Help with Graphics Card on p2250

[jimmyrc]

Hi, my computer is a samsung syncmaster 2250 running a NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS graphics card
It doesn't seem to be able to run games (Archam City, Skyrim) properly without being ultra laggy
What's a better graphics card?

 

[stormy13]

jimmyrc, welcome to the Seven Forums.

Not surprised you're having problems with those games, that card was about the lowest of the low end when it came out and is even further behind today. I guess that makes the answer to your question, just about any card made in the last couple of years would be better.

Before we can make any recommendations, how much are you looking to spend and what is the make and model of the power supply you currently have?

 

[jimmyrc]

thanks
I'm not really sure, I was hoping that I could get one for about $200 but I could pay more

How do you tell what power supply I have?

 

[Solarstarshines]

if you got more then 200.00 to burn then why not get both a decent card and a psu

for atleast 350.00 will get you a good psu 750w and a hd6870 or 560ti what ever you want pretty much you could even grab a 6900 or possible 570

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371051

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133401

 

[jimmyrc]

yes ok, so what should I get?
I'm looking to spend the least amount of money possible but get a good card

 

[Solarstarshines]

well if you look around on new egg check out if they have any sales those were suggestions but also that would fit your budget

to bad the 570 was out of stock i only recommended Nvidia because that was your previous model but the above selections would be more then enough to keep up with the big guns


I do use this one and it is cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127545

 

[jimmyrc]

ok, thanks tonnes
would that cheaper MSi one be able to run advanced games?

 

[Solarstarshines]

yup any one of those cards will run anything at max pretty much

but the other card is AMD though if you don't care about brands then go AMD to save a few dollars

 

[jimmyrc]

what's a good AMD card that could run this type of stuff?

 

[Solarstarshines]

the HD6870 i showed you would be fine

 

[jimmyrc]

Can I just ask, if i buy a good graphics card will my computer just run better or do I need several components?

 

[jimmyrc]

also, are they difficult to put into a computer?

 

[bobkn]

also, are they difficult to put into a computer?

What's your computer?

As far as I can tell, the "P2250" is the part number of your LCD monitor. You'd get much better help here if you can supply information (model number for a commercial system, for example) that would allow people to look up your hardware configuration.

It's not hard to swap graphics cards. The issues you face are:

Is your power supply adequate for a higher performance card? Most manufacturers specify 400W or more, even for fairly low-end cards.

Will the new card fit in the same space as the old? (An 8400GS could be a low-profile card, although it need not be.) High performance cards tend to be longish.

Is the interface the same? Most cards are PCI-E (PCI Express), but the 8400GS is available as a PCI card. Despite the similarity of the names, the two slots are completely incompatible. (I mention this because it's possible, but it's not likely.)

 

[jimmyrc]

how do I check all these things?

 

[jimmyrc]

I attached what I think might help but I'm not sure

 

[cyclic]

It help somewhat, could you post the make and model of the machine, or motherboard and how much Ram you have.
To answer your point about other components, there's no point upgrading you graphics card if you have 2Gb Ram, it will be a little better, but 4 or more Gb would be better. I can be more accurate if I know what motherboard we're using.
Also PSU is fairly critical.

 

[bobkn]

I attached what I think might help but I'm not sure

The information that you supplied isn't all that we need to see, but it's encouraging.

You have a high-end CPU (I7-870) in a Socket 1156 motherboard. You have a PCI-E (PCI Express) graphics card slot, which is required for most graphics card upgrades.

The information that we lack is what power supply you have, and the physical space available for the card. You won't find out either of those from Windows or a third-party software application. Also: what's your budget?

IF you have a 550W PSU with 38A available at +12V, and two 6 pin PCI-E power connectors, you could even use an nVidia GTX680 card. An AMD Radeon HD 7970 would require a bit more, say 620W or more. These are the most powerful single processor graphics cards on the market at the moment, and expensive ($500US for the 680, $530 for the 7970).

 

[jimmyrc]

thanks
so how do i check them?
i'm not too sure, maybe around $200?

 

[bobkn]

thanks
so how do i check them?
i'm not too sure, maybe around $200?

How do you check them?

The PSU should have a label on it that lists its specs.

For the length of the card, you use a ruler.

Both require opening the case.

Or, if we knew what sort of PC it was, its specs may be available online. Is there some reason you aren't supplying that information? That limits the quality of the advice you'll receive.

If you only need to buy a card (no new power supply), with a $200 budget, in the USA your choices would be cards based on the AMD Radeon HD 6850 or 6870, or the nVidia 560ti cards. I see that the current exchange rate is about 1:1 for Australian dollars to US, but I have no idea about Australian sellers.

Good luck.

 

[jimmyrc]

no sorry, i just have no idea what you need to know
i am very computer ignorant and am not sure how to check the pc type