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Question

trouble finding graphics card for hp desktop

Feb 11, 2015 4:49AM PST

I am wanting the best graphics card possible for my system. Here are my specs. Please advise:

Hp pavilion model h8-1214
AMD FX-6100 Six-Core 3.30ghz
10gb ram


I recently tried upgrading to an EVGA 750ti ftw and it was not compatable.

Please advise what video card would work with my system.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Cool.
Feb 11, 2015 5:13AM PST
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power supply and card height
Feb 11, 2015 5:39AM PST

I failed to mention that I have already upgraded the psu to 520w. The card height will not be an issue for me, as I leave the case open.

The 750ti wouldn't even boot. I got four beeps from the case and a black screen with a flashing cursor in the left top that disappeared after a second or two. I returned the card to the retailer for a refund.

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(NT) All 520W are NOT alike so which one are we talking about ?
Feb 11, 2015 9:29AM PST
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psu isn't the issue
Feb 12, 2015 2:56AM PST

It's a best buy dynex psu but every expert i've talked to so far have stated that the power supply is definitely not the problem. That's why I forgot to mention it in my post. I wouldn't be willing to upgrade the power supply unless there is no card that can give me a boost that will work in my system from what I have now.

as I'm limping along with a piddly nvidia geforce 520gt right now, I feel there should be a few cards I can choose from that can work with what I've got.

as it stands, i'm open to that Diamond Radeon Hd 7750 1gb suggested earlier, but is it a better card than what i've got?

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Whoever recommended the Dynex 520 PSU didn't do you any
Feb 13, 2015 7:54AM PST

favor. Better PSUs advertised as 520W, 550W actually deliver 520W or 550W continuous but the Dynex only delivers 420W continuous over two rails 18 and 16 AMPs respectively.

Exactly what happened when you tried the EVGa GTX 750ti ? Did you contact EVGa about it ?
Be cautious about the older cards...many require more PSU power than the newer cards.

If you're looking at cards....here's a good place to start. At least you have lots of cards to see, price and read buyer reviews. Buy wherever it makes sense for you.

VAPCMD

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Forgot the link...here it is..
Feb 13, 2015 11:07AM PST
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psu was confirmed not to be the issue
Feb 13, 2015 9:00PM PST

That was the very first thing I thought to check on. I contacted nvidia while I still had the 750gt and confirmed from their techs that the dynex was definitely adequate for that card.

I was at a loss about the reason it wouldn't work but returned to best buy to return the card for a refund or credit toward a card that would be compatable. They couldn't tell me anything about why it wasn't working so that is when I came here.

But yeah, even though the dynex 520 isn't awesome, it was definitely not the issue.

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Understand ....just wanted to create awareness about
Feb 14, 2015 2:38AM PST

PSUs and that it pays to pay close attention when choosing one. Higher end PSUs advertise their units on CONTINUOUS power ....other mfgs advertise PEAK. Your PSU is 520W PEAK and CONTINUOUS is only 420W. If you want to learn more and see how PSUs are tested and rated . . .go to http://www.jonnyguru.com.

That said....what did EVGA say WAS the cause and what exactly did the PC do when the card was installed ??? Did it start or power up? Did it beep ?

Did did you look at the cards and buyer comments at the link I sent ?

I saw a Gigabyte 750ti 2GB that says min PSU is 400W and in addition it has a separate PSU connector to boost power to the card.

VAPCMD

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UEFI firmware
Feb 11, 2015 6:08AM PST

I was also told that my incompatability has to do with the nvidia 650 and above using UEFI firmware. I'm looking at the evga geforce 640gt right now but anything that is an improvement to my geforce 520gt will be most welcomed. The nvidia customer support guy said this was a known issue with the higher end cards but stopped short of telling me specifically where the cut off was from what I could and couldn't use.

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Try the other maker.
Feb 11, 2015 6:54AM PST
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thanks
Feb 11, 2015 7:40AM PST

That list wont really help because bang for buck the decision was already made. That card wouldn't work. I also can't be sure without some expertise if I will run into the same issue with an ATI card.

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Fretting about it?
Feb 11, 2015 9:12AM PST

Then you'll have to take it to a shop where they'll try it. I've been around the PC and before the PC and will share how I tackle this issue. But there are folk that can't get past the fretting so at that point you have to take it in the shop and do it for them.
Bob

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Thank you
Feb 12, 2015 2:47AM PST

that's a start for me. i'll check this card out and appreciate you pointing me in this direction.

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Just as a test,
Feb 13, 2015 12:26AM PST

recently I bought a couple GTX 750 (not ti) card and installed it in a Asus P5G41T-m lx3 board, I was able to put win2k and PCLinuxOS on that computer with no problem. I would think that the 750 and the 750ti should be fairly close. However my card is make by PNY, so could this be a company thing or maybe you just had a bad card? Where did you see this UEFI thing? I am curious to read it.

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UEFI
Feb 13, 2015 6:27AM PST

I was first clued into it by googling the problem and seeing conflicting reports about it. I called Nvidia and hp and neither one could tell me a workaround, but just that UEFI is some sort of quick boot for the bios or something to that effect. The nvidia guy couldn't tell me exactly where they started relying on this firmware, only that it was around 600 to 650. I need a hard number to work with, so i came on here hoping someone had found a card that had in fact worked.

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Ok, so by chance...
Feb 11, 2015 9:44AM PST

did you see such requirement on the box? I am no expert but that sound weird to me.

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Printed requirement on box
Feb 12, 2015 2:51AM PST

Absolutely no clue as to this being an issue. That's why I got stuffed up about why it wouldn't work.

I'm really hoping to find someone on here who knows about this UEFI business because if that is possibly the problem i'm going with the evga 640gt.

Otherwise, if no one knows anything about it, I'll assume there is another issue and will go with the radeon being discussed above.

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edit
Feb 12, 2015 3:00AM PST

"absolutely no indication as to this being an issue was printed on the box." is what i meant to say. sorry

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Answer
Re: upgrade video card
Feb 11, 2015 5:16AM PST

That depends on the slots available on the motherboard. If you can provide a link to the specs of that PC maybe we can tell. Also, if you run an old OS, it might be that it's not the hardware that's incompatible, but the software.

What exactly was "incompatible" with you with what?

Kees

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incompatability
Feb 11, 2015 6:04AM PST

I wish I knew what was causing it to not work. From what I was reading online and what the guy at nvidia said over the phone, it had to do with the 700 series geforce requiring UEFI firmware, which my motherboard lacks. I've read that the UEFI started being used with geforce 650 and higher, so i'm looking at something like a 640gt. I really want the next card I buy to be the last one though.

I have one slot the gpu can go into. It is labled PCIE16x_1

With that and the above specs I started the thread with, is there anything else you need?

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x1?
Feb 12, 2015 3:21AM PST

I looked at this machine and see an x16 slot. Of course you remove the card that's in that slot first.

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x16
Feb 12, 2015 5:38AM PST

there are 3 pcie slots, numbered 1-3.
then there is one pcie16x labled 1. That is the one I tried to use and the one which my geforce 520 is using now. I am assuming this is the only slot a gpu can use on my machine.

i'm also assuming this is a pci express and not a express 2.0 or 3.0

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Sorry
Feb 12, 2015 5:45AM PST

But it's been noted for years that we remove one card to pop in another. Sorry if the basics are not covered in some discussions.
Bob

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???
Feb 12, 2015 5:50AM PST

Are you seriously and with a straight face trying to insinuate that I'm trying to put two cards into one slot?

Do you honestly think that's what my problem is right now?

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Yes. When you were writing X1.
Feb 12, 2015 6:00AM PST

All skill levels arrive here so sometimes we have to backup and try again.
Bob

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UEFI firmware
Feb 12, 2015 6:16AM PST

I posted that I had a pciex16_1 slot.
that means pciex16 slot one, correct?

I don't know where you got confused on what I was stating there, but all of this is besides the point now. I've determined the problem is with UEFI firmware and latter nvidia graphics cards relying on it to boot. I've repeatedly asked for help determining when UEFI firmware was started with nvidia ( which series ) and if ati and other card manufacturers use it as well. If they do not, i'm going with your earlier suggestion of the 6770 radeon, which looks adequate to my needs.

Before purchasing my next card, whatever it is, I have to know if said card can work without this, because even after updating my bios, my mother board lacks this firmware.

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I can't guess that.
Feb 12, 2015 6:40AM PST

Makers tend to create new standards and since it only has one PCIe x16 slot, why would it be slot 1? Odd thing there. That's why I begin to wonder if you are trying to add rather than replace the video card.
Bob

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understood
Feb 13, 2015 6:35AM PST

I don't know why they'd lable it as _1 either, that's why I copied it just like it was written. I'm starting to realize with this motherboard the more I ask around that it is a peculiar build.

Alright, well I'm near 100% certain that the uefi firmware was not used for the 500 series and the radeon card you linked to earlier definitely works.

in your opinion, what should I be thinking towards? and if you chose the 500 series geforce, what would you go with? 550? 560? i'd like a 580 but as stated below, those cards are running fairly expensive, even refurbished.

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version 2
Feb 13, 2015 6:32AM PST

That clears up yet another possibility that I had to check into, that the pci slot was not adequate for the card.

so i've ruled out that it was not the psu.
nor the pci express slot. The fact that it's backward compatable opens up a few cards I didn't think I could use before.

So i'm still hitting the uefi brick wall. I'm thinking of going way back to an nvidia 500 series but in doing so, what kind of performance am i going to get? The nvidia help desk said a 580 is pretty much a match for the 750 but those are expensive.

if I get a 550 or 560 what will I gain from the 520?