SOLVED Compatible Graphics Card

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Hi, I recently went to Windows 10 64 bit os. I am in search of advice on which graphics card to install. My Specs are as follows : Dell Inspiron 530. Mother board G33M02 with 4 gb ram. PSU is 450watts but I bought it as a upgrade from Ebay. I am unsure of the make or model or if it is 1 or 2 rails. My CPU is a Intel Core 2 DUO CPU E7200 @ 2.53GHz 2.53GHz. I want a graphics card for either the PCI or PCI Express X16 slot , which ever would be best to suit my system and one that is compatible with Windows 10 and my mother board. I might add I am not a gamer. I do however play a few of the free games that I can get through the Xbox App that comes with Windows 10. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on a graphics card. Thank you all for any help.
 
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You don't want PCI. You definitely want PCIe. PCI is super old and slow technology. PCIe is latest and x16 offers the best performance. Almost all cards sold today are PCIe and almost all of them are x16 compatible.

Sadly, you failed to state the most important bit of information we need. Your budget. That said, most any PCIe card will likely be an improvement over the integrated you are currently using (assuming you are using integrated). This is because it most likely will have a better GPU, but also it will come with its own on-board RAM. That means your system will be able to free up the currently stolen... err... "shared" RAM it has dedicated to the integrated graphics. So in effect, you get a better graphics processor and a little boost in RAM in the process. :)

If that 450W supply is a decent model from a decent brand (preferably 80 PLUS certified), you should not need to replace that unless you get a monster card - which would be a waste based on your stated requirements.

Once you set your budget, I recommend you check out Tom's Hardware, Best Graphics Card for the Money to get an idea of what's out there. Then post back here with any questions.
 
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Thank you for your quick response. My budget is low but which ever card you suggest I will look for it on ebay or newegg or "if I have to" buy it new after I save the money. So the real answer is any amount. In regards to the power unit , the only other thing it says in my purchase history is 450 watts 8S. I can however upgrade the PSU also but, again "only if I must". I am disabled so my finances are limited. Also I am using the integrated graphics right now but it is not up to par as you might suspect. Before I upgraded to Windows 10 I had Windows 7 32 bit and was using a Asus Nvidia Geforce 6200 512mb card that worked fine but there were no compatible drivers for it after the upgrade to 10. I uninstalled it so I could use the integrated. I really do not need a up to date brand new graphics card. Just one that will improve my machine to it`s potential. I have tried looking on the subject at Tom`s among other places but what I find never seems to be just what I`m looking for with the PC I have because I have changed it by upgrading the psu and upgrading the system to 64 bit. Most of what I find is for this system as it was. So Here I am asking some hopefully smart people for advice. Thanks again for any help.
 
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Well, again, I wish you had stated a budget because Newegg sells almost 450, some that cost a fortune, all the way down to less than $30. They have 59 cards just between $50 and $75.

If me, I would look for cards with at least 1GB of RAM - preferably 2GB.

But first, you need to determine was interfaces (connectors) your monitor supports. Ideally, you want a digital connection (DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort).
 
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I have the cheaper Nvidia chipset cards in my W10 machines a Geforce 630 and a 430 in the other. They have drivers that work with W10 and IIRC the most expensive one was about $120 Canadian. I use HDMI connections.
 
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Gary another option for you would be to upgrade the RAM in your computer. Might be cheaper to do instead of buying a graphics card. If you are not a gamer and only play basic free games you can still use your onboard graphics. But having more RAM if your system will allow it would definitely help you. I read in another thread where you are running the 64bit version of Windows 10. Having more than 4gigs of RAM would help.
 
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Well, again, I wish you had stated a budget because Newegg sells almost 450, some that cost a fortune, all the way down to less than $30. They have 59 cards just between $50 and $75.

If me, I would look for cards with at least 1GB of RAM - preferably 2GB.

But first, you need to determine was interfaces (connectors) your monitor supports. Ideally, you want a digital connection (DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort).
Well thank you so much once more. I have been looking at this one -->
2GB Low Profile EVGA GeForce GT 610 2048MB GDDR3, DVI, VGA and HDMI and this one-->EVGA GeForce GT 730 1GB GDDR5 64bit DVI/HDMI/VGA Low Profile Graphics Card and the 750 of the same as the 730. I think all will work. Which would you choose ?
 
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Gary another option for you would be to upgrade the RAM in your computer. Might be cheaper to do instead of buying a graphics card. If you are not a gamer and only play basic free games you can still use your onboard graphics. But having more RAM if your system will allow it would definitely help you. I read in another thread where you are running the 64bit version of Windows 10. Having more than 4gigs of RAM would help.
Yes I agree but as far as I can tell the G33M02 can only handle 4gb ..unless I`m missing something. I know on the Foxconn website it says the G33m can take 8gb but it`s a G33m02.
 
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The GT 730 is such a better GPU I would go with it even though it only has 1GB of on board RAM instead of 2GB.

As far as your motherboard, typically (depending on your starting point) adding RAM provides the most bang for your money. But of course, your motherboard must support it. And to utilize more than 4GB of RAM, you need a 64-bit OS installed.

I recommend you check out the Crucial Memory Advisor. The scanner will scan your computer and tell you what it supports, then offer compatible suggestions. You don't have to buy directly from Crucial, but if you do, they guarantee compatibility. If you don't buy directly from them, you need to buy RAM with the same specs as suggested. Note that most RAM makers have similar advisor tools.
 
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I've seen benchmarks with the gt730 and gt610 vs. intel's onboard graphics, and there is little difference.
Little??? The 610 may not offer much improvement, but the GT 730 offers significant gains over the 610, as seen here.

If you could swing a...
For just a little more money, you can always get a better graphics card. But lets not forget the OP specifically noted that he is not a gamer.
 
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If you could swing a gtx750 I'd go with that. I've seen benchmarks with the gt730 and gt610 vs. intel's onboard graphics, and there is little difference. GPUShack offers refurbished graphics cards with a 2 year warranty. They have this gtx750 for $79. Requires a 400+ watt psu, and I believe doesn't require a 6 pin pcie power plug either.

http://gpushack.com/collections/all-gpus-for-sale/products/msi-n750-oc
Bigfeet, I`d like to thank you sooooo much. It`s perfect. Just what I`ve been looking for. My PSU is 450 watts and although I do not have the 6pin plug I could have put one in because I do have several other power supplies lying around that have the plug. I had to modify the PSU already because it had molex plugs where I needed sata for the 2 dvd drives. Anyhow thank you again, and thanks to everyone who commented to help.
 
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Glad to help. I've had a couple friends buy cards through them. I'm on a limited budget, and the fans are failing on mine, so I'll be in the market soon.
 
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It's a Sapphire hd7950, with the terrible dual x fans. The fans are $20. I'm trying to save up for a gtx 970, then I was planning to replace fans and sell it. They've been rattling since about a month after the warranty ended.
 

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