What graphics card is my PC able to support? (NOT A LAPTOP)?

Question

I have an Acer Aspire X3450 and am wondering what kind of graphics card I would be able to support, as my current one (see specs below) sucks terribly. CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645 ...show more

Answer 1

Your situation isn't that unusual, most off-the-shelf computers come with low-end integrated graphics.

Anyway, there are 3 main factors which restrict your choice of graphics card.
1) Motherboard slot type
2) Physical case/chassis size
3) Power supply capacity (often related to #2)

Most fairly recent computers have a PCI-Express x16 slot, but your situation isn't good because of #2 and #3.

The Acer X3450 is a slimline/small form factor model, not a regular tower. It's smaller than normal and that means it can only accept low-profile graphics cards. Moreover, it has a proprietary low-wattage power supply (220 watts) which isn't enough to support gaming cards. Like all slimlines, it can't accept standard ATX power supplies- those are too large for the case.

So as it stands, the best card you can install is a Radeon HD 6450:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

It's not a real gaming card, but it's a big improvement- over 3X faster than your current integrated Radeon HD 4250:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac...
http://www.techspot.com/review/244-ati-r...

Now IF you can find a replacement PSU for your specific computer that's 300 watts or so, then you'd be able to install better low-profile cards like the GeForce GT 430, Radeon HD 6570 or Radeon HD 6670.

Unfortunately it doesn't appear that any such PSUs exist:
http://www.atxpowersupplies.com/power-su...

So the HD 6450 is your limit, unless you transplant everything (motherboard, RAM, drive etc) from your slim case into a standard ATX case. That would allow you to use any PCI-Express 16 graphics card you want, along with any regular ATX power supply needed to support it.

Asker's Rating & Comment

Thanks a bunch man, VERY informative and helpful, really solved my problem, thanks again!

Answer 2

If it's a quad core with 6GB, it's a modern motherboard that will take a PCI Express video card.

You could use any of the relatively recent NVidia or ATI pci-e video cards, basically go for the best you can afford.

The only limitation may be your existing power supply - as a rough guide, add the CPU plus Video card powers and allow an extra 100W. eg. if the new video card need 150W, you need at least a 350W PSU with you existing CPU.

Whichever board you consider, check different sites and also search by the basic chipset model, as ofter there are virtually identical cards from several companies, with the same specification but different prices.

Answer 3

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It's also a PC booster so your computer will be running faster than nomal. Download it here for free: http://www.pcboostsoftware.com

Answer 4

Any graphics card you want really, just make sure you have the right kind of power supply, because you probably do not. I would recommend a Saphire series radeon, or a new Nvidia GeForce. Good luck!