Hardware & Technical Just need a little help with a few questions.

[Cpt Pete]

I just got a new comp which is:
Zoostorm i5-4460 3.2GHz
1TB hard drive , 8BG RAM and wifi desktop
.
I'm looking to getting a :
MSI GTX 750 1GB VGA
Dual Link DVI-D
HMDI PCI_E
1GB GDDR5 Memory
PCI Express x16 3.0 Interface
.
My questions are:
1,Will this work on my comp?
2,Will I need to get more "Wattage" to run it?
3,Do'es it matter that it is GDDR5 and my comp have GDDR3 memory
.
That's it , just needed to ask people who know about this stuff so I don't but something that's wrong.
.
thank you all in advance

 

[Jacknife]

Graphics card memory doesn't have to be of the same type as system RAM.

To know whether that card will work in your computer, one would need to know whether it has an open PCI-E x16 graphics slot, and how much power your power supply can output, and whether the power supply has the necessary connectors (graphics cards commonly include power cable adapters, which will take two old-style Molex plugs and feed them into one plug compatible with the card).

 

[Cpt Pete]

Sorry it took so long , couldn't find the info anywhere so opened it up.
.
Apparently it has 250W
1xPCI Express x16 slot running at x16
2xPCI Express x1 slots

No idea about if the power supply has connectors or not
.
You can probably tell I'm no tech wiz , hope this is enough info I'm really dying to play this game , I just don't want to make a mistake to start with.
.Thanks again

 

[Jacknife]

The good news is that from what I can see, the GTX 750 doesn't demand an awful lot of power. The bad news is that a 250W power supply might not be enough even for a low-power-demand card. For someone technically inclined, I'd recommend replacing the power supply with something higher-grade. I don't know if you feel comfortable fiddling with your system to that extent.

 

[Cpt Pete]

I'll give anything a go lol
.
I will just swap wire for wire as I replace.
.
Anything with the "new" power supply I should be looking out for?
I saw one that was 450W for £20 from Ebuyer,but cheap is not always a good thing sometimes.
.
Anyway ,thanks for answering my problem and with any luck , i'll buzz past you in a sidewinder soon lol =P

 

[mosafer1]

I just got a new comp which is:
Zoostorm i5-4460 3.2GHz
1TB hard drive , 8BG RAM and wifi desktop
.
I'm looking to getting a :
MSI GTX 750 1GB VGA
Dual Link DVI-D
HMDI PCI_E
1GB GDDR5 Memory
PCI Express x16 3.0 Interface
.
My questions are:
1,Will this work on my comp?
2,Will I need to get more "Wattage" to run it?
3,Do'es it matter that it is GDDR5 and my comp have GDDR3 memory
.
That's it , just needed to ask people who know about this stuff so I don't but something that's wrong.
.
thank you all in advance

As i know the GTX 750 doesn't demand an awful lot of power but the problem is 250W power supply might not be enough even for a low-power-demand card

 

[Surfinjo]

I'll give anything a go lol
.
I will just swap wire for wire as I replace.
.
Anything with the "new" power supply I should be looking out for?
I saw one that was 450W for £20 from Ebuyer,but cheap is not always a good thing sometimes.


.
Anyway ,thanks for answering my problem and with any luck , i'll buzz past you in a sidewinder soon lol =P

I will strongly suggest you go for something bigger, though I know a few here seem to disagree. The consensus in the tech field is it needs to be more than minimum. 450W isn't anything like enough and more importantly, a £20 PSU is likely to be made with cheap components which will drift a lot, possibly damaging the whole machine.

Look to pay at least £80

Look for a modular supply. All the leads are supplied, but you only need to plug in those you are going to use. Not essential, but neater. If you don't use modular, remember to wind up and tie off any unused leads, don't leave them hanging around.

As for connecting up, everyone has to do a bit of thinking here. Just remember to take your time. The leads are, mostly different in shape. Some larger plugs are actually made up of two smaller ones. The two will always pair together, you will see what this means when you are doing it.

 

[Cpt Pete]

Ok , thanks a lot , what "Wattage" are we talking here then 600W-750?
.
I'm just a bloke trying to relive the old days lol
I got no idea what Modular or drifting means in this context but I'll take it on board.
I'm not a gamer , this is just the families home comp I'm trying to upgrade in order to play 1 game =)
Thanks so much ...you been a help already to a technophobe oldie lol =P

 

[adoredtv]

For the love of god read this Surfinjo - http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphi...vert-OEMs-PCs-Gaming-PCs/Power-Consumption-Ch

£80 PSU's are for dual-GPU setups only, not entry level gaming machines. Nobody with a single graphics card - especially not something weak like a 750 Ti - needs to waste power and energy on 750W PSUs. The vast majority of single-card systems don't even draw 250W at full tilt.



The OP's current PSU will be fine for a card like the 750 Ti. Based on that article he can expect to draw a maximum of 150W and probably a lot less, nearer 120W.

 

[Cpt Pete]

Hmmmmm.
.
Apart from the card is just a 750 not a 750 TI (which would make it even weaker I think) , I'm just a little confused now lol.
.
Some say `get more wattage` some say `what you got will do`
I don't need "future proofing" I just want to play this game =D

 

[adoredtv]

These things follow simple physical laws. It is simply not possible for a CPU like the one you have and a 750 Ti to draw more power than they need.

Your CPU has an 84W TDP. It is unlikely to even draw that amount but that should be pretty near the maximum if it does. A 750 Ti can draw about 60-70W. The rest of your components cannot draw more than 20W and I'd say 10W was more like it. At an absolute maximum that's 175W. In reality you're talking 120W, like the review of that Gateway DX4885 shows (note that it uses a very similar CPU to yours, one that also has an 84W TDP).

If your PSU blows up, it's because it can't handle 120W, which means it's defective which means you contact them and get a replacement.

I have sold hundreds of PCs with various PSUs and had one return due to a bad PSU. The vast majority of them are no-brand sub-450W PSUs. HP, Dell, Lenovo sell over a hundred million PCs every year with no-brand sub-450W PSUs. If they were blowing up all the time, you'd think they'd we'd save ourselves a lot of money on returns by using a better PSU, right?

PSUs blow up because people do stupid stuff without really understanding what they are doing, ie they start using too many adapters in order to make a graphics card work. Something like, if the PSU has 2x 4-pin molex connectors they think that they can stick on 2x 4-pin to 6-pin adapters and suddenly their PSU will be capable of running a 225W card when it is clearly designed to run only a 75W Card (the lack of natural 6-pin connectors on the PSU is something of a giveaway that the PSU was never gonna be able to provide enough power for a 225W card).

 

[Surfinjo]

Ok , thanks a lot , what "Wattage" are we talking here then 600W-750?
.
I'm just a bloke trying to relive the old days lol
I got no idea what Modular or drifting means in this context but I'll take it on board.
I'm not a gamer , this is just the families home comp I'm trying to upgrade in order to play 1 game =)
Thanks so much ...you been a help already to a technophobe oldie lol =P

The link kindly provided by adoredtv is interesting. But I'm passing on the opinion of the general consensus among computer techs.

You said you were proposing to buy a new PSU for £20. I'm simply saying that, since you are buying new equipment is it pointless to save a few bucks on a cheap PSU which the consensus of opinion among computer techs is unwise on several issues.

Modular refers to the way the connection cables are used. In a standard system, all the cables are connected and emerge in a bundle, which you need to sort through. With modular, the PSU case has a large array of sockets, and a selection of connection cables. You attach the cables you intend to use and leave the rest. It's for tidiness sake only.

Drift is a technical problem which occurs with all PSUs. It refers to the tendency for the specs of PSUs, power output, voltage stabilization, heat regulation and so on, to gradually alter. Cheap PSUs are notorious for this.

A further problem you will probably get with a cheap PSU is the available connection plugs. Modern Graphics cards, especially the one you are looking at, need specific power connections to work. A cheap PSU may not have those.

At the end of the day, I strongly suggest that, before saving a few quid on a cheap PSU, you ask for advice from professionals. With great respect, this is simply a forum where we take everything on trust.

 

[Surfinjo]

These things follow simple physical laws. It is simply not possible for a CPU like the one you have and a 750 Ti to draw more power than they need.

Your CPU has an 84W TDP. It is unlikely to even draw that amount but that should be pretty near the maximum if it does. A 750 Ti can draw about 60-70W. The rest of your components cannot draw more than 20W and I'd say 10W was more like it. At an absolute maximum that's 175W. In reality you're talking 120W, like the review of that Gateway DX4885 shows (note that it uses a very similar CPU to yours, one that also has an 84W TDP).

.

Respectfully, that is not correct.

If the voltage regulation drifts, the power consumed by any component will necessarily increase. It is a simple calculation called Ohms law. V=IR. So, if the voltage is 5V and the internal resistance of the unit is 0.75R, then the current will be 6.66A. If the voltage drifts to say 6, then the current will also drift to 8A.

The power consumed and therefore the heat generated will rise from 33.3W to 48W. Add that all over the computer and you have a lot more heat to deal with, which can burn out expensive stuff.

That is the penalty for using cheap PSUs.

 

[adoredtv]

Respectfully, that is not correct.

If the voltage regulation drifts, the power consumed by any component will necessarily increase. It is a simple calculation called Ohms law. V=IR. So, if the voltage is 5V and the internal resistance of the unit is 0.75R, then the current will be 6.66A. If the voltage drifts to say 6, then the current will also drift to 8A.

The power consumed and therefore the heat generated will rise from 33.3W to 48W. Add that all over the computer and you have a lot more heat to deal with, which can burn out expensive stuff.

That is the penalty for using cheap PSUs.

Again, I'll point to the hundred million HP, Dell and Lenovo PSUs that are sold every year with no-brand 450W PSUs. Many are in fact 300W PSUs.

The fact is, the systems they are selling are not capable of drawing that amount of power. Even with horrible drift they will not draw that much power, and if they do it's because that particular PSU is faulty.

If they were getting PCs back due to faulty power supplies, they would replace those units with something more reliable. This is just common sense.

Look - http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/P...ABU&mastersku=J2H41EA&masteropt=ABU&sel=PCDT&

i7, GTX 770, 16 GB RAM - 500W "no-brand" PSU.

They will sell tens of thousands of these units. Nvidia recommends 600W minimum for the 770, yet HP who sells tens of thousands of systems with that card only uses a no-brand 500W PSU. Who do you think is right about the power requirements? These things are quality tested before a single unit leaves the factory.

Here's another one - http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=ECC_BUNDLE_4821240&opt=&sel=PCDT

An AMD Quad Core A8-6500 (65W) with R7 240 graphics card (30W) and 180W PSU. Bizarrely, AMD recommends a 400W PSU for that card but I'm gonna go right ahead and trust HP as they are the ones who are losing out on returned faulty hardware.

 

[Cpt Pete]

So if I get the card and put it in , it will either work or a window will pop up saying "I CANNA do it Cpt, I must have more power" (Scottish accent if possible please =D)
There won't be any Pops or puffs of mysterious blue smoke then?

 

[adoredtv]

So if I get the card and put it in , it will either work or a window will pop up saying "I CANNA do it Cpt, I must have more power" (Scottish accent if possible please =D)
There won't be any Pops or puffs of mysterious blue smoke then?

I can't guarantee that but I couldn't guarantee that with an £80 PSU either. So long as your PSU isn't faulty it should be fine. I will guarantee you that your system with a GTX 750 cannot draw anywhere near 250W of power.

If you want to spend a little on another PSU, find one that has a 6-pin connector. No PSU vendor is crazy enough to sell PSUs with 6-pins that can't handle 150W cards so it'll easily be able to handle a 75W card like the 750.

 

[Surfinjo]

So if I get the card and put it in , it will either work or a window will pop up saying "I CANNA do it Cpt, I must have more power" (Scottish accent if possible please =D)
There won't be any Pops or puffs of mysterious blue smoke then?

You should do whatever you wish.

At the end of the day, it means nothing to me or anyone else.

I have suggested caution with cheap stuff. Others seem to be saying What could Possiably go wrong?

Have fun.

 

[Slawkenbergius]

Again, I'll point to the hundred million HP, Dell and Lenovo PSUs that are sold every year with no-brand 450W PSUs. Many are in fact 300W PSUs.

Those companies have the benefit of testing the particular unit before they put it in their machines. They can pretty much guarantee it's up to spec, whereas a home-consumer is buying blind more-or-less.

I agree with what you've said about not needing to overspec on wattage, and it is actually counterproductive in terms of power efficiency. Personally I'd spend a bit more on the PSU, and get a model with at least a bronze-rating and also with a decent fan. I used a cheap PSU in my old PC and it has serious noise issues.

 

[adoredtv]

Those companies have the benefit of testing the particular unit before they put it in their machines. They can pretty much guarantee it's up to spec, whereas a home-consumer is buying blind more-or-less.

It's the same for the PSU makers - they know what their PSUs can handle and stick on 6-pins and 8-pins as appropriate - regardless of whatever Wattage they are claiming the PSU is capable of. If you try to run 750W through a "750W" PSU that only has 1 6-pin for example, it's gonna be a dead PSU. I absolutely guarantee that.

I agree with what you've said about not needing to overspec on wattage, and it is actually counterproductive in terms of power efficiency. Personally I'd spend a bit more on the PSU, and get a model with at least a bronze-rating and also with a decent fan. I used a cheap PSU in my old PC and it has serious noise issues.

I mostly agree (I stick Corsair 430W's in a lot of PCs that have 6-pin or dual 6-pin requirement), it's just that sometimes there is no need to spend more money, especially on low power PCs.