AMD Radeon HD 7850

[GothAmKing]

Hello everyone!!! I just finished off my high school and I'm off now to serious gaming. My present PC config is as follows:-
☻Intel Dual core processor
☻Intel DG31GL motherboard having Intel G31/33 chipset
☻Transcend 4GB DDR2 RAM
☻Seagate 500 GB internal HDD
☻Frontech 450W PSU
☻LG 17" TFT LCD (85Hz 1440x900) monitor
☻a stupid old computer case

But the problem is right now I can only spend $ 320.So I'm thinking of taking a Asus G41 chipset for $ 80 and the Gigabyte Radeon 7850 HD.I don't want to upgrade my processor and RAM 'cuz that would push the budget high up.
I'm also taking a new mobo as the existing one does not have a graphics card slot(and I'm not pretty sure of that,the shopkeeper came and told me this after inspecting my PC).
As the Pitcairn pro supports reverse compatibility, so it would run on a PCIe 2.0 mobo without any problem or any noticeble performance lag.Kindly anyone and everyone suggest me what to do next?Am I okay with my decided upgrade?

 

[azeem40]

http://ark.intel.com/products/35120/Intel-Desktop-Board-DG31GL
He was wrong. It comes with one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot. No need for a new board.

 

[Concillian]

Verify that you have an x16 slot or not. Just open the side and look. It's pretty obvious the difference between PCI-express x16 and x1 and old school PCI.

I suspect you don't need a new motherboard, and if so, I'd definitely keep your current board until you can manage to do mobo + CPU + RAM all at once.

7850 is probably a bit overkill at that 1440x900 resolution, but at least it will last a while.

 

[chimaxi83]

http://ark.intel.com/products/35120/Intel-Desktop-Board-DG31GL
He was wrong. It comes with one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot. No need for a new board.

He was right. The CHIPSET supports PCIe, however his board only has two legacy PCI slots.

 

[GothAmKing]

He was right. The CHIPSET supports PCIe, however his board only has two legacy PCI slots.

But, in Intel's site as quoted by azeem40,It says the following:-
_______________________________________________________________
PCI Support 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PCIe x1 Gen 2.x 2

PCIe x4 Gen 2.x 0

PCIe x8 Gen 2.x 0

PCIe x16 Gen 2.x 1
_______________________________________________________________
So,I see only ONE x16 PCIe slot,And as far as my knowledge goes the 7850 should be perfectly comfortable provided it is feeded by a healthy 600W PSU.'cuz,according to the reviews 7850 supports reverse compatibility.Am I right guyz????????

Well,and the AMD site says it is fully compatible with DirectX 11.1.But DirectX 11.1 ain't gonna be available before launch of Windows 8.Now,the thing is at Newegg I check every vendor-Sapphire,Asus,XFX,GigaByte,HIS,MSI,Powercolor-they say its DirectX 11.Whats the matter then?Is AMD fooling us?

 

[GothAmKing]

Verify that you have an x16 slot or not. Just open the side and look. It's pretty obvious the difference between PCI-express x16 and x1 and old school PCI.

I suspect you don't need a new motherboard, and if so, I'd definitely keep your current board until you can manage to do mobo + CPU + RAM all at once.

7850 is probably a bit overkill at that 1440x900 resolution, but at least it will last a while.

As Intel's site tells,my mobo has ONE x16 PCIe 2.0 slot.But after opening the case,I see TWO identical white slots(marked in the picture).

Now how to tell which one is what?
Also,in most mobos I've seen they use a slot like this for graphics card(It's the Intel's DG41RQ):-

But this kinda slot is absent in my mobo.So,can I be sure that I will be able to run a HD 7850 on my existing mobo DG31GL?Please,be merciful and reply fast.I just cannot wait to buy a HD 7850.........

 

[Chiropteran]

Looks like you are out of luck. If you leave near a Microcenter, I'd suggest looking at the bundle deals. A low end FX-4100 (but perfectly fine for gaming) CPU + MB for $99, for example.

 

[chimaxi83]

As Intel's site tells,my mobo has ONE x16 PCIe 2.0 slot.But after opening the case,I see TWO identical white slots(marked in the picture).

Now how to tell which one is what?
Also,in most mobos I've seen they use a slot like this for graphics card(It's the Intel's DG41RQ):-

But this kinda slot is absent in my mobo.So,can I be sure that I will be able to run a HD 7850 on my existing mobo DG31GL?Please,be merciful and reply fast.I just cannot wait to buy a HD 7850.........

Ok, like I said earlier. The CHIPSET supports your board having that slot. Meaning the controller that is installed on your motherboard CAN control a PCIe slot. A chipset can control any feature specified by Intel, however it is up to the manufacturer of the board to install that feature, in this case being a PCI Express slot.

So, despite the chipset support being there, like you see on Intel's website, the slot was never installed. So you only have two legacy (old) PCI slots, no PCIe. The two white slots are the exact same, and a 7850 will not work in either of the two.

 

[chronochime]

Ok, like I said earlier. The CHIPSET supports your board having that slot. Meaning the controller that is installed on your motherboard CAN control a PCIe slot. A chipset can control any feature specified by Intel, however it is up to the manufacturer of the board to install that feature, in this case being a PCI Express slot.

So, despite the chipset support being there, like you see on Intel's website, the slot was never installed. So you only have two legacy (old) PCI slots, no PCIe. The two white slots are the exact same, and a 7850 will not work in either of the two.

Like you said, the slot was never installed. The pic even shows "PCIEx16" right beside where the slot should be on the PCB.

So yeah, OP you're out of luck.

 

[GothAmKing]

But the AMD site says HD 7850 is fully compatible with DirectX 11.1.But DirectX 11.1 ain't gonna be available before launch of Windows 8.Now,the thing is at Newegg I check every vendor-Sapphire,Asus,XFX,GigaByte,HIS,MSI,Powercolor-they say its DirectX 11.Whats the matter then?Is AMD fooling us?

 

[chimaxi83]

The cards support it, its just not available yet. It will be available in Windows 8. Both AMD 7xxx series and Nvidia GTX6xx series support it.

 

[GothAmKing]

Is there any cheap motherboard(from ASUS) that has LGA 775 socket and supports Crossfire?Well,Crossfire is not a must,as after 4-5 years,I'm throw away this crap and keeping only the HD 7850.Maybe,at that time I'm xpecting to buy a PCIe 4.0 mobo!!!
But for now I'm doomed to do with this PC............ :-(

 

[GothAmKing]

Infact,for a low end budget like mine,should I opt for stock Intel Boards or ASUS's ones?????????

 

[Arachnotronic]

My suggestion to you, if you've got $320 to spend and want to game?

Get the following:

- Intel Pentium G850 CPU ($88) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116397

- 8GB DDR3-1333 ($38) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231422

- ASrock LGA1155 H61 mobo ($55) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157241

- Radeon 6790 1GB ($130) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150564

Total cost: $310. Fits snugly in your budget and you won't be hamstrung by the rest of your really outdated system. Which...you could still probably sell parts of and get a few more bucks. Also, at your resolution a 6790 is going to absolutely murder whatever games you throw at it.

 

[chimaxi83]

Asus board on Newegg

If I were you and absolutely wanted to save money, I'd check our For Sale section here, I have no doubt you can score a used board.

The build Intel17 posted though is a very decent budget gaming system.

 

[Arachnotronic]

^ look at my suggestion. It's way more balanced than trying to stick a 7850 onto an old LGA 775 system. Buying a new LGA 775 board in this day and age is also a huge waste of money. Also, consider trying to get a set of parts used from the FS/FT forum. You can really stretch your dollar if you buy used.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Asus board on Newegg

If I were you and absolutely wanted to save money, I'd check our For Sale section here, I have no doubt you can score a used board.

The build Intel17 posted though is a very decent budget gaming system.

Thanks!

The board you linked is DDR3, so he'd have to buy new RAM. So at this point, he may as well scale back on the GPU to get some really serious SNB power in there.

 

[GothAmKing]

Please suggest me a cheap LGA 775 socket and PCIe 2.0 mobo where I can put into a HD 7850...............I'm dying out to get a HD 7850....

 

[GothAmKing]

Would these work for me???
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121391
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121372
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121391&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=aobars3o1vtc

 

[GothAmKing]

Well,Intel17's proposed config is good,but only that Radeon 6790.One can opt for a 7750 HD.I've roughly made this:-

☻ASRock G31M-S R2.0 LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157173

☻GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $259.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

Well,I'm off to 7xxx series for longivity since I can get the same performance on my low-res monitor with a 69xx card.My current res is 1154x864 and I don't use higher res.Also,my monitor's max refresh rate is 85 Hz.Will that gonna be an issue of troubleshooting on a HD 7850?

 

[toyota]

I am confused here. you want to get another 775 board and just transfer your cpu? what is the exact cpu that you actually have because all you say is "Intel Dual core processor" in the OP? really with any dual core cpu, a 7850 would be a waste especially at super low 1152x864 res.

edit: just noticed you said "LG 17" TFT LCD (85Hz 1440x900) monitor" in your OP so why on earth would you use 1152x864? that is not even the right aspect ratio.

 

[GothAmKing]

Well,as I've said before I want a HD 7850 for longivity.And please xplain why "really with any dual core cpu, a 7850 would be a waste especially at super low 1152x864 res."???Should I go for the cheaper HD 7770 Ghz Edition or HD 7750???
My processor is :
Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5200 @ 2.50GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
I also want to transfer my Transcend 4GB DDR2 RAM.Please suggest a PCIe(x16) 2.0 mobo within $ 60 bracket.

 

[toyota]

Well,as I've said before I want a HD 7850 for longivity.And please xplain why "really with any dual core cpu, a 7850 would be a waste especially at super low 1152x864 res."???Should I go for the cheaper HD 7770 Ghz Edition or HD 7750???
My processor is :
Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5200 @ 2.50GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
I also want to transfer my Transcend 4GB DDR2 RAM.Please suggest a PCIe(x16) 2.0 mobo within $ 60 bracket.

an E5200 is not fast enough to deliver all the performance a 7850 is capable of. at just 1152x864, you would not get but about half of what that card could do in many games with a cpu like that holding it back. at that low res and with your cpu, I would not get anything faster than the 7750. a 7750 is about equal to the old 5770 so its not slow for res like that and your cpu will not hold it back enough to really matter.

 

[GothAmKing]

toyota,please check this
☻ ASRock G31M-S R2.0 LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157173
Right now I want to spend least possible on this PC and go for gaming.Also I have no problem in playing any game with slightly or moderately reduced settings.All I want is to play them at MEDIUM or HIGH setting.

 

[GothAmKing]

AMD site says HD 7750 supports DirectX 11.0 but HD 7850 supports DirectX 11.1.Also it's a 2GB card so it's a bit better according to the latest games's minimum system requirements.
Well,I was thinking of taking a Phenom processor then and a HD 7750.8 GB of DDR3 RAM would also be there.Will that config be a better one???