Hey folks ! My son wants to play this game, however the computer his mother bought him is a HP desktop with a 300w power supply. It has a Phenom 9750 and 8 GB of ram, so that is the good part ! Was wondering what low power consuming cards would play this game ? The other thing is he uses a 19 inch LCD, so the resolution would not be real high. I was thinking something like the 4670 from ASUS or something like that. He does have room below the PCI-e slot, so that is not an issue. Really the power supply is the limiting factor, so what low power cards would be a good choice ? The mainboard uses a nvidia on board graphics solution, so it might be simpler to use nvidia so we do not have to change video drivers too much, but not essential.
I think the original specs for Modern Warfare is an 8600GT, so correct me if I'm wrong, a 4670 will probably do you fine on that 19". Nvidia wise, probably a Low Power 9600GT would be a good choice.
Depending on if you can fit one in, getting an antec earthwatts 430W power supply might help you immensely, as you'll be running that 300W PSU as hard as it can go.
well that is a good idea, but it ain't gonna happen. He is lucky his mom will even let me help pick a card, and they just bought the computer. I could have built him one, but no !
I am leaning towards the 4670, put one in a Dimension earlier this summer for a client, no additional power needed, and I believe the ps was a 305w and he says it runs very stable.
I was just wondering if there were certain low power cards that are new, something I might have missed. Suggestions welcome !
Good suggestion StillFunkyB, does not say what size ps it needs but it may be fine with the 300, thank you !
I think the PSU will be enough, it's the PCIe slot that might be a problem. Some of the OEM MFG's like Dell and HP have PCIe slots that are only rated for 25w max. Take a look on the motherboard near the PCIe slot to see if it says anything about that. Also, take a look in any of the manuals to see if it states the max power output of the PCIe slot.
thanks for the tip, could be an issue since now he wants to get a 250GTS, I tried get him to see the light on this upgrade but he wants to try it anyways. I just hope Best Buy has a decent return policy if the card fails to work with his machine. He wants the game for free, and if he gets this card he gets the game bundled. No matter that is costs almost double what you can get it from newegg for, so I am going to let him choose and see how it goes. I tried to educate him, oh well ! Thanks for the input suggestions and tips everyone ! Will keep you all updated how it turns out !
Just so you know the Phenom 9750, though a bit better than the 9700, consumes a bit of energy. (near 100w load) Add to that the approx 80w from a gts 250 and you're looking at near 200w (16a) load on the 12v. Very few 300w PSU will allow that power, but wish him luck.
thanks for the tip, could be an issue since now he wants to get a 250GTS, I tried get him to see the light on this upgrade but he wants to try it anyways. I just hope Best Buy has a decent return policy if the card fails to work with his machine. He wants the game for free, and if he gets this card he gets the game bundled. No matter that is costs almost double what you can get it from newegg for, so I am going to let him choose and see how it goes. I tried to educate him, oh well ! Thanks for the input suggestions and tips everyone ! Will keep you all updated how it turns out !
Your going to need to upgrade the power supply to run a GTS 250.
You run the risk of blowing the PSU, and possibly damaging other components if you don't.
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