Graphics card upgrade - which one?

[Anonymous]

Hi

im looking to upgrade the graphics on one of my pc's . (3 year old)

The processor is good , its an i5 2500k.
My RAM is ok at 8gb - Id be happy to increase this to 12gb
My graphics card is intel HD3000 integrated - hence the reason to upgrade this.

Im a bit worried about the power supply as its has a 450 watt supply.

Im happy with a gaming card as I dont want to spend more than £80-£100 (UK sterling)

Forgot to say that my motherboard is a GIGABYTE H67M-UD2H-B3, and its got PCI express 2 slots rather than the newer 3.
Someone has mentioned that some graphics cards whilst not drawing over 450 watts, it would draw too may amps at a constant rate. Would this be the case with a GTX 750 Ti card?

Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

450W is not too bad for this card. Keep in mind that people recommending high output PSUs have gaming in mind, where the card is getting worked very hard. In archicad-artlantis the card is not used that much - not as much as in gaming anyway. 99% it will be just fine for the 750Ti.

[Jacques Toerien]

Lennox wrote:
Hi

Someone has mentioned that some graphics cards whilst not drawing over 450 watts, it would draw too may amps at a constant rate. Would this be the case with a GTX 750 Ti card?

Any suggestions?

If you are inclined, you could open your case and have a look to see how many amps your PSU can supply on the 12v rail, it should be on a sticker on the side of the PSU. Also, is it a double rail or single rail configuration? Eg. 24 amp on one rail is better for draw than 24 amp on two rails, as the 24 amp on two rails is split 50 / 50 at 12 amp each, which means if you're only using one power plug to your Gfx card you'll fall short if the requirement is above 12 amp.

You should be fine with a 750 Ti as they don't draw too much current. The newer 660/670/760 cards draw more and are not as efficient.

If you're in the UK try eBuyer for PC parts.

You can also use the link below to work out roughly how much power you will draw with your setup.

PSU Calculator