I bought a computer at a yard sale to add to my LAN room. Any recommendations on what graphics card to put in.
The motherboard and the case are the same as in this listing: http://www.amazon.com/RY206-Dell-Motherboard-Inspiron-Mainboard/dp/B003CO0WSQ
Must have OpenGL support.
Thank you!
Most modern GPU's have OpenGL support.
If you are sticking with the stock PSU then a 750 TI will be a very capable GPU for 1080P gaming with only drawing power from the PCI-E slot.
This GPU supports OpenGL up to 4.4
Will this fit your budget or are you willing to spend more or do you need to spend less?
A step up from this GPU most likely will require a PSU upgrade as well.
I once used a hacksaw to make a Sapphire 290 fit in a case. Anything is possible.
Well it's not a matter of clearance, it's a matter of matching the proper hardware. You don't want to strap a jet turbine to a tricycle.
@KanViInte what is the exact hardware in the build? Mainly CPU, total RAM capacity, and PSU wattage.
I know it isn't the best, I am not looking to upgrade anything but the graphics card. Possibly a PSU at last resort.
@Theonewhoisdrunk
4GB DDR2 Ram
CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+ 2.30GHz
250 Watt PSU
That needs a 400 Watt PSU, the case, by default, comes with a 250Watt
That is just a over estimate of the system in case you have an absolutely bottom dollar PSU just to protect the manufacture.
The 750 Ti pulls around 60W of power. Hmm, not too sure about that CPU though, at full load it it pulls quite a bit of power.
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Processors/AMD-Athlon-64-X2-4400-Dual-Core-Processor-Review/Power-Consumption-and-Decipherin
I have ran the 750 Ti along side an Intel Dual core G3250 off of a couple different 250W PSU's but that CPU in my system consumes about 40W to 50W.
Maxwell architecture has really low idle power, in any case, you can always down clock the GPU and undervolt it through some GPU tuning software, it should still give you good performance at reduced power use.
Are there any lesser graphics cards that wouldn't require a switching of any other hardware? Maybe something around 1GB or VRAM?
Honestly, the 750 Ti is going to be your best bet in terms of performance and power consumption.
Anything lesser may only be suitable as a GPU for an extra monitor or two.
Like I said before, the 400W requirement is an over estimate.
Some lesser GPU's even state a 500W requirement.
There is also this R7 240 but I don't think it would much worth it having to turn down many settings
It should consume around 30W.
Okay, thank you! I will keep them both in mind
R7 250, GTX 650, HD 7750, cards like that?
Also the 4400+ is going to seriously show its age if you are thinking of using this for general use and gaming. Expect to be closing your browser to start up a game otherwise you will quickly run into a resource limit.