Please help: Graphics Card advice.

DonY81

Hi guys. I bought my PC about 3- 4 years ago from Novatech and i know its time to upgrade my graphics card but im worried the PSU isnt good enough etc. I do gaming and am noticing cracks in the graphics starting to appear.
My PSU is a 750w ATX PSU
Current graphics card : Radeon 7850
RAM: 16 gig
M board: AM3 +

My question is i do know about bottlenecks and that the motherboard can do this as well as not having a good enough PSU.

What graphics card can i get thats best for the money but not too much of a strain on current hardware i.e psu.

Thanks in advance.

stayontarget

It might not be the PSU,  tearing usally means videocard over heating or other issues.  

Vrika

With 750W PSU you can get just about any graphic card.

Some SLI systems could require more power than 750W PSU could handle, but as long as you're buying only one graphic card you should be okay. Even the most powerful ones usually require only something like 300W.

EDIT: That 300W is the requirement of graphic card alone. Usually rest of the computer combined requires about as much power as a high-end graphic card /EDIT

DonY81

Yes I would only want 1 card. Ill see whats about I wouldn't want to go over £200 - £250

Hulluck

What's the PSU manufacturer and model?  

Quizzical

Hulluck said:

What's the PSU manufacturer and model?  

This.  The nominal wattage on a power supply is a marketing number, not an engineering one.  There is no such thing as a generic 750 W power supply, but only particular power supplies rated at 750 W.  Results if you try pulling 750 W from various "750 W" power supplies can range from working how you hope to exploding and frying everything attached to it.

Quazal.A

if i was to spend 250 quid on a gpu, id simply go for gtx 970 you can get some nice ones for about that price, but if its AMD this is the one  for under 200 quid.

 https://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-msi-radeon-r9-380-gaming-4g-twin-frozr-v-pcie-30-5800mhz-gddr5-1000mhz-gpu-1792-streams-dp-hdmi- 

Now, i dont know what mb you have, but assuming that your PSU is a decent standard one and not a cheap lightweight then you will have no problems running . (assuming if its novotech then its possible thats its one of their own brands and cannot comment on them, but with the remaining 70quid from your 250 budget buy a new psu 
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-evga-gq-series-80-plus-gold-hybrid-modular-sli-crossfire-single-rail-624a-plus12v-1x135mm-fan-a
is a decent one for the price however, personally might be worthwhile throwing another 30 quid at it and go for a fully modular one from corsair range (personal opinion)

THe other option is see if someone you know has a spare PSU and swap yours out and see if problem still occurs (or do same for gpu)

maple2

you have a very weak cpu so dont go for overkill gpu

gervaise1

1. Tomshardware is a good site and has keeps a running "best graphics for $X" type of articles; Anandtech is another site.

2. The PSU is probably not going to be an issue; 750W is "a lot". Now posters above are correct that not all PSU's are the same in reality 750W is the sun of a number of different channels lets say so you can't simply say cpu + m/b + gpu + etc. ... all adds up to less than the psu so all is well. However 750W is a lot and Novatech have been around a long time and are still going.

3. That said NVidia - with their Maxwell chipset - have provided lower power graphics solutions - just as Intel have - in a way that AMD haven't at this point in time. Some of NVidia's newer cards don't even need a fan.

4. I would also support  maple2's suggestion as well not to go overboard. Currently Tomshardware suggests NVidia 730 cards for playable HD and that may be the type of card to look at. (For maxed out HD its an AMD line but at 2-3 times the cost.)

5. If in doubt maybe give Novatech a ring.

Quizzical

If you got a pre-built computer and didn't choose the power supply yourself, it's highly probable that your power supply is garbage, and there's a decent chance that it's the real reason your current video card is dying.  A new video card could easily be damaged by the current power supply for the same reasons as your old one.

A reputable vendor that uses good quality power supplies wouldn't likely use a 750 W unit on a gaming rig that only has a Radeon HD 7850.  Even a good 550 W unit would be plenty there, and much cheaper.  Some vendors sell garbage power supplies with high nominal wattage ratings to try to convince clueless customers that it's good, and that may be what you got.

But we don't have to guess.  Find the exact brand name and model.  If you don't know, then open up the case and read the label.

DonY81

Hi guys. 1st of thanks for the help. 
I bought my PC from novatech around 4 years ago. The PSu is novatech own 750watt. 

My cpu is a fx 6100 or something.

do I need to get a new cpu as well?

Quizzical

In that case, your power supply is most likely one of these:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/651wto850w/ad-e750ae-a6.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/651wto850w/nov-psb751.html

If it's the first one, you need to replace it immediately.  It's a danger to your system and the likely culprit for your video card failing.

If it's the second one, it might be all right.  I'm a little skeptical based on the price and the complete lack of reputable reviews of any Novatech power supplies at all.  But unlike the first, there's nothing that screams "this is obvious garbage", and good quality power supplies are more common than they used to be.

It sounds like you don't know what you have, so you'll have to open up the case and read the label.  The specs are different between the two power supplies, but most likely match one or the other of the ones I linked.  Find out which.

And if you have the first, don't just run off and buy something random.  I can help you find a reasonable replacement.

DonY81

I think my PSu might be the 1st ones as the specs match on the website. I've been thinking about a corsair one PSu 

Quizzical

Another question to consider is just how much money you want to put into an aging rig, rather than replacing it outright.  If a new power supply and video card is all you can afford, then so be it.  But if you've got $1000+ that you could spend, I'd just get a new computer entirely.

It's not the brand name on the box.  It's the particular model you get.  Corsair has been pushing to make the cheapest power supplies that they can without really being a danger to fry things with their CX and more recently VS series.  They might be all right, and would certainly be a big upgrade over that Novatech unit, but it's something I'd steer clear of if you have the budget to get something nice.  Which you might not.

Ridelynn

Corsair used to be rock solid all the way up and down it's product line. But that hasn't held true in the last couple of years. Their low end isn't nearly as competitive as it used to be, and not even their more premium lines are all that great (The RS series that overheats, for instance)

I've shifted over to Seasonic for most of my power supplies.

Even though I say that, I will note that you probably shouldn't buy just based on brand name. Look at a particular make and model. Corsair still makes some good PSUs, they also make some that are just mearly ~ok~ that you will overpay. A company like XFX or Coolermaster - some are great deals, others you want to avoid like the plague. Just have to do a bit of research on whatever you find on sale in the power range you want. 600-700W is the sweet spot for a single-GPU computer.

DonY81

Hi guys thanks for the response. I phoned up the guys at Novatech as thats where i bought my PC to begin with and they said the nvidea gtx 960, 970 and 980 were my best bets but they beleived my psu would be ok. regardless of that im going to et a new PC now as i have a lump of money coming that i forgot about. The current PC will go to the wife for work and after some dabbling i wanted to ask. What would you get nowadays. also what do you think of this monitor? http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/28inchplusmonitors/29um67-p.html

does the side bits extend out or somethjing?

Vrika

DonY81 said:

 What would you get nowadays. also what do you think of this monitor? http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/28inchplusmonitors/29um67-p.html

does the side bits extend out or somethjing?

How much money you want to use for the computer?

Personally right now I'd probably get I5 6600K, Geforce GTX 970 and 512GB SSD.


About that monitor: You should consider whether you want ultrawide monitor. Ultrawide monitor is good if you want width over height, but if you just want as large monitor as possible then a normal 27 inch 16:9 monitor is a bit larger than that 29 inch ultrawide monitor.


What do you mean with your question about side bits extending out? If you mean those pictures of 3 monitors side by side on the webpage you linked, those are pictures of 3 separate monitors side by side.

Quizzical

DonY81 said:

Hi guys thanks for the response. I phoned up the guys at Novatech as thats where i bought my PC to begin with and they said the nvidea gtx 960, 970 and 980 were my best bets but they beleived my psu would be ok. regardless of that im going to et a new PC now as i have a lump of money coming that i forgot about. The current PC will go to the wife for work and after some dabbling i wanted to ask. What would you get nowadays. also what do you think of this monitor? http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/28inchplusmonitors/29um67-p.html

does the side bits extend out or somethjing?

A GeForce GTX 970 or 980 won't be able to plug in to your current power supply.  Either of those cards need two PCI-E 6-pin power connectors.  Your current power supply only has one.  A decent quality 750 W power supply would usually have about four, and they'd often be 6+2-pin connectors, not just 6-pin.

CavemanBE

Ridelynn said:

Corsair used to be rock solid all the way up and down it's product line. But that hasn't held true in the last couple of years. Their low end isn't nearly as competitive as it used to be, and not even their more premium lines are all that great (The RS series that overheats, for instance)

I've shifted over to Seasonic for most of my power supplies.

Even though I say that, I will note that you probably shouldn't buy just based on brand name. Look at a particular make and model. Corsair still makes some good PSUs, they also make some that are just mearly ~ok~ that you will overpay. A company like XFX or Coolermaster - some are great deals, others you want to avoid like the plague. Just have to do a bit of research on whatever you find on sale in the power range you want. 600-700W is the sweet spot for a single-GPU computer.

The Parts off corsair are from seasonic there almost exact the same,only seasonic give some extra's in the psu.

Vrika

Quizzical said:

DonY81 said:

Hi guys thanks for the response. I phoned up the guys at Novatech as thats where i bought my PC to begin with and they said the nvidea gtx 960, 970 and 980 were my best bets but they beleived my psu would be ok. regardless of that im going to et a new PC now as i have a lump of money coming that i forgot about. The current PC will go to the wife for work and after some dabbling i wanted to ask. What would you get nowadays. also what do you think of this monitor? http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/28inchplusmonitors/29um67-p.html

does the side bits extend out or somethjing?

A GeForce GTX 970 or 980 won't be able to plug in to your current power supply.  Either of those cards need two PCI-E 6-pin power connectors.  Your current power supply only has one.  A decent quality 750 W power supply would usually have about four, and they'd often be 6+2-pin connectors, not just 6-pin.

There are adapters for that: http://www.amazon.com/PCI-E-Molex-Power-Cable-Video/dp/B005YCKUYU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1453998399&sr=8-5&keywords=2+pin+molex+6+pin+pci-e

Quizzical is likely to object, but I think he's too paranoid about how high quality a power supply needs to be.

EDIT: Why are we talking about this even after the OP said he's going to get a new PC /EDIT

Ridelynn

CavemanBE said:

Ridelynn said:

Corsair used to be rock solid all the way up and down it's product line. But that hasn't held true in the last couple of years. Their low end isn't nearly as competitive as it used to be, and not even their more premium lines are all that great (The RS series that overheats, for instance)

I've shifted over to Seasonic for most of my power supplies.

Even though I say that, I will note that you probably shouldn't buy just based on brand name. Look at a particular make and model. Corsair still makes some good PSUs, they also make some that are just mearly ~ok~ that you will overpay. A company like XFX or Coolermaster - some are great deals, others you want to avoid like the plague. Just have to do a bit of research on whatever you find on sale in the power range you want. 600-700W is the sweet spot for a single-GPU computer.

The Parts off corsair are from seasonic there almost exact the same,only seasonic give some extra's in the psu.

Some of them are, but not all.

tawess

Vrika said:

EDIT: Why are we talking about this even after the OP said he's going to get a new PC /EDIT

Because the OP is in dire need of any info and advice the OP can get..

GladDog

What CPU are you using?  What OS are you using?  If you have an A-8 or A-10 CPU then you should be fine with an AMD R9-380, which I have seen priced below USD $200 lately.  I believe that is well under 200 pounds.  If you are running an FX 6 or 8 core system, then you could probably run an AMD R9-390, but honesty, I would go for the R9-380.  That will be a significant upgrade for not too much money, and It should match up well with either type of CPU.  A 750W PSU is more than adequate for a single GPU system.

Here is a hint; if you have an A-8 or A-10 CPU, and get an AMD video card you can set it up for dual graphics.  Even though your main card is far faster than the GPU on the CPU, if you set up dual video you will get some level of improvement, since the system will offload mundane tasks to the secondary video.  It may only be 5-10%, but hey, it is a free 5-10% boost!

Quizzical

Vrika said:

Quizzical said:

DonY81 said:

Hi guys thanks for the response. I phoned up the guys at Novatech as thats where i bought my PC to begin with and they said the nvidea gtx 960, 970 and 980 were my best bets but they beleived my psu would be ok. regardless of that im going to et a new PC now as i have a lump of money coming that i forgot about. The current PC will go to the wife for work and after some dabbling i wanted to ask. What would you get nowadays. also what do you think of this monitor? http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/28inchplusmonitors/29um67-p.html

does the side bits extend out or somethjing?

A GeForce GTX 970 or 980 won't be able to plug in to your current power supply.  Either of those cards need two PCI-E 6-pin power connectors.  Your current power supply only has one.  A decent quality 750 W power supply would usually have about four, and they'd often be 6+2-pin connectors, not just 6-pin.

There are adapters for that: http://www.amazon.com/PCI-E-Molex-Power-Cable-Video/dp/B005YCKUYU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1453998399&sr=8-5&keywords=2+pin+molex+6+pin+pci-e

Quizzical is likely to object, but I think he's too paranoid about how high quality a power supply needs to be.

EDIT: Why are we talking about this even after the OP said he's going to get a new PC /EDIT

I was aware of that, but had to finish my post and leave this morning.  His power supply doesn't have very many molex connectors, either, so even if you go the adapter route, it might mean unplugging case fans to free up molex connectors.

If you wanted to object that I'm being too paranoid by not wanting a Corsair VS or CX, you have a case, as those aren't great, but they aren't an imminent danger to fry everything.  For the original poster, however, he has a 750 W power supply that:

1)  Has no 80 PLUS certification

The 80 PLUS standards are so easy to meet that even a lot of genuinely awful power supplies get certification.  Corsair and Antec have made a few low end models where poor energy efficiency really was the only problem, but most power supplies that can't get certification are awful.

2)  Has only one PCI-E power connector.

For comparison, New Egg sells about 50 750 W power supplies.  With the possible exception of some server units that I didn't check, all of them have multiple PCI-E power connectors.  Most of them have four such connectors.

3)  Sells for £27, including VAT

For comparison, the cheapest 750 W power supply that New Egg sells is $55 before shipping, and the next cheapest is $70.

That's a whole bunch of serious red flags.  It's likely that the power supply is the underlying reason why his video card is dying.  Replacing it with a higher power video card now that the power supply has a few more years of wear on it isn't likely to end well.

DonY81

This has been a bit of an education so thanks for that. Im seriously unsure now what to do overall. What a pickle.
Reason being my wife mentioned to me. ''It seems your having to upgrade your PC and you have the PS4 you barely use''
reason I don't use the PS4 is because the games a silly money and ive been a PC gamer for over 15 years.

I will buy a new PC but want to keep it around the £1000 mark. I know my processer is getting old so after you take into account graphics, PSU, processor it starts to add up. Let alone the fact that its already 4 years old

Avanah

DonY81 said:

Hi guys. I bought my PC about 3- 4 years ago from Novatech and i know its time to upgrade my graphics card but im worried the PSU isnt good enough etc. I do gaming and am noticing cracks in the graphics starting to appear.
My PSU is a 750w ATX PSU
Current graphics card : Radeon 7850
RAM: 16 gig
M board: AM3 +

My question is i do know about bottlenecks and that the motherboard can do this as well as not having a good enough PSU.

What graphics card can i get thats best for the money but not too much of a strain on current hardware i.e psu.

Thanks in advance.

Get an NVidia, you'll not have to worry about cracking ect for a long time. I used to have AMD stuff...like 10 yrs ago. Intel + NVidia is hands down what you want. 
Of course those who want Cheap...go with AMD. You get what you pay for.

This is my own personal experience.

But, it's your choice, not for anyone else to decide for you.

Want to pick your parts and compare?
Try this out:

https://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

My BF and I built my second system ourselves. It's so much fun and cheaper too. 
Here is my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YssKYJ but we got the parts from different vendors.