How to install a gpu

I know maybe this is stupid but i dont know very much about computers and how they work, so basically i wanna buy a good graphics card and ive been searching and i know some good ones like 8800gt/gts and 3850/70

But i want to know a few things... if i buy for example a 8800gt and just put it inside of my PC, will it work like it is supossed to do?, at its 100%? If not what things i need to do or have in order to do so?... like, i dont know, compatibility with the motherboard, cpu or the PSU.

I hope i made myself clear or kind of haha.. i need exact answers, thank you very much in advance bye.

OK, just to give an example.

If you got an 8800GT you need to make sure your motherboard has a PCI-Express slot available. If your not sure your motherboard specification, open up the case and have a look.

Also, new graphics card often need to be connected to the Power Supply via a 6-pin PCI-E connector. Make sure your PSU has one of these. Also, find of if your PSU is powerful enough to run the graphics card you want. You can find the Power Supplies spec printed on a sticker, and stuck to its side.

Assuming your psu is capable and all the rest of your hardware is compatible its relatively easy.

1. Plug the card into the PCI - E slot making sure its seated completely.

2. Connect the power cables to the card.

3. Boot the OS and install the drivers.

Other things to keep in mind :

- If your computer has integrated gfx you will need to disable it.

- If you have an existing video card you will need to uninstall the drivers before installing the drivers for the new card

This can be done using drivercleaner

You should probably list your specs for further help.If you dont know them right off you can find them using a hardware detection Application or by browing around in the hardware properties windows.

Thanks guys thats good info, and it will work well together with the cpu and all the other components automatically? And how about overheating issues or stuff like that?

Thanks guys thats good info, and it will work well together with the cpu and all the other components automatically? And how about overheating issues or stuff like that?

DealRogers

What are the specs of your PC your planning to install the video card into?

[QUOTE="DealRogers"]

I know maybe this is stupid but i dont know very much about computers and how they work, so basically i wanna buy a good graphics card and ive been searching and i know some good ones like 8800gt/gts and 3850/70

But i want to know a few things... if i buy for example a 8800gt and just put it inside of my PC, will it work like it is supossed to do?, at its 100%? If not what things i need to do or have in order to do so?... like, i dont know, compatibility with the motherboard, cpu or the PSU.

I hope i made myself clear or kind of haha.. i need exact answers, thank you very much in advance bye.

mahlerite

if you buy the 8800GT:

1) make sure you have at least a quality 400 watt power supply unit, preferably more

2) make sure you have at least 26 amps on your 12 volt rail/s, preferably more

3) you'll need a PCI-E connector, which your PSU probably already provides

4) you'll also need a PCI-E slot for your graphics card, which your motherboard probably already provides

5) then take out your old graphics card, install the new one in the slot and apply the connector, and update your drivers

viola

To see how many amps you have on your +12v rails you need to look at the sticker on the side of your PSU and see how many +12v are listed and then how many amps are on each one.

For example: I can see a sticker on my PSU and it lists all the fun need to know info. I see a chart that lists off DC Output and it shows that my PSU supports 4 +12v rails and they're all 19amps - which means my PSU supports 76amps on the +12v rails.

If your PSU cannot provide enough power to these power hungry graphic cards, then either your PC won't boot or if it does, you won't get 100% performance out of your graphic card.

If you do not have a PCI-E slot, then you're most likely using AGP. AGP is a dying breed and it probably won't be long before Nvidia and ATI stops making these. I know there are a few decent AGP cards out there, so it might be worth looking into if you cannot afford to do a bunch of upgrades.

Thanks guys thats good info, and it will work well together with the cpu and all the other components automatically? And how about overheating issues or stuff like that?

DealRogers

the worst the CPU will do is "bottleneck" your graphics card, which means hold it back if you have a slow Pentium 4 or something similar, but there won't be compatability issues here.

if you go to a website called CPUID, they have a program called HWMonitor that will tell you the temperature of your graphics card, or alternatively you could use a program called "speedfan"--I get the same temps from both . . . As long as your temperature is under 80C at full load, however, there's nothing to worry about regarding overheating. But if you want to overclock (check out rivatuner for this--google "rivatuner derek" for a helpful guide) your graphics card, you might want to speed up the GPU fan or add a fan to your case.

[QUOTE="DealRogers"]well... i have a core 2 duo e4300... is that good enough?mahlerite

definitely. you could even speed that puppy up a lot, too, if you really wanted.

by overclocking you mean? it is really safe to do that? or is better to buy a better cpu?

by overclocking you mean? it is really safe to do that? or is better to buy a better cpu?

DealRogers

yes, if you check out the buyer reviews of your processor at newegg, lots and lots of people are increasing the CPU speed to greater than 3.0GHz (with stock voltage). there certainly are risks any time you alter the stock settings of hardware, but if you go very slowly and carefully, and do your research, then the risk is quite low. you have a very nice and flexible CPU, in my opinion, so I see no reason to buy another.

[QUOTE="DealRogers"]

by overclocking you mean? it is really safe to do that? or is better to buy a better cpu?

mahlerite

well i wish i could overclock it but i think its too complicated for me..

yes, if you check out the buyer reviews of your processor at newegg, lots and lots of people are increasing the CPU speed to greater than 3.0GHz (with stock voltage). there certainly are risks any time you alter the stock settings of hardware, but if you go very slowly and carefully, and do your research, then the risk is quite low. you have a very nice and flexible CPU, in my opinion, so I see no reason to buy another.

[QUOTE="mahlerite"][QUOTE="DealRogers"]

by overclocking you mean? it is really safe to do that? or is better to buy a better cpu?

DealRogers

well i wish i could overclock it but i think its too complicated for me..

yes, if you check out the buyer reviews of your processor at newegg, lots and lots of people are increasing the CPU speed to greater than 3.0GHz (with stock voltage). there certainly are risks any time you alter the stock settings of hardware, but if you go very slowly and carefully, and do your research, then the risk is quite low. you have a very nice and flexible CPU, in my opinion, so I see no reason to buy another.

actually, you might not even be able to do it if you have a premade computer, say, from Dell (i think you can on the XPS models though) or HP or Compaq, etc, since they lock the settings in the bios. even if you can't, though, it's not nearly as important as your graphics card is for gaming, and the 8800gt most likely will give you the boost you need to max out most games today, provided you have 2gb of RAM.

[QUOTE="DealRogers"][QUOTE="mahlerite"][QUOTE="DealRogers"]

by overclocking you mean? it is really safe to do that? or is better to buy a better cpu?

mahlerite

well i wish i could overclock it but i think its too complicated for me..

yes, if you check out the buyer reviews of your processor at newegg, lots and lots of people are increasing the CPU speed to greater than 3.0GHz (with stock voltage). there certainly are risks any time you alter the stock settings of hardware, but if you go very slowly and carefully, and do your research, then the risk is quite low. you have a very nice and flexible CPU, in my opinion, so I see no reason to buy another.

actually, you might not even be able to do it if you have a premade computer, say, from Dell (i think you can on the XPS models though) or HP or Compaq, etc, since they lock the settings in the bios. even if you can't, though, it's not nearly as important as your graphics card is for gaming, and the 8800gt most likely will give you the boost you need to max out most games today, provided you have 2gb of RAM.

yeah i have a premade from hp, 2gb of ram but i installed one more so i have 3... but with different mhz, anyways with the PC i have a 8800gt will be fine?, i have a pci-e slot but im not sure about my PSU

yeah i have a premade from hp, 2gb of ram but i installed one more so i have 3... but with different mhz, anyways with the PC i have a 8800gt will be fine?, i have a pci-e slot but im not sure about my PSU

DealRogers

i'd crack the case open and take a peek at the PSU. there's probably a sticker on the side of it with the details you need to know, that is, the overall wattage (for example 400W or 500W) and the number of amps on the +12V rails. remember, if there are two +12V rails, one might be labeled +12V1 and the other +12V2. if so, then add those amps together to get the total amps.

if you still can't find the info, check out your computer's documentation either on the internet or through the papers at your house, and if that fails, call HP.

other than that, the connector plugged into your current graphics card will instead be plugged into your 8800gt, and your 8800gt will take over the PCI-E slot that your current graphics card is sitting in.

not a problem. let us know how it runs, and don't forget to install the latest driver for it. right now it is 169.28