Graphic Cards for Dummies..help!

I have this: http://home.toolshomes.com/index....B003ZX87H2
Purchased new about a year ago.
AMD Phenom II 820 Quad-Core Processor (2.8 GHz, 2MB L2 + 4MB Shared L3 Cache, 4000MHz System Bus); 6GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM memory (3x2GB) (expandable to 8GB); 1TB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive; Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics; SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology; High Definition Audio with up to 7.1 surround sound capabilities
External Ports: Headphone & Microphone (Front), 2 USB 2.0 ports (Front), 4 USB 2.0 ports (Back), VGA-out & DVI-D, Microphone/Line-in/Line-out; Rear speaker-out; Side speaker out; Subwoofer (Back), Coaxial Digital Audio Out (SP-DIF)
10/100Base-T network interface, Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n
HP USB keyboard and optical mouse, Front panel 15-in-1 memory card reader
›This is exactly what it says it is. It's not gaming rig, but it is a powerful machine that -- stock -- will allow you do just about anything you want. With an upgrade to the power supply and a video card, you'll be able to pretty much play anything you like for a while into the future.

WHAT I WANT TO DO: Add a power supply, video card (is that also a graphics card?) I will add more memory too( I do know how to do that)
I have GOOGLED this all but I am almost 60 and I am a bit lost on how to proceed... ANY help would be appreciated, especially if it is simply put TY in Advance... I just love my SD'er helpers!
Found this: http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/...ntver=true

Before you go spend some money on the upgrades, what do you want to be able to do with the computer? Are there any games you are wanting to play? What are they? Plus could you open up your case and find the sticker on your power supply. I've uploaded a picture of what it should look like.

You could take a picture of it, and upload it here, or just tell us what is listed for the +/-12V section. Graphics cards and CPU's use 12V, so we don't really care about the other values. Depending on how good it is, and what graphics card you get, you may be able to keep the power supply.

Give us as much information as you can about what you want to do with the computer. You could end up paying $50 all the way up to $1000+ depending on how much extra graphics power you want. Oh and one more thing. What is the resolution of your monitor?

I want to do games ...like on Facebook Pioneer Trail. Nothing like WOW I just noticed that sometimes the pictures on the game (I have used all browsers..Chrome, Firefox and IE8 and sometimes the game pictures on the screen just do squares instead of the whole picture ..)
My Monitor Res is:1920x1080 (24 inch monitor)
Power Supply
250W250W power supply
Link for Info...as I never opened this PC before
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/w...5121#N1174
I am at work...so if I have to open it I can do that later this evening or tomorrow (day off)
I notice that this PC runs 'hot' when using Chrome and trying to play Pioneer Trail. (A Facebook game) I am also going to upgrade the memory to 16 Gigs with 4 G cards. I will be looking thru SD here to see if there are any good deals. If it is too expensive , I may rethink it all lol.

Sadly the link doesn't give any useful information about the power supply. Since it is only 250W and an OEM one as well, I wouldn't use it if you get a graphics card.

I would look into the CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W [newegg.com], power supply. It goes on sale for $20 and under it seems like once a month.

Graphics card wise, I'm not sure you would really need a new one. Facebook games don't work like most games. The Java and Flash that they use just cripples them. I'm not very familiar with them, so I would wait for a second opinion on if a new graphics card would help.

If you are wanting a new graphics card, I wouldn't spend more than $100. Even that may be more than you really need, since you don't really do anything that really would stress a card. At that price point I would look into either the Radeon HD 5770 or 6770, they are the same card, with the 6770 having Blu-ray 3D decode support. The other option is a Radeon HD 7750, it is slightly less powerful than the 5770/6770, but uses half the power. For all the cards I listed you will need to wait for one to go on sale to get them for $100, they are normally $110-$135.

Ram wise, I don't think you need anymore than the 6GB. If you really care, grab one more 2GB stick. Adding more ram doesn't speed up you computer unless you are running out of ram before the upgrade. I ran with 4GB on my gaming computer and never ran out of ram. I recently upgraded to 6GB total, and I still don't use above 3.5GB. Oh and make sure you have Windows 64bit, since with 32bit you can't use more than 4GB total ram.

i agree with axeman, there is no need to a video card and cetainly no need for more ram. Save your money. Update your flash and java to the newest versions and see if that helps. If you are looking for a speed upgrade an SSD is the way to go.

Quote from stardesire : (I have used all browsers..Chrome, Firefox and IE8 and sometimes the game pictures on the screen just do squares instead of the whole picture ..)

Can you take a screenshot? I really doubt hardware upgrades are going to help. You should already be ridiculously overpowered for this application.

Quote from Aluvus : Can you take a screenshot? I really doubt hardware upgrades are going to help. You should already be ridiculously overpowered for this application.

I am at work again.And worked late last night so I will try to get to this later this eve or tomorrow morning.
Actually from what I read it said this is not a gaming PC, that chrome is a resource hog etc. Ty for all your help. I may just quit Pioneer trail lol

Quote from stardesire : I am at work again.And worked late last night so I will try to get to this later this eve or tomorrow morning. Actually from what I read it said this is not a gaming PC, that chrome is a resource hog etc. Ty for all your help. I may just quit Pioneer trail lol

What you are playing is not a "game" per se. When they talk gaming PCs they are referring to high end, graphic/processor/memory intensive games. Not web games like you are talking about. These should run fine in any system. Try disabling your virus protection when you are playing the game and anything else that sits in the system tray by the clock. Most of what sits there are memory hogs.

Quote from dealgate : What you are playing is not a "game" per se. When they talk gaming PCs they are referring to high end, graphic/processor/memory intensive games. Not web games like you are talking about. These should run fine in any system. Try disabling your virus protection when you are playing the game and anything else that sits in the system tray by the clock. Most of what sits there are memory hogs.

Exactly, games that run in your web browser are not what people talk about when you say "Gaming" PC. They are low end, use flash or flash like plugin, and are not as complex or resource intensive. Anything you find on facebook meets this definition. Gamers games are purchased games ($60+) that have minimum system requirements that tell you the specs you need to play it. Multicore processors, lots of Ram, hard drive space, and a much more power graphics card that renders each pixel and complex textures.

Careful about what you close out of the system trya, some of it you actually want/need. I would have to think that the computer here has something else going on. It is pretty fast, and has plenty of resources to do most things for most people. It is possible it might be loaded down with software, has a virus/malware problem, lacking windows updates and other vital updates, and more. I would start from this end of the stick instead of throwing money and a GPU at it which wont help. Also know that even with the best hardware some of these flash games run like complete crap.

ty to all of you..and rep's all around. I did find Chrome was a resource hog no matter what I was running. IE8 was better. My PC is usually fast even though I live in the 'boonies' and the max speed I can get here is 8 G's (or so I have been told lol) My PC games run fine (the ones I bought specifically for it)
I have updated all flash and java. I do have McAffee Plus as my antivirus... Could that be a problem? I am at work as usual and will try to disable it when I next play the game. I play SPORE fine so I just couldn't understand why Pioneer Trail was such a pain.
Also, I am going to upgrade my Memory and once my PC ran 'hot' while playing on FaceBook and the PC shut down with a blue screen (forget the terms but to protect it) ...it never happened again.
Ty all for your patience, I wish we had all this info when I was younger , it would be easier to understand LOL

Do not upgrade the memory, 6GB already more than you could possibly use.

The poor performance is probably just a result of bad programming by the developers of "Pioneer Trail"

Your computer may be overheating because of dust blocking airflow over the heatsinks. You should open your computer and carefully clean the dust out.

Being younger wouldn't make it easier to understand. Most people who understand these things have just put in the time that it takes to learn it. Many young people know less than you and may not even understand the concept of a stick of memory within their computer.

Quote from dhc014 : Do not upgrade the memory, 6GB already more than you could possibly use. The poor performance is probably just a result of bad programming by the developers of "Pioneer Trail" Your computer may be overheating because of dust blocking airflow over the heatsinks. You should open your computer and carefully clean the dust out. Being younger wouldn't make it easier to understand. Most people who understand these things have just put in the time that it takes to learn it. Many young people know less than you and may not even understand the concept of a stick of memory within their computer.

I agree, you have to do the time to get the info... I have learned so much about PC's etc. I have cleaned the vents, heatsinks etc. I now have found that both Chrome and Firefox are resource hogs no matter if the antivirus is on or not.
I do appreciate all the time and help on this one. :o)

Do you have a lot of extensions / addons installed for FF and Chrome? Do you use FF and/or Chrome regularly, or IE8? If it's slow on all browsers, that points to a couple things:

1. Too much stuff running in the background. Things like HP software, iTunes updaters, Adobe updaters, etc. You want an antivirus running, but many other things aren't necessary. As was mentioned, a lot of these (but not all) show up in the taskbar near the clock.

2. Too much crap installed in your browsers. Things like toolbars, addons, extensions, etc. Uninstall the ones you don't need / use.

3. Make sure your java / flash installation is up to date. Also make sure all necessary Windows updates have been installed.


Edit: And you could only add 2 GB of RAM anyway, since the machine only supports 8. You've got 6 installed already, which is plenty.

Quote from stardesire : ty to all of you..and rep's all around. I did find Chrome was a resource hog no matter what I was running. IE8 was better. My PC is usually fast even though I live in the 'boonies' and the max speed I can get here is 8 G's (or so I have been told lol) My PC games run fine (the ones I bought specifically for it) I have updated all flash and java. I do have McAffee Plus as my antivirus... Could that be a problem? I am at work as usual and will try to disable it when I next play the game. I play SPORE fine so I just couldn't understand why Pioneer Trail was such a pain. Also, I am going to upgrade my Memory and once my PC ran 'hot' while playing on FaceBook and the PC shut down with a blue screen (forget the terms but to protect it) ...it never happened again. Ty all for your patience, I wish we had all this info when I was younger , it would be easier to understand LOL

Upgrading your RAM will not help out all. You have more memory than nearly all consumers right now. 85% of the computers that ship today have less than 6gb. Only enthusiasts, and professionals (Graphics, video, photo, cad, etc) have more, for the most part. If the PC is running hot make sure it is clean (Open it up and dust it out). Also make sure its not tucked under a desk where it cant get plenty of air.

I assume your are running Windows 7? No reason to use IE8, use IE9. This should be a recommended update. I know it has not been manditory to this point but I would double check windows update are actually running. Chrome really is a superior browser. Do you have a lot of plugins? How are you determining it is a resource hog? Chrome does use a decent amount of ram but its for the prefetching, not a memory leak like some of the older versions of firefox had.

Know that when you update Flash, if you have more than one browser, you have more than one version. Make sure both all are up todate. You should download Secunia PSI to do a scan on your computer for all out of date and vulnerable software. It will help you keep the forgotten stuff updated http://secunia.com/products/consumer/psi/

Quote from dhc014 : Do not upgrade the memory, 6GB already more than you could possibly use. The poor performance is probably just a result of bad programming by the developers of "Pioneer Trail" Your computer may be overheating because of dust blocking airflow over the heatsinks. You should open your computer and carefully clean the dust out. Being younger wouldn't make it easier to understand. Most people who understand these things have just put in the time that it takes to learn it. Many young people know less than you and may not even understand the concept of a stick of memory within their computer.

Quote from stardesire : I agree, you have to do the time to get the info... I have learned so much about PC's etc. I have cleaned the vents, heatsinks etc. I now have found that both Chrome and Firefox are resource hogs no matter if the antivirus is on or not. I do appreciate all the time and help on this one. :o)

I would agree that if this one facebook game is the only thing to give you trouble then it is the game and not your computer. The fact that you can play a real game such as Spore means its not likely your system.

How are you determining that Chrome and Firefox are resource hogs? What is a resource hog to you? Do you have lots of plugins in them? Lots of tabs open? You antivirus will have no impact on the if your internet browser are resource hogs or not. It is not a good idea to turn the AV off while browsing on the internet especially facebook. I would recommend a scan with Malwarebytes to make sure you don't have a spyware infection.