New to the PC Scene could use some advice

[jash298]

Alright so im new to the PC scene and right now my PC is with Intel HD graphics,so do I update my graphics card first?or what? I just would like a Average graphics card where I could probably games from 2012 AC2-AC3 Battlefield 3 etc...right now sometimes When I play games on the PC I get some lag here and their.I heard its because of the ram?Also How do I know what graphics card is compatible with my PC? I've asked this question before on some forums but the answers weren't really accurate.I have a Windows 8 right now..Thnx I plan on ordering it aswell.
Dell Intel R Core i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40 GHz(4 CPUs)
6144MB RAM



Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[WiseUp216]

Welcome to the gaming master race!

First, you have plenty of RAM, so don't worry about that.

Second, your CPU is adequate for entry-level gaming. It isn't high-end by any means, but it will suffice for what I think you're looking for.

Lastly, you need a graphics card if you're looking to play anything like BF3 or AC3. So, the questions you need to answer:

What is your budget?
And what is your power supply rated for?
What is your monitor resolution? 1080p?

I'm going to guess that it is a 430W Dell power supply.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Try re posting in the General Hardware or Video card section. PC games is more about the games, not the build to support them.

Wife of Runz

 

[jash298]

Welcome to the gaming master race!

First, you have plenty of RAM, so don't worry about that.

Second, your CPU is adequate for entry-level gaming. It isn't high-end by any means, but it will suffice for what I think you're looking for.

Lastly, you need a graphics card if you're looking to play anything like BF3 or AC3. So, the questions you need to answer:

What is your budget?
And what is your power supply rated for?
What is your monitor resolution? 1080p?

I'm going to guess that it is a 430W Dell power supply.

My monitor resolution is 1080p and my powersupply Im not so sure about also I was just laid of but I honestly dont want to spend more then 100$

 

[cbk]

My monitor resolution is 1080p and my powersupply Im not so sure about also I was just laid of but I honestly dont want to spend more then 100$

First of all, welcome to AnandTech!

You may have to raise your budget to $130-$150, this will get you a low-medium end card. Someone correct me if I am wrong about the compatibility, but here is an amazing card for its price, the Gigabyte GTX 650 Ti, only $130 on Amazon. I have the Boost model of this card, with 2GBs of RAM, and it is amazing. Just the 1GB Ti model will run the games you want to play smoothly. But if you want more power, you could go for the 650 Ti 2GB, at $155 or the 650 Ti Boost 2GB, which is better than the Ti 2GB, at $170.

EDIT: Another great card is the Radeon HD 7790 1GB for $140, the real deal breaker is that you get Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, Bioshock (Infinite?) & Tomb Raider free with the purchase of the card. As a new PC gamer, I think 3 new games would be a nice perk for you. I think you will like either card you choose, but I would recommend the 7790.

Ti 1GB:
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeFor...GTX+650+Ti+1GB

Ti 2GB:
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeFor...igabyte+650+ti

Ti Boost 2GB:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GTX65...igabyte+650+ti

XFX FX7790
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Fcee4AodNX8AnA

 

[Termie]

All good suggestions above, but if you are willing to wait on a rebate, the 7790 can actually be had for $110: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131490

That's the card I'd go for with your system.

 

[jash298]

First of all, welcome to AnandTech!

You may have to raise your budget to $130-$150, this will get you a low-medium end card. Someone correct me if I am wrong about the compatibility, but here is an amazing card for its price, the Gigabyte GTX 650 Ti, only $130 on Amazon. I have the Boost model of this card, with 2GBs of RAM, and it is amazing. Just the 1GB Ti model will run the games you want to play smoothly. But if you want more power, you could go for the 650 Ti 2GB, at $155 or the 650 Ti Boost 2GB, which is better than the Ti 2GB, at $170.

EDIT: Another great card is the Radeon HD 7790 1GB for $140, the real deal breaker is that you get Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, Bioshock (Infinite?) & Tomb Raider free with the purchase of the card. As a new PC gamer, I think 3 new games would be a nice perk for you. I think you will like either card you choose, but I would recommend the 7790.

Ti 1GB:
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeFor...GTX+650+Ti+1GB

Ti 2GB:
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeFor...igabyte+650+ti

Ti Boost 2GB:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GTX65...igabyte+650+ti

XFX FX7790
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Fcee4AodNX8AnA

Thanks,but Dont I still need to find out my powersupply before purchasing?Also I opened up the side panel to see if the power supply was there and it wasn't.Also Is their graphics card I can get for atleast 80 or 50?That's atleast average?Im abit tight on money right now.

 

[cbk]

Thanks,but Dont I still need to find out my powersupply before purchasing?Also I opened up the side panel to see if the power supply was there and it wasn't.Also Is their graphics card I can get for atleast 80 or 50?That's atleast average?Im abit tight on money right now.

1. I hear you, here is the best $110 card you can purchase, the 7770. It will give you good performance, but not as good as the $140 Radeon 7790 I have in my previous post. The big thing is that you still can get the 3 free games with the purchase.

2. Don't worry about the PSU (power supply unit). It's probably the stock Dell 430 watt supply, I think that will be enough for this card.

3. Termie is suggesting that you can find a $110 7790, if you can find that, go for it immediately. Don't be afraid to look at refurbished cards, there is nothing wrong with them!

4. A great upgrade in the future would be to buy a second 7770, and use them in Crossfire (using 2 graphic cards at the same time on AMD based cards).

7770:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202011

 

[jash298]

1. I hear you, here is the best $110 card you can purchase, the 7770. It will give you good performance, but not as good as the $140 Radeon 7790 I have in my previous post. The big thing is that you still can get the 3 free games with the purchase.

2. Don't worry about the PSU (power supply unit). It's probably the stock Dell 430 watt supply, I think that will be enough for this card.

3. Termie is suggesting that you can find a $110 7790, if you can find that, go for it immediately. Don't be afraid to look at refurbished cards, there is nothing wrong with them!

7770:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202011

Also Shouldn't it Be getting a video card instead?Or will the graphics card solve some of my problems?By problems I mean when im playing Singleplayer PC games I get lag here and there

 

[jash298]

1. I hear you, here is the best $110 card you can purchase, the 7770. It will give you good performance, but not as good as the $140 Radeon 7790 I have in my previous post. The big thing is that you still can get the 3 free games with the purchase.

2. Don't worry about the PSU (power supply unit). It's probably the stock Dell 430 watt supply, I think that will be enough for this card.

3. Termie is suggesting that you can find a $110 7790, if you can find that, go for it immediately. Don't be afraid to look at refurbished cards, there is nothing wrong with them!

4. A great upgrade in the future would be to buy a second 7770, and use them in Crossfire (using 2 graphic cards at the same time on AMD based cards).

7770:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202011

You said look at refurbished cards,but How do I know what graphics cards are compatible with my PC? and I hope your right about the 430 watt supply

 

[cbk]

You said look at refurbished cards,but How do I know what graphics cards are compatible with my PC? and I hope your right about the 430 watt supply

Good question, any card with a PCI-E socket should work, but I know for a fact that the 7770 and the 7790 are compatible with your PC.

 

[cbk]

Also Shouldn't it Be getting a video card instead?Or will the graphics card solve some of my problems?By problems I mean when im playing Singleplayer PC games I get lag here and there

A graphics card is the same as a video card, it just has a different name.

 

[cbk]

All good suggestions above, but if you are willing to wait on a rebate, the 7790 can actually be had for $110: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131490

That's the card I'd go for with your system.

Oops! , with a rebate, you can get the 7790 for $110! Thanks Termie!

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Here is a link with some information about installing vid cards in a Dell:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2032503_video-card-desktop.html
Also, I am not a techie, but I assume your computer has a pci slot for a video card.
Any of the above mentioned vid cards should work...Nvidia or AMD cards work on any motherboard.

Wife of Runz

 

[jash298]

1. I hear you, here is the best $110 card you can purchase, the 7770. It will give you good performance, but not as good as the $140 Radeon 7790 I have in my previous post. The big thing is that you still can get the 3 free games with the purchase.

2. Don't worry about the PSU (power supply unit). It's probably the stock Dell 430 watt supply, I think that will be enough for this card.

3. Termie is suggesting that you can find a $110 7790, if you can find that, go for it immediately. Don't be afraid to look at refurbished cards, there is nothing wrong with them!

4. A great upgrade in the future would be to buy a second 7770, and use them in Crossfire (using 2 graphic cards at the same time on AMD based cards).

7770:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202011

I found out it was
CPU Type DualCore Intel Core i3-2130, 3400 MHz (34 x 100)
CPU #1 Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3393 MHz
PCI Device 8086-0102 / 1028-0574 (Rev 09)
Also Those cards Termie suggested do you think they would be able to run BioShock Infinite and Assassins creed 3,Battlefield 3 on medium? or atleast low? without lag

 

[Termie]

I found out it was
CPU Type DualCore Intel Core i3-2130, 3400 MHz (34 x 100)
CPU #1 Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3393 MHz
PCI Device 8086-0102 / 1028-0574 (Rev 09)
Also Those cards Termie suggested do you think they would be able to run BioShock Infinite and Assassins creed 3,Battlefield 3 on medium? or atleast low? without lag

The i3-2130 is the perfect match for a video card like the HD7790 (by the way, a video card and graphics card are the same thing - you asked that earlier).

And yes, the HD7790 can easily play all of those games with at least medium settings. In fact, at 1080p, it should be able to run them at high settings.

 

[cbk]

The i3-2130 is the perfect match for a video card like the HD7790 (by the way, a video card and graphics card are the same thing - you asked that earlier).

And yes, the HD7790 can easily play all of those games with at least medium settings. In fact, at 1080p, it should be able to run them at high settings.

Agreed, you will get good FPS on those games with the 7790. Happy gaming! :biggrin:

EDIT: 99th POST!!!!

 

[mfenn]

I found out it was
CPU Type DualCore Intel Core i3-2130, 3400 MHz (34 x 100)
CPU #1 Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3393 MHz
PCI Device 8086-0102 / 1028-0574 (Rev 09)
Also Those cards Termie suggested do you think they would be able to run BioShock Infinite and Assassins creed 3,Battlefield 3 on medium? or atleast low? without lag

Can you look for the service tag on your computer? It should a 8-10 character sequence of letters and numbers on a label somewhere.

My concern with the 7790 is that it requires a PCIe power connector, which your computer might not have.

EDIT: 99th POST!!!!

Pssh, amateur hour.

 

[Termie]

Can you look for the service tag on your computer? It should a 8-10 character sequence of letters and numbers on a label somewhere.

My concern with the 7790 is that it requires a PCIe power connector, which your computer might not have.

Even if he doesn't have a PCIe power connector, the total load of an i3-2130 and 7790 will be low enough that he could use a molex converter - and his PSU should have spare molex connectors. I'd estimate the gaming load of a system like that to be about 150W.

 

[mfenn]

Even if he doesn't have a PCIe power connector, the total load of an i3-2130 and 7790 will be low enough that he could use a molex converter - and his PSU should have spare molex connectors. I'd estimate the gaming load of a system like that to be about 150W.

I think the load will be fine as well. The reason I want to know what model he has is that newer Dells don't have any Molex connectors at all, so he might need a SATA -> PCIe connector.

 

[cbk]

Can you look for the service tag on your computer? It should a 8-10 character sequence of letters and numbers on a label somewhere.

My concern with the 7790 is that it requires a PCIe power connector, which your computer might not have.

Pssh, amateur hour.

1. I would never think that the Dell MB wouldn't have a PCIe!

2. I know...

 

[Termie]

I think the load will be fine as well. The reason I want to know what model he has is that newer Dells don't have any Molex connectors at all, so he might need a SATA -> PCIe connector.

Wow - I didn't know that. Good thinking!

 

[jash298]

Inspiron 660s

 

[Termie]

Inspiron 660s

So this is an example of why you should always start by sharing information about the hardware you have. Had mfenn not asked you about it, you'd have just wasted over $100.

Forget the power supply - that's a slim desktop, and will not fit anything but a low-profile, single-slot graphics card in it. Basically, you're not going to do a lot of gaming on it.

This HD6570 is the most powerful card you can fit in your system, at $40AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102994

It will give you a nice boost from the Intel HD4000, but certainly won't allow you to play modern games at anything other than low settings. I doubt you'll actually be able to play Battlefield 3 on it satisfactorily.

 

[cbk]

So this is an example of why you should always start by sharing information about the hardware you have. Had mfenn not asked you about it, you'd have just wasted over $100.

Forget the power supply - that's a slim desktop, and will not fit anything but a low-profile, single-slot graphics card in it. Basically, you're not going to do a lot of gaming on it.

This HD6570 is the most powerful card you can fit in your system, at $40AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102994

It will give you a nice boost from the Intel HD4000, but certainly won't allow you to play modern games at anything other than low settings. I doubt you'll actually be able to play Battlefield 3 on it satisfactorily.

Wow. Now we all know to just get the facts straight from the start.