Complete noob needs help with Graphics Card

[Maxooki]

I'm using a HP S7750 PC and I want to upgrade my Graphics Card. My budget is £40 maybe a little more, for light gaming mainly WoW. Now I need some help how would I install the card? I think I am currently using integrated graphics. Also as the PC is fairly small I need to know the card would fit. Thanks.

[staffsMike]

http://www.ciao.co.uk/HP_Pavilion_Me...3_GHz__6655052

from here it suggests that you have a PCI-e 16x lane free. So you can use most modern graphics cards. Assuming in needs to be lowprofile (no idea here?) you will probably need something like this

http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=770337

All you will need to do is plug it in. This one seems to come with a full height bracket (silver bit with ports on) rather than the low profile one though so you will need to make sure it comes with a low profile bracket first (http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=487702) or buy one which is deffinatly low profile

[Maxooki]

Thanks for the really quick reply
I'm not sure what you mean by it having to be low profile or anything like that.
Also how would I install it? Or would I be best going to PC World or something?

[staffsMike]

You're never best going to PC world

This is the best picture I can find to explain it



Where it gets taller that is full height, the half height bit is what is considered "low profile"

Another pic to help



You can see this low profile fitted with the half hight bracket, the full height braket to the left

Fitting it is easy.

It will only go in one socket you can find on your motherboard. You simply push the cards connecting part (gold bit on the bottom, into the PCIe slot (it will be obvious which this is once you line the card up to it).

This is all based on assumption though you will need to look inside the case to work out whether you can take full height or half height cards.

[Maxooki]

Explain what? I'm so confused.
EDIT saw your explanation, but being stupid still don't get it.

[staffsMike]

Editted it a lot.. should make sense now I hope.

If you can open the PC up and take a picture of the inside it would probably help

Given its very small size from the picture i can find you will need either an Nvidia 8400GS or ATi HD4850. The only cards within budget that will work.

[Maxooki]

Got no way of getting pics on to here
Are you trying to say if it will fit or not?

[staffsMike]

Got no way of getting pics on to here
Are you trying to say if it will fit or not?

Just trying to work out what size it will need but I'm almost positive it will be a low profile card. So as above the nvidia 8400gs or ATi HD3450. Buy the card from scan or somewhere similar (around £30 dont spend more. pc world sell them for about £70 which is a total rip off) and maybe take the pc to a local pc shop to see if they will fit it for you if you're nervous.

[Maxooki]

Editted it a lot.. should make sense now I hope.

If you can open the PC up and take a picture of the inside it would probably help

Given its very small size from the picture i can find you will need either an Nvidia 8400GS or ATi HD4850. The only cards within budget that will work.

Would these card be able to run WoW at full settings with a decent fps? ATM I'm getting like 12fps on medium settings.
Also when the card is in do I have to do anythin before or after putting it in?

[Maxooki]

Just trying to work out what size it will need but I'm almost positive it will be a low profile card. So as above the nvidia 8400gs or ATi HD3450. Buy the card from scan or somewhere similar (around £30 dont spend more. pc world sell them for about £70 which is a total rip off) and maybe take the pc to a local pc shop to see if they will fit it for you if you're nervous.

Local shop charges £10 for a card to be installed. I don't really want them looking around my PC either.

[shaithis]

Would these card be able to run WoW at full settings with a decent fps? ATM I'm getting like 12fps on medium settings.
Also when the card is in do I have to do anythin before or after putting it in?

Depends on what resolution you pay at, what CPU you use and how much ram you have.

A friend of mine plays WoW on an E4300 (slightly overclocked), 2GB RAM and a GeForce 6600. He plays at 1280x1024 with everything maxed and gets close to 60fps at all times. I would expect your system with a half-decent video card to perform comparably as you have correctly identified the bottleneck in your system as the integrated video.....The intel GMA950 is not a gaming video chipset and will cripple most games.

[Maxooki]

Depends on what resolution you pay at, what CPU you use and how much ram you have.

A friend of mine plays WoW on an E4300 (slightly overclocked), 2GB RAM and a GeForce 6600. He plays at 1280x1024 with everything maxed and gets close to 60fps at all times. I would expect your system with a half-decent video card to perform comparably as you have correctly identified the bottleneck in your system as the integrated video.....The intel GMA950 is not a gaming video chipset and will cripple most games.

Kind of lost,
I have 2.0G of RAM
I Have: 2 processors running - Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2250 @ 1.73GHz
Thats from the site http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
I'd be very happy with 20fps at highest graphics.
My res is 1280x768 btw

[staffsMike]

You'll be fine with the HD3450 for that It will be playable at the least.

[Maxooki]

You'll be fine with the HD3450 for that It will be playable at the least.

How much of an improvement would it make?

[staffsMike]

Over what you have now, a hell of a lot. As said above that integrated chipset you are using isn't designed for any sort of gaming really. The HD3450 isn't a world beater but it will be enough for WoW or CS:S/ Half Life 2 etc..

[Maxooki]

Over what you have now, a hell of a lot. As said above that integrated chipset you are using isn't designed for any sort of gaming really. The HD3450 isn't a world beater but it will be enough for WoW or CS:S/ Half Life 2 etc..

On high settings?
Oh, can you give me a link to it?
All I'm finding is one amazon one for $200