Radeon HD 7850: will my computer hold it and will it work?

[Maks Zhylin]

I have an old Packard Bell iXtreme x5620UK and I am looking to put a new graphics card into it to be able to play the newest games on a more than 5fps rate (lol) and I want to buy an AMD Radeon 7850 HD graphics card, firstly this requires a 500w PSU and I have a 250 so I already bought a new one, it should soon be delivered, but anyway, can you guys please check the picture I put in, and tell me what slots those are, because it requires PCI-E 3.0 and I'm not too sure if I have it, and tell me please if I will be able to fit in it
Have a nice day \\m//

 

[slh28]

Yeah you have a PCI-E slot (red one) on your mobo so it's compatible. Only question now is if your case is big enough to accommodate the card. Measure the length from the backplate of the red PCI-E slot to the hard drive or whatever is the nearest obstacle and compare it to the length of the card you're planning to buy.

What PSU did you get btw?

 

[Maks Zhylin]

I am getting a cheap Sumvision 600w X3 PSU it said things like:

• Surge proof
• Complies with FCC part 15 class B
• 230 VAC Operation
• Low noise and ripple
• Over 72% efficiency typical under full load
• Output over voltage over current protection
• Short circuit protection on all output100% burn in tested (45 +- 5)
• 100% hi-pot ATE testedOver 50;000 hours MTBF at 25C

do you think it can be trusted?

Also, the length and width is fine but the height is what I am worried about, its close to the inputs for the speakers and to my ram, as well as other stuff, I've attached another picture.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Also, the length and width is fine but the height is what I am worried about, its close to the inputs for the speakers and to my ram, as well as other stuff, I've attached another picture.

The only thing you need to worry about is the SATA ports for your HDD cables. How much clearance is there between the back of the case and the SATA ports?

 

[Maks Zhylin]

Oh no that's sorted its on the outside, I've attached a picture, its straight forward ways.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Oh no that's sorted its on the outside, I've attached a picture, its straight forward ways.

Those are power cables, I'm talking about the SATA data cables that plug into the motherboard. Out of 4 ports in the photo above, it looks as if only 1 port will clear a long dual slot graphics card.

 

[slh28]

I am getting a cheap Sumvision 600w X3 PSU it said things like:

You should definitely return that PSU and getting a decent Seasonic/Corsair/Antec unit. It won't output anywhere near 600W and you're running the risk of damaging your components. 72% efficiency is quite a lot lower than the 85-90% of a good PSU, and that 72% is just a manufacturer claimed figure. Consideing you're spending £150-200 on a GPU it's not a good idea to cheap out on the power supply.

The Antec HCG 520W is a good choice for about £50.

 

[Maks Zhylin]

Okay then thanks, If I get that PSU then will everything be good enough to hold that graphics card? It comes with a SATA cable and I will be able to plug it in I guess right?

 

[Leeky]

I am getting a cheap Sumvision 600w X3 PSU....do you think it can be trusted?

Think the underlined word says it all, really. So, in response to your question: Hell no. lol.

You should definitely return that PSU and getting a decent Seasonic/Corsair/Antec unit. It won't output anywhere near 600W and you're running the risk of damaging your components. 72% efficiency is quite a lot lower than the 85-90% of a good PSU, and that 72% is just a manufacturer claimed figure. Consideing you're spending £150-200 on a GPU it's not a good idea to cheap out on the power supply.

The Antec HCG 520W is a good choice for about £50.

I couldn't agree more. The Antec HCG-520 and HCG-620 are outstanding units that use Seasonic OEM internals. The only thing I'd recommend is the "M" version of those power supplies, which are modular. Mine is a non-modular HCG-620 and while its still an outstanding PSU and has connectors by the bucket load, that's also its downfall -- It's hard to find the space to hide all of the connectors even in a very good mid-sized gaming case like my HAF 912+. I'd definitely have purchased the "M" version if it was available back when I got mine.

Here is proof of the wiring problems you'll face without modular cables (and my case is much better designed than an OEM one), so for an easier life with cables modular is best.

Also note the way the power cables are attached to the GPU in the picture below -- you need to factor this into your measurements if the space is tight. If the length of the GPU brings it right up against the hard disk cage you won't be able to connect the two connectors power it.



The HCG-620M (bottom picture) is £15 more expensive than the HCG-520 PSU, but has modular connectors, which means you can just connect the wires you need, and leave out the ones you don't. It will make a huge difference to airflow and keep temperatures lower in your OEM case.

Although both of the HCG models are my number one picks, the following would also be very suitable:

Non-modular:

1. Seasonic 520W Seasonic Bronze S12II-520 -- £64.22
2. Enermax 550W NAXN 82+ ENP550AWT-B -- £64.26
3. Antec 620W High Current Gamer HCG-620 (Non-modular version -- same as the one I own) -- £66.74
4. Corsair 600W Gaming Series GS-600 -- £63.98
5. Corsair 650W Enthusiast TX-650 V2 -- £70.38

Modular:

The Antec HCG-520/620 use the same internals as 1 and 2 below.

1. Seasonic 520W M12II-520 520W -- £71.42
2. Seasonic 620W M12II-620 -- £79.07
3. Corsair 550W Enthusiast TX550M -- £72.66
4. Antec 620W High Current Gamer HCG-620M (My favourite pick of the lot) -- £70.34
5. Corsair 650W Enthusiast TX650M -- £77.58

I've not checked any measurements, but the above are all suitable PSU's that will be dependable.

P.S. It's impossible for us to tell you if a GPU will fit. Only you can measure the space you have for clearance (bearing in mind you might need more if the power connectors for the GPU are inserted at the back of the unit). However, we can help if you measure the distance from the rear of the case to the hard disk cage and let us know what it is.

 

[Maks Zhylin]

You see the reason I bought a cheap PSU is because I don't have enough cash, I could buy an antec but this graphics card alone is a hell of a lot of cash, and I cant exactly afford all this in one go, but WoW is now out with a new patch and I can't play it with my current graphics card which is an integrated Nvidia Geforce 7100

 

[nismo91]

Most if not all cheap PSU wont deliver power they stated on the box. many cheap PSU deliver unreliable current to all the components in your PC. the problem is, for something that consumes alot of power, such as a graphic card you wanted, it requires plenty of power and reliable current for it to function properly in the long run.

say your current cheap PSU can power up the 7850HD fine, that is no means it will not harm the card in the long run (especially with moderate usage I.e. gaming) or it may quit working all out of sudden. if you're not in luck, it will cause damage to many components as it dies. that's the reason why most of us recommend you a solid power supply if you're getting a pretty good graphic card.

if you're limited in budget, I would suggest getting a slightly lower end card, and in return get a better and reliable PSU. maybe something like AMD6850 instead.

 

[Maks Zhylin]

Atm I have a 250w PSU, is there any graphics card that you guys can reccomend which can do at lead 40 to 50 fps in wow?

 

[Leeky]

The PSU is the most overlooked component in most computer builds. If you spend your money on anything it should be a solid and reliable power supply that will give you years of trouble-free computing. As explained by Nismo91, cheaping out on a PSU will lead to trouble in the long-run. At best it'll fail without warning, and at worst it'll wipe out every single component in your computer when it fails. It could function okay, it might fail -- its a lottery basically, you're either lucky or your not. I personally avoid any cheap PSUs, as do most enthusiasts.

Your budget ideally should include a power supply as a priority, as 250W is woefully underpowered for anything that would give an adequate increase in framerates -- assuming its even capable of delivering 250W.

Let's rewind here. What is your total budget for both components? Also, what are your system specs? No point recommending something that will be throttled if your hardware isn't up to scratch.

We can recommend something that remains in your budget then.

 

[slh28]

WoW isn't a GPU intensive game, but I'd recommend a PSU upgrade for any graphics card upgrade. If you have th budget for a 7850 then you'll have a budget for a decent PSU and slightly cheaper GPU. Nvidia are launching their GTX 660 and 650 soon, might be a good idea to wait and see the pricing for those.

 

[Leeky]

I'd personally go with the previous generation GPUs over the latest in this case, something like a HD6850 or HD6870. They can keep up with current games, are now heavily discounted and give plenty of performance for the price. Given that the budget needs to include a decent PSU, choosing an older GPU will free up the money to spend on one.

I paid £115 delivered for my HD6870 6 months ago. Its a bargain of the century for a GPU that will happily play Crysis and BF3 if you go easy on the settings. Sure there is much better, but if buying a PSU alongside the latest generation GPU is a problem you really shouldn't be looking at buying one.

Once the OP has given us the budget and system specs I'm certain we'll find something suitable.

 

[Maks Zhylin]

[FONT=arial]Processor - Intel® Core2 Quad Processor Q8300 - 2.5 GHz - 1333 MHz FSB - 4 MB L2 cache[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Operating System - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]RAM - 4 GB[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Graphics card - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 integrated graphics processor[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Hard drive - 640 GB[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Optical disk drive - Dual Layer DVD Rewriter[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Memory card reader - Yes[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]USB - 8 USB 2.0 ports[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]FireWire - No[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Modem/Ethernet - Ethernet 10/100 network[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Wi-Fi - WiFi 802.11b/g[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Bluetooth - No[/FONT]
[FONT=arial]Video interface - HDMI, VGA[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]And my budget is around £200-£250 but I need to buy a new Wifi card as well as the MoP for wow so that will take around £50, I found a sapphire 7850 for £180, new. So was hoping to buy that and a cheap PSU, Although the least money possible that I spend, to play wow in good quality and start building a new computer would be the best.[/FONT]

 

[slh28]

You can get a 7850 for under £160 if you shop around.

 

[Maks Zhylin]

Is there any good graphics cards that run on 250V

 

[slh28]

Look on AMD or Nvidia's website, even the lowest end cards recommend a 400W+ power supply. If you're planning to upgrade the PSU eventually you might as well do it now.

 

[Leeky]

I agree with Slh28. If you're serious about increasing your graphics performance you need to replace the power supply. What model you choose ultimately is your decision, however. Hopefully we've explained the pros and cons well enough for you to make an informed decision.

The PSU would be the best item to start with your building block of building a better computer. From what you've said above you've got £200 to spend. So I'd recommend:

GPU: XFX HD 6870 @ £130.14
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer HCG-520 @ £53.76

You'll have change left, but you can of course upgrade the GPU further. I wouldn't settle for less than the PSU I've chosen though, its the cheapest I've found that you can trust will be reliable 24/7.

Realistically speaking however, the HD6870 is more than up to the task of providing the gaming experience you're looking for. A HD78xx GPU will of course be an improvement, but the additional cost coupled with the fact won't need the additional horsepower for games like WoW makes it a bad purchase especially if the additional expenditure means you go with a cheap power supply.

While everyone here loves there technology and run considerably faster computers than I do, I run an older version of your quad-core (the Q6600), and a HD6870. I'm also a pain for wanting to play everything in 1080p and high settings. I currently own two titles I can't do that with; Battlefield 3, and the Crysis games. Even then, medium settings at 1680x1050 is perfectly acceptable.

 

[Jad Chaar]

If you have such an old pc, why buy a pci 3 compliant card... just get a 6870 or GTX 480 or 560. Or if you havent purchased the card yet, just buy a GT 640 which doesnt use psu power. if you arent that crazy about games, then just get the 640 and save up for a new pc.

 

[hood6558]

I have an old Packard Bell iXtreme x5620UK and I am looking to put a new graphics card into it to be able to play the newest games on a more than 5fps rate (lol) and I want to buy an AMD Radeon 7850 HD graphics card, firstly this requires a 500w PSU and I have a 250 so I already bought a new one, it should soon be delivered, but anyway, can you guys please check the picture I put in, and tell me what slots those are, because it requires PCI-E 3.0 and I'm not too sure if I have it, and tell me please if I will be able to fit in it
Have a nice day \\m//

The main problem I'm seeing is that any modern dual slot video card will cover at least 2 SATA ports and maybe 3 of them. Also, yor mobo probably has PCIe 1.1 which will work but severely limit bandwidth It's usually a mistake to try running a high end GPU on an older mobo; too many potential bottlenecks. I'd get the best single slot solution I could find, until upgrading the whole system is an option. Here's one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002 Good luck!