The computer I’m dealing with is an old HP Pavilion a1340n "Media Center" with the stock integrated chip set (API Radeon Xpress 200 series).
*CPU - [Pentium 4r] single core / 3.20ghz.
*MOBO - [HP Asterope 1.0] with one PCIe x16 bus slot.
*PSU - [400w] with spare PCI-E 6-pin connectors.
I know this system was never intended for hardcore gaming, but I want to add a discreet graphics card anyway. I’m not interested in building a monster machine from scratch to PWN the gaming universe. This is just an old desktop for the kids to play some "older low spec" games on.
After some "light reading" on possible graphics cards, I came across a couple of conflicting opinions. I read that if I plug in the graphics card I want, (maybe something from the HD Radeon 5000 series) that it will create a bottleneck at the CPU. This made sense to me, but I also read that while this used to be the case years ago, "newer" video cards now have their own built in processors ect.. and as a result, CPUs are less restrictive these days.
Is this true?
Also,
I haven’t decided on a specific card yet, so any recommendations would be welcome.
THX in advance for any help.


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