Can I install a new video card?

[kidintrouble]

I just bought a PC - HP Pavilion p6540d. I know it's not much but I want to upgrade it one item at a time.

For its graphics, my p6540d only came with this: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 HD - up to 782 MB total available graphics memory.

I mean, come on... I don't even have a video card. So I reckon getting one is the most important and I'm planning to get ATI RADEON HD4650 1GB DDR2/128bit but I'm not sure if my "system" can handle it. So please let me know.

Below is the PC specs. Am I able to buy a video card for it?

Do I have to upgrade my RAM first before getting a 1GB video card? Is my processor okay? If it is not necessary to upgrade processor, I'd rather not for now as my priority is the graphics because I'm a bit into gaming.

OS: Windows 7 Home Basic 320bit
Processor: Intel® Pentium® processor E6600 3.06 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB
Standard Memory: 2GB DDR3
Memory slots: 2 DIMM sockets
Internal drives: 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive (7200 rpm)
Optical drives: SuperMulti SATA Drive and Double Layer supporting Lightscribe Technology

Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 HD up to 782 MB total available graphics memory

Ports: 6 USB 2.0 ports (2 in front), 1 Line-in, 1 Line-out, 2 Microphones (1 in front), 1 Headphone, LAN, VGA Port

Video connectors: NONE SPECIFIED??? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?! :shock:

See it for yourself, mine is the p6540d:

HP Pavilion p6500 Desktop PC series specifications - HP Home & Home Office products


THANKS!!!

 

[Fumz]

I don't see that you have a pci-express slot; without it, there would be nowhere to place the graphics card.

However, the Intel G41 chipset does indeed have a pci-e lane, so you might be in luck? I guess it all depends on whether HP jacked you or not? Intel® G41 Express chipset - Overview

Can you pop the side panel off and see if you have a pci-e slot?

 

[smarteyeball]

You can update your video card, (if you have the oci-e slot) but your other biggest limiting factor would be the Power Supply.

Considering the rest of the specs, your current one may not be up to the job (they never list the PSU specs - the only proper way is to look at the PSU itself)

For the 4650 a 350-400 Watt + is recommended, but it's not so much the wattage that counts, it's the AMPS on the 12v rail.

 

[kidintrouble]

You can update your video card, (if you have the oci-e slot) but your other biggest limiting factor would be the Power Supply.

Considering the rest of the specs, your current one may not be up to the job (they never list the PSU specs - the only proper way is to look at the PSU itself)

For the 4650 a 350-400 Watt + is recommended, but it's not so much the wattage that counts, it's the AMPS on the 12v rail.

thanks! i will check over the weekend and let you know. how about the slot? is there a concern on that? i will call HP, too.

 

[kidintrouble]

I don't see that you have a pci-express slot; without it, there would be nowhere to place the graphics card.

However, the Intel G41 chipset does indeed have a pci-e lane, so you might be in luck? I guess it all depends on whether HP jacked you or not? Intel® G41 Express chipset - Overview

Can you pop the side panel off and see if you have a pci-e slot?

Should I be looking for an "empty" PCI-E slot? I don't even know how it looks like.

And if the Intel G41 chipset has a PCI-E lane, does it have to be removed so I can put a new video card in its place? I really sound stupid, don't I? Sorry, I am not techie at all.

 

[Fumz]

Ok, I just found a pic of your board. Looks like it does have a pci-e slot. It's the longer of the 3 black slots shown here: Motherboard Specifications H-I41-uATX (Eton) HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC - HP technical support (Finland - English)

Just make sure you actually have this before you buy a card. It's extremely odd that HP does not mention on the page you linked; instead, this very needed feature is hidden deep within their page.

 

[kidintrouble]

Ok, I just found a pic of your board. Looks like it does have a pci-e slot. It's the longer of the 3 black slots shown here: Motherboard Specifications H-I41-uATX (Eton) HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC - HP technical support (Finland - English)

Just make sure you actually have this before you buy a card. It's extremely odd that HP does not mention on the page you linked; instead, this very needed feature is hidden deep within their page.

Damn, you are talented! Couldn't thank you enough! I will check my board. Thanks! Rep added!

 

[bobkn]

Courtesy of our friends at Google:

HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC Product Specifications HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC - HP technical support (Belgium - English)

It states that you have a 250W PSU. That's weak.

The p6555d model is sold with a Radeon 5450 graphics card. It, too, is speciifed as having a 250W PSU. However, if we can trust:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

the 4650 needs about 35W, while the 5450 only consumes about 9W. The 4650 is supposed to have much better performance than the 5450, so that makes sense.

The calculator above suggests that a 250W PSU is adequate. You may not have much margin, though.

 

[kidintrouble]

Courtesy of our friends at Google:

HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC Product Specifications HP Pavilion p6540d Desktop PC - HP technical support (Belgium - English)

It states that you have a 250W PSU. That's weak.

The p6555d model is sold with a Radeon 5450 graphics card. It, too, is speciifed as having a 250W PSU. However, if we can trust:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

the 4650 needs about 35W, while the 5450 only consumes about 9W. The 4650 is supposed to have much better performance than the 5450, so that makes sense.

The calculator above suggests that a 250W PSU is adequate. You may not have much margin, though.

Pardon me but I am completely computer illiterate. Why is the power supply important? What will happen if I don't have adequate power supply if after sticking a new graphics card? Thanks.

 

[Fumz]

Modern dedicated graphics cards require a lot of power. They can draw 75 watts from the pci-e slot, and 75 watts from each subsequent 6-pin pci-e connector; 150 watts for an 8-pin.

Don't be overly concerned with overall wattage of the psu you pick; instead, what you want to look for is high +12 volt amperage. The +12 volt rail powers just about everything in a modern computer, so having a large rail is important... whether it's 600 or 800 watts, not so much.

 

[bobkn]

Pardon me but I am completely computer illiterate. Why is the power supply important? What will happen if I don't have adequate power supply if after sticking a new graphics card? Thanks.

I'm not sure what would happen. I've never seen it in my limited personal experience.

I expect that the card may not run reliably when it's heavily loaded.

Worse would be if the PSU failed due to being run too close to its ratings for too long. A blown PSU can damage or destroy everything else.

(My first IBM clone was a Dell, purchased in 1995. I ended up handing it down to my nephew. Its PSU failed. He told me that a local shop had repaired it. Turns out that "repair" meant that they were able to re-use the RAM and PCI graphics card in a new build. Everything else was fried.)

 

[thomas242]

I am willing to bet that the 250w PSU you have is giving you all the problems. The one thing you need when your putting a higher end video card in that PC of yours is power. I willing to bet dell did what they all ways do in their budget pc's and gave you just enough power to run it with nothing added in it. Theirs nothing wrong with what they did because it ran fine before you tried to add the new card in it right.
Go out and get a new psu 500+W will fix your problem your having. Do not try and run that card with so little power you can blow up your hole setup by not having enough juice running threw it. Just do me one favor and don't buy a bar gin bin PSU I don't know how many times I seen friends buy a cheap PSU and have it blow up a few months after they bought it and take out their PC