Friday, May 4, 2012

I want to add another video card to my computer. Will it support another card?

I have a HP pavilion a6407c PC using a AMD 64 X2 4400+, 3072 MB, and it has a NVidia 6150 SE graphic card right now. Can I put another NVidia card in the computer? Does it have to be the same kind of card or can I put a bigger NVidia card in?|||The Nvidia 6150 graphics adapter is a chipset built-in to the motherboard, it's not a card occupying a slot. So yes, you should be able to buy a regular PCI-E card to replace it (when you install a real video card, the integrated motherboard video is automatically disabled)



According to HP's product specifications, your Pavilion does have an available PCI-E x16 slot, so you're good to go!



These days, your minimum choice should be an Nvidia GeForce 8600GT. I recommend spending a little more and getting a GTS :)|||The 6150 SE is actually an on board video chip, meaning you don't actually have a video "card", it's integrated right onto the motherboard. When you install an actual video "card", the onboard video will be disabled.



According to the specs on HPs website, the motherboard you have comes with a PCI Express x16 graphics slot, so you will be able to install any PCI express video card (most cards are of this type) you wish, providing it fits in your case and your power supply is enough to power the card. I'm guessing the power supply is around 300 watts, which will limit you to less power hungry cards such as the 2600XT, 8600GT/GTS line (and possibly the 9600GT, and HD 3850, although these cards will require that your power supply have an extra power connector to plug directly into the cards). If you intend to get a new power supply, I would recommend sticking to the Corsair brand (I feel quite comfortable vouching for their quality), such as this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as… , or this more powerful one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as… .



You should consider reading this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/grap… for a rundown of the best graphics card/$$$ currently available (to avoid getting screwed over by paying a lot for an old crappy card).

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