Solved Trying to buy a better graphics card & more RAM.

[MellowSwank]

I don't know really much about computer hardware so im lost in what kind of RAM or graphics card I can buy. I want at least 8GB of RAM so I could run games like Call of Duty without a problem. Can anyone give me some suggestions it would be much appreciated!

(I don't know if i put this thread in the right category)

 

[essenbe]

For the ram, run the Crucial memory advisor and it will tell you what you need to buy. You can buy it anywhere as long as it has the same specs as the crucial advisor suggests.

As far as a graphics card it will depend on the wattage and amps of your power supply as well as how much you want to spend and what you intend to do with it besides play BF3.

 

[MellowSwank]

For the ram, run the Crucial memory advisor and it will tell you what you need to buy. You can buy it anywhere as long as it has the same specs as the crucial advisor suggests.

As far as a graphics card it will depend on the wattage and amps of your power supply as well as how much you want to spend and what you intend to do with it besides play BF3.

how do I find the wattage and amps of my power supply? I think I have an idea on how much I want to spend on it.

 

[essenbe]

If you open the case and look on the side of the PSU there should be a large sticker. It should tell you all of the information you need, plus some. If you can tell us the Brand, wattage and how many amps on the +12V. The reason is graphics cards tend to be the largest user of power in your machine. So, you will be limited on choice of graphics cards by how much power your PSU has. So, your graphics card choice will be limited by the PSU or you have the option of getting a better graphics card and a new PSU large enough to handle it. The brand is important as well. Some of the lower end PSUs are not reliable and won't put out the power they say they do. The better brands have built in safety mechanisms and will always give you the power they say they will. They do cost more but it is worth it. Never skimp on a PSU. A bad brand can go out and take out all of your components with it. The better ones have fail safe mechanisms in it to keep that from happening. I hope that explains it a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Another consideration when looking for GPU's will be the size of the GPU (length) versus the available space and then will it get ample case air flow to stay cool under gaming loads.

 

[MellowSwank]

If you open the case and look on the side of the PSU there should be a large sticker. It should tell you all of the information you need, plus some. If you can tell us the Brand, wattage and how many amps on the +12V. The reason is graphics cards tend to be the largest user of power in your machine. So, you will be limited on choice of graphics cards by how much power your PSU has. So, your graphics card choice will be limited by the PSU or you have the option of getting a better graphics card and a new PSU large enough to handle it. The brand is important as well. Some of the lower end PSUs are not reliable and won't put out the power they say they do. The better brands have built in safety mechanisms and will always give you the power they say they will. They do cost more but it is worth it. Never skimp on a PSU. A bad brand can go out and take out all of your components with it. The better ones have fail safe mechanisms in it to keep that from happening. I hope that explains it a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

What if I have an all in one PC? Will the power supply still show? I know they can be more tricky to get into.

 

[essenbe]

I really know little about all in one's, but in my opinion the power supply matters no matter what type computer you use. No matter what you use, it's the power supply that runs everything in your computer. Every component is connected to it in some way. Some of the high end cards can pull 300+ Watts on full load. If your power supply won't put out enough to run that as well as the rest of your computer, you have serious problems.

 

[Lava King]

If you open the case and look on the side of the PSU there should be a large sticker. It should tell you all of the information you need, plus some. If you can tell us the Brand, wattage and how many amps on the +12V. The reason is graphics cards tend to be the largest user of power in your machine. So, you will be limited on choice of graphics cards by how much power your PSU has. So, your graphics card choice will be limited by the PSU or you have the option of getting a better graphics card and a new PSU large enough to handle it. The brand is important as well. Some of the lower end PSUs are not reliable and won't put out the power they say they do. The better brands have built in safety mechanisms and will always give you the power they say they will. They do cost more but it is worth it. Never skimp on a PSU. A bad brand can go out and take out all of your components with it. The better ones have fail safe mechanisms in it to keep that from happening. I hope that explains it a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

What if I have an all in one PC? Will the power supply still show? I know they can be more tricky to get into.

This is an All-In-One PC? What is the model number?

As a general rule, the All In One PCs don't have upgradeable graphics because the motherboard is essentially a laptop board. There will not be an expansion slot to plug in a standard graphics card.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

As mentioned before these all in ones are really more laptop then desktop. If so then you have zero options for changing out components. You may have a little wiggle room for ram if the back can be removed to access two mobile style ram slots and you double check with HP and it likely will limit you to 8gb and you could try something like these:

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Laptop Memory Module - DDR3, 2 x 4GB, SODIMM, PC3-12800, 1600MHz, CL 9, 1.5V (BLS2K4G3N169ES4) at TigerDirect.com

 

[MellowSwank]

If you open the case and look on the side of the PSU there should be a large sticker. It should tell you all of the information you need, plus some. If you can tell us the Brand, wattage and how many amps on the +12V. The reason is graphics cards tend to be the largest user of power in your machine. So, you will be limited on choice of graphics cards by how much power your PSU has. So, your graphics card choice will be limited by the PSU or you have the option of getting a better graphics card and a new PSU large enough to handle it. The brand is important as well. Some of the lower end PSUs are not reliable and won't put out the power they say they do. The better brands have built in safety mechanisms and will always give you the power they say they will. They do cost more but it is worth it. Never skimp on a PSU. A bad brand can go out and take out all of your components with it. The better ones have fail safe mechanisms in it to keep that from happening. I hope that explains it a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

What if I have an all in one PC? Will the power supply still show? I know they can be more tricky to get into.

This is an All-In-One PC? What is the model number?

As a general rule, the All In One PCs don't have upgradeable graphics because the motherboard is essentially a laptop board. There will not be an expansion slot to plug in a standard graphics card.

The model # is 120-1133W it's an HP Omni All-In-One PC

 

[Lava King]

The specifications and information for your PC are here.

A RAM upgrade is possible, but honestly, you won't see any benefit from it while gaming.

 

[MellowSwank]

The specifications and information for your PC are here.

A RAM upgrade is possible, but honestly, you won't see any benefit from it while gaming.

Thank you & that sucks oh well

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Start dreaming up a custom build and hang here checking out the "show us your rig" thread and we'd love to help you build your next dream machine !

 

[essenbe]

Start dreaming up a custom build and hang here checking out the "show us your rig" thread and we'd love to help you build your next dream machine !

+1, we love those threads. Just be careful, it's habit forming and addictive. Just look at linnemeyerhere.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

1+ to the addiction I think I've asked all my friends at least twice if I can build and demystify the art of the build. May have my oldest brother on the hook for a rig....oh boy !

 

[MellowSwank]

Start dreaming up a custom build and hang here checking out the "show us your rig" thread and we'd love to help you build your next dream machine !

what??

 

[linnemeyerhere]

exactly !!