Upgrading a Compaq Presario SR5450F graphics card

[kmill]

I have a Geforce 8400 in my Compaq Presario SR5450F, but I'm a gamer of sorts and this video card doesn't work with a lot of the games I want to play. I was looking at the Geforce 9500, but it requires 350W and the power supply in my computer is only 250W. Is there any graphics card that will work in my computer for games such as The Sims 3 and Starcraft II? Could I get a new power supply that will support the Geforce 9500 AND fit in my computer? I was planning on getting the parts from Newegg.com if they'll even work. Thanks very much in advance for an input!

 

[Route44]

The thing with companies like HP, Dell, etc. is their cases are designed so that they try to force the buyer to go through them for upgrades costing considerably more $.

Measure your power supply's dimensions and we'll take it from there. Also, make sure your motherboard can handle an upgrade to this card.

Can you link us to your system?

 

[rockyjohns]

Here are the specs:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...portFAQ&prodSeriesId=3686675&prodTypeId=12454

With only a 250w PSU, I would recommend upgrading it to at least 400w before adding a discrete video card - and make sure you get a good quality PSU. Remember the PSU is not just powering the system, as we normally think of a power supply - but is providing the current, that stepped down into tiny amounts - are the nerves of the computer - wisking vasts amounts of data at great speed. Consider this 500w PSU that, after rebates, cost less than most lower power, lower quality PSUs you might consider for your system:

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

It should fit in your case - the major builders have been using stock sized for quite awhile now, but it would not hurt to check the measurements.

For the video card, I recommend getting a new model - the 9500 is now about 4 generations back. You can find good advice on how to upgrade video cards at:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/index.html

Read the page on critera (sytems requirements and personal preferences and wants) at::

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/criteria.html

When you have read that - then you can come back and better state your needs - including things such as applications and monitor resolution. You can also just proceed on to the discussion about low power or HTPC video cards (which includes light gaming) and see the recommended budget video cards at:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/nongaming.html

 

[kmill]

I measured the power supply and it's about 5" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4". Will the "CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply" work? Also, will this power supply work with the other components in my computer?
About the graphics card, I'm on a limited budget and I'm not sure I can afford one much more expensive than the Geforce 9500. I found the Geforce 9500 on newegg for $59.99, but if I can find a better one for about the same price, that would work out.
Sorry for my lack of knowledge in this area!

 

[Route44]

What are the recommended (not minimum) requirements for Starcraft II?

 

[kmill]

StarCraft II System Requirements


The system requirements for the StarCraft II are as follows:
PC Requirements

PC Minimum System Requirements*:

Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 (Updated with the latest Service Packs) with DirectX® 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium® IV or equivalent AMD Athlon® processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT or ATI Radeon® 9800 PRO video card or better
12 GB available HD space
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 users)
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution

PC Recommended Specifications:

Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better

*Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.
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I'd also like to play Alice : Madness Returns. The system requirements for it are : OS: Windows 7 (SP1) / Windows Vista (SP2) / Windows XP (SP3)
Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 1.60GHz / AMD Athlon X2 1.60GHz (or better)
Memory: 2GB of RAM (or higher)
Hard Disk Space: 8.5 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 256MB / ATI Radeon X1650 256MB (or better)
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
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Thank guys, I'm very new to this site and you're all being very helpful!

 

[Leeky]

I have a Corsair CX400 in front of me right now, and its dimensions are as follows:

5.5" from front to back of PSU (the wires coming out the back need an extra 1" clearance).
Just under 6" from side to side.
Just under 3.5" from top to bottom.

In millimetres that's 138mm x 148mm x 85mm - I use mm so it will be more precise as I don't know how to break down fractions in inches.

 

[kmill]

Does anyone know if I would be able to take the motherboard and everything out of the tower and get a bigger tower? Every power supply I've looked at is considerably larger than mine so I think that might be the only solution, unfortunately.

 

[Leeky]

You should be able to, but it depends on the OEM mounting for the CPU more than anything. Take a picture of the inside of your case and we should be able to tell you yes or no.

 

[rockyjohns]

Regarding the PSU size, don't just measure the exisiting PSU, but measure the space for it inside the case. Perhaps it will hold a larger PSU.

 

[rockyjohns]

Also, will this power supply work with the other components in my computer?

Yes it will. The standard "ATX" is pretty much what all standard computers are built to in order to ensure compatibility. Typically the only issue is whether or not it has enough of the right type of connectors for the video card, and most PSUs built today have at least one connector for the video card. Also you need to know if your card requires a 6 pin or 8 pin connector. Many power supplies provide a 6+2 connector that will accommodate both.

For more information about power supply requirements for video card upgrades, look at the site I recommended above, and in particular at the criteria page:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/criteria.html