BleepingComputer.com: I just bought a computer but I need a video card

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+...p;skuId=9549401
This is the computer I just bought, everything seems okay with it except it has a video chip...so I need to put a card in since I play The Sims 2. I don't know how to tell if it will work with my computer but I found this one:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...uct_id=10975664

I need something that is in the $50 range, I don't need crazy good graphics, I just don't want my computer to blow up from playing The Sims. Thanks a lot.

This post has been edited by ineedhelp925: 03 December 2009 - 08:05 AM

That PC already has a video card built-in. It is the NVIDIA GeForce 9100. It's not that spectacular, but it will play The Sims 2. Remember, that game is old and can only use a single core in a four-core system. However, The Sims 3 can. I'm not sure of the specs of a GeForce 9100, but the 9400 would be an improvement. Note that your power supply is rated for 300W which is what the 9400 requires, but, most power supplies in PC's like yours aren't that good. It may not be able to supply the card with enough power.

Thanks a lot, I will have to look into what power supply I have.

...you have a 300W power supply. It says so at HP's site. It's also the amount of power needed by the graphics card which, given the build quality of the power supply, may not be adequate.

Yeah, you'll need atleast a 460W PSU for overall stability.

And can you please confirm if your expansion slot is PCI Express x16 or PCI Express 2.0? The former supports fewer (rather older) cards.

If it does support PCI Express 2.0, you can easily get a ATI HD 4XXX series card.

This post has been edited by ReviverSoft: 11 December 2009 - 08:11 PM

ineedhelp925...

If you're seeking a real garbage - just buy GeForce 9600 GT... at least that. That card was pretty fine at its time, but now ATI is taking pace.. ohh.. sorry, now ATI took place already, some time ago. And, its superiors at this date are: 1. Radeon HD 5770; 2. Radeon HD 5870... HD 5770 = upgraded, 40nm HD 4850, that is also faster than HD 4870 and pretty equal to HD 4890. What about 5870? .. yes, it's pretty "un-cheap", but it's a doubled HD 5770. ...

... So, remember that info., that I gave you if you want some real sh*t. Just my honest recommendations, I'm getting HD 5770 myself, because I've bought my PC without discrete graphics as well / as you... mine are int. HD 3200 (AMD 780G) - pretty enough for Mount&Blade game (v. 1.011) on 720p... HD 5770 will be for testing out picture-alike graphics on 1080p.

Good luck man,
rhino1366

P.S. Guys, do you know about a release of HD 5970 - a monster, that can take Crysis: Warhead on 16x anti-al., danno on what resolu.. ?? :D

This post has been edited by rhino1366: 14 December 2009 - 09:26 AM

@ineedhelp925

Here's what you need:

PSU:
Corsair VX450 ($64.99) - A good investment

GFX Card: (Under $50)
HIS HD4650
OR
Powercolor HD4650

Newer cards (PCIe 2.0) are backwards compatible, so not to worry.

This post has been edited by ReviverSoft: 14 December 2009 - 01:15 PM