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Question

Need help finding the right video card! Tricky!

Apr 2, 2018 4:31PM PDT

I got a new big monitor and needed to upgrade my old video card (ATI Radeon HD 4350) in my HP Pavilion Elite E9220y so that I could get 2560X1440 resolution. I got an MSI AMD Radeon HD 6450 2GB DDR3 and while I was able to get that resolution, general video performance was compromised. So I upgraded to an ATI FirePro V5900 2GB DDR5 but my motherboard or 2.0 PCI or whatever it is wouldn't accept it. My question then is: what would be a "Goldilocks" video card that finds the sweet spot I need between being powerful enough for decent (not hyper-powered) video at 2560X1440 resolution BUT... isn't too powerful for my CPU? I really don't want to buy a whole new computer. Thanks in advance for any informed responses!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
I've never heard of a GPU being too powerful for a CPU.
Apr 2, 2018 5:15PM PDT

Where did that idea come from? Sounds like you are getting misinformation.

As to 1440 you blew right past all your list for gaming. That would be the cards like the Nvidia 1060 or similar power. If you stuck to 1080p then the 1050 Ti would be nice.

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?
Apr 2, 2018 8:33PM PDT

Thanks for the response but if I get a graphics card with a PCI-Express 3.0 bus, it will not be accepted by my computer's motherboard. This is what happened today, and confirmed by my technician (not to mention the high-pitched whine of protest by the CPU upon powering up). I also don't play games with it; perhaps you were reading another person's post.

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What makes you think that?
Apr 2, 2018 8:51PM PDT

PCIe 1.0 cards work in 3.x slots and vice versa. The usual failure is usually power related.

If you are shopping for very old cards, then what do you have to work with and what is the goal?

I re-read your post and the cards are Jurassic era models. All bets are off if they still work. As to the 1050, it's still quite the light PSU load but once in a while I see folk with 200 Watt PSUs and that fails.

Maybe just try cards until you find a good one? I don't want to sound dismissive but it looks like you are rummaging cards.

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PS. Yes
Apr 2, 2018 8:59PM PDT

There are some rare boards that refuse to work with all cards. These are usually dead by now. Be sure the BIOS is current to give the best shot at working.

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Appreciate that R. Proffitt...
Apr 2, 2018 9:45PM PDT

You definitely know more than I do. And you have the right idea as to all bets being off with old models working. Just ordered a card that I think will do the trick. I just want to get back to where I was performance-wise, only with a 2560X1440 display. (My Alienware days are long gone!)

Thanks again for taking the time.

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by the way...
Apr 2, 2018 9:46PM PDT

How DOES one make sure BIOS is current...?

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How I do that.
Apr 3, 2018 5:51AM PDT

I head to the motherboard maker's support page for the board in question and check the BIOS pages to see what's the latest and then compare to the board.