I got suckered into buying a Lenova k430 pc. I want to upgrade the graphics card to a Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC so i can run games at more than 20 fps on all low settings lol. Also the case was broken and i need to replace that. I don't know what case to buy. I switched from console so bear with me on these questions. Is replacing a graphics card as simple as plugging it in? What case should i get for under 70? Is the audio jack part of the case because that was broken on this pc? Will I have to rebuild my pc into the new case or can i just leave everything plugged in and transfer it over? Thanks for your time.
- assuming a 2nd hand 7970
- you will need a new psu, no problem as you're getting a new case anyway
- audio jack - front of case or at the rear (off the motherboard)?? if its the port on the case, dont worry you're getting a new case, if off the motherboard then depending on how badly damaged it is then it can be a quick fix or a replace and soldering on a new port job
- cheap case & psu combo around the $100 mark
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pY6RB - dont understand your last section on transferring components..... how the hell would you intend to move such things as the drives and motherboard without unplugging cables??? Unplug everthing that has a plug, clean off dust, install in new case, check everything is sweet, turn on, clean off old gpu drivers, install new gpu drivers, do cartwheels.
no im buying a new 7970 do i still need a new power supply? btw thanks for the help
What are the actual specs on the rig you have? From what I've seen of the specs, it may be a CPU bottleneck, not likely, but possible.
More pictures might be nice, to see if the PSU needs replacing, though I would recommend just swapping it out.
- new 7970... they're a few years old now. If someone is selling them as new stock then avoid and buy elsewhere - they became a 280x then to what is now a 380.
- Without knowing exactly what psu is in your pc, one can hazard a good educated guess that its a low output unit (it never was intended to power anything more than what the pc was configured with from lenovo). The best gpu you could perhaps run without changing out the psu would be a 750ti or even stretch to a gtx960 (via use of molex to 6pin adapters) - they require bugger all power.
Thanks for the help this was really useful. Glad you told me about replacing the psu. One last question though. I was looking for a good graphics card around the $250 range, is the 7970 the best one to go with or is there something better and would i need a larger psu than the one you recommended?
Okay, assuming you have a low budget, that case will easily house a GTX 960, and you shouldn't get too much of a bottleneck from your CPU. Not to mention the right custom PCBs have really small tidy layouts.
If all else fails puts on trollface Get a R9 Fury X
okay so I decided I am going to go with the Gigabyte GTX 960 Overclocked 4 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card GV-N960WF2OC-4GD. What power supply will I need for this and what case will fit it?
I was more thinking this card: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5369
Not sure if it's out officially ye. EVGA also do an ITX version as well.
These only need a single 6 Pin power slot. These will fit in nearly every case on the market
I am buying a new case anyway so i don't care about the size of it as i can choose a case based off of it. Also wouldn't the one I chose be faster? Also I will buy a new psu if I need to to power the card.
Sounds to me almost like a full new system 0.o
No need to buy a new case if you don't need to. Just my two cents on it.
I really would not recommend the Radeon HD 7970 at this stage. It's not really a supported card anymore.
I would get a R9 380 if you can stretch to it if you're set on an AMD card. It's an awesome card, and will fit your case, saving you the headache. If you're not AMD loyal, look for an entry GTX 970, I really cannot stress how good the GTX 970 really is.
Edit:
My bad, should have included something else -
It would be worth while more keeping your case and getting a better PSU if you need one than getting a case and realizing you didn't need it. Looked up the case you have on that system, and it looks fine IMO. You can get a decent 500 watt modular PSU which will support your system easily for around $60USD, €60 or £50 if you're willing to shop around.
someone knocked the pc over and destroyed the case but not the components so they are buying me a new case. Also I was talking about the gigabyte gtx 960 windforce 4gb over the mini 4gb.
Just giving some alternatives :) Should have mentioned that in my edit, my bad