CPU, motherboard, and GPU compatibility

pmaxcaudill

Posts: 9   +0
I'm very new to this, and trying to upgrade the CPU and graphics card in my PC.

I have a Pegatron Narra5 motherboard, and I'm planning to get an AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX for it.

My question is, what's a fairly high-end graphics card that would be compatible with these two?

The MSI Computer Corp ATI Radeon HD7770 1020 MHz 1GB DDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Graphics Cards R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC was suggested to me, would that probably work?
 
That GPU isn't 'fairly high end'. It's very much mid-range. Here's a TS review of the card.

I guess now is the time to ask - what do you want to do with the computer? Depending on your PSU, you'll be limited to what GPU you can get. And if you go for higher-end stuff, the 4GB DDR2 RAM limit on your mobo may start to hurt, along with your CPU.
 
Yes, it's compatible with your CPU and mobo.

I'm not sure if it's compatible with the whole system, as you haven't posted PSU details.
 
I'm not sure which info to give about the PSU, but this label is on the case:
AC Input 100 - 127V 6.0A50/60Hz 200 - 240V 3.0A

Is that enough, or do I need to find more specifics?
 
It's a Bestec, model ATX-250-12Z REC.: D7R
Input: 100-127V-6A, 200-240V-3A 50/60Hz
It says 250W MAX, but there's a bunch more info listed too, that I'm not sure how to interpret.
The serial number is 0910S0002638. Is that enough info?
 
Yeah, it seems like a tiny OEM PSU supplied for use in your HP tower, correct?

Since you've upgraded the CPU (what was previous one?), you're probably under-specced for any mid-range GPU.
 
It's the PSU the tower came with, yes.

I haven't upgraded anything yet, but the current (original) CPU is an AMD Sempron LE-1300.

So my power supply won't be able to run the new CPU and GPU I'm looking at getting?
 
The HD7770 pulls 86W at load by itself. You're going to need to get a nice 500W PSU I think, to run everything. I'm not sure on the compatibility with the rest of your system, but it should be OK..
 
No components will cause an issue with a 500W PSU. I suggest you look at the Antec Neo 520W. As long as you have a PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot in your motherboard almost any current gen GPU will be compatible. The question boils down to how much do you want to spend and what resolution are you playing at?
 
An out-of-the-box PSU days has very different power connectors to a 5+ year old machine - this is the compatibility issue I was referring to..
 
I wouldn't want to spend more than a few hundred dollars total on the new components. I don't need a high-end machine, just enough to play current games on average settings.

As far as connectors go, the ones coming out of my PSU now do seem to match with the power cables for the GPU I mentioned, at least.
 
250W is not the way to go when running when running the HD 7770. It would really be pushing the PSU. A decent 400W PSU, say Corsair CX400, would be a wiser choice.
 
Take a picture of the inside of your case, along with a scale - so we can see the size of the PSU.

Also take a picture of your hard drives and DVD drives - or, ensure they run off SATA-power-connectors.

Once everything checks out, you should be able to buy a new PSU, your AMD CPU, and a HD7770 and run it all with no problems for a pretty decent rig.
 
Yeah, my suggestion is to buy a nice new PSU like suggested above, along with your graphics card. Your connectors should be fine from the looks of it.
 
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