Need upgrade advice

[mathew06]

Alright, Just bought an Hp slimline 5212y off craigslist for 50$. Great condition. Main use of this computer will be for minecraft and internet usage, so nothing super extravagent is needed. Wanting to upgrade graphics due to only being able to pull 10-20 FPS, but kinda on a budget. From what Ive researched, gonna need a low profile. Would have to upgrade my PSU as well and Im not 100% sure what route to go. Any cheap suggestions? Any help is appreciated.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Alright, Just bought an Hp slimline 5212y off craigslist for 50$. <snip> Wanting to upgrade graphics due to only being able to pull 10-20 FPS, but kinda on a budget.

Low profile cases are never designed to be upgrade capable. Sure you can get a low profile graphics card, but as you have already discovered the power supply will likely be your biggest problem. Most low profile PC's have proprietary PSU's, making it impossible to upgrade the PSU. With only 220W's, I can not recommend upgrading graphics.

The good news is your motherboard appears to be MicroATX, which is not proprietary and will fit another case if you wish to pursue upgrading. In all honesty though, I'd say be happy with what you have. And when you decide to upgrade, look at a building/buying a new rig.

 

[mathew06]

Thanks for the reply, Cliff.

 

[St1ckM4n]

Does it have a graphics card? If not, a cheap $30-40 card will be a lot better than the integrated graphics, and would still work with the 220W PSU most likely.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Low profile cases also have horrible ventilation. No low profiles cards have shrouds to blow the air out of the case. They blow best into the case. This can cause other components to overheat if not cooled properly.