2

    So many factors!

    The sound card is currently on-board and would probably be fine if you found the manufacturer drivers instead of the generic ones.

    The graphics card can be any PCI-E up to 16x (assuming PCIE2.0 compliance, I couldn't find this out from HP) but remember your stock power supply probably wont handle a powerful GPU and may not have a 6 pin PCI-E connector to give the card supplementary power.

    If you are going to buy a graphics card, I'd buy a PSU at the same time.

    Possibly http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

    to get the Pair for under $200

    EDIT: Just had a thought your current case may not accommodate the larger size GPU
    Last edited by Sub Styler; 25 Nov 2011 at 18:47.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 

  Related Discussions
I had this issue before, all of a sudden the sound coming from my computer gets really quiet even though everything is maxed out. Before, it seemed to have been triggered when I moved my computer from one room to another. I wasn't able to move it back right away but when I did it was still...
I've got one W7 PC, with one Creative X-Fi soundcard in it, on a motherboard that has built in audio. I'd like to play two music tracks on my PC at the same time, using any browser or browsers. I'd like one track to be heard on one set of speakers, and the other track to be heard from another...
hi, getting a dual dvi card. my onboard video plays stereo both dvd's and anything stereo I watch on the computer/internet. The graphics cards I look at say "stereo sound - no". so if I install any of these dual dvi cards I can no longer get stereo sounds from any videos I watch/playback? I don't...
If I buy a card for my Mac Pro desktop, when it says its not compible with mac, does that mean the mac os, meaning can i buy it and still use it with my windows through boot camp?
Hello, I used to have Vista on this computer and didn't have audio problems. I've upgraded to Windows 7 and use the latest drivers available for my sound card (Striker 7.1). I have also tried not using these drivers and instead using a USB sound card (Sennheiser that comes with one of their...
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:20.
Find Us