I am looking to upgrade my graphics card so I can play Star Wars: The Old Republic in December. The game doesn't require an extremely powerful graphics card, and I can currently play the game on my computer (I tried the beta and it worked), but it is very laggy and on lowest graphics. I want to buy a new graphics card so that I may play it on medium graphics (or better) and not break the bank.
My recent computer broke, so my parents bought me a refurbished HP computer in September. I don't know all of the details about it because I am currently not home, but it runs World of Warcraft on good settings and can also run Civilization V on low settings. The computers hardware is good strength, as it has a strong processor and alot of memory, but the graphics card is a small chip (it is not integrated). I downloaded Everest to look at my computer's information and my graphics card is apparently an ATI Radeon HD 4200 Chipset, and my motherboard was not able to be identified.
I would like to know if it is possible for me to buy a graphics card, such as an ATI Radeon HD 6770, and hook it up to my computer. I have done considerable research on this matter, but I am by no means a computer expert. I need to know if my computer has a PCI Express slot, and if it does will a good graphics card work in my computer.
To recap, I need to know how to find out if I can buy a graphics card and hook it up to my computer. I currently use a chipset graphics card and don't know what motherboard I have or if it has a PCI Express slot.
If I left anything out, I will edit or add my information. Thanks in advance for your responses.
Update:I don't know why the motherboard was unidentifiable, and I understand this is probably a major hole in my quest to get a new graphics card. It's probably unidentifiable because the computer is refurbished, and my parents got the computer from a local computer store called Microcenter (it is not a big chain like Best Buy). Microcenter uses their own brand of motherboards (i think) for computers they make and refurbished computers.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Go to www.hp.com or hp compac once you find the right site go there put in all your info and they will tell you what your machine is capable of supporting Vid cards are very expensive and many times cannot be returned so check before buying for sure. Lewis
this is an outstanding video card besides the shown fact that i could propose an ati 4870 because of the fact of extra helpful value/overall performance. you have gotten the means to play those video games you pronounced with the 9800. the flexibility furnish would be tight and that i prefer to propose to get one with 500 watt. Dvi stands for this style of port which you connect your reveal screen to. maximum extreme Definition TVs have hdmi and the extra contemporary video reveal contraptions all have Dvi. this is a clean customary that's some distance extra helpful than vga (extra helpful colours and so on.) substantial: Do you have a pci connection? in case you do no longer that video card does not "extra healthful" on your computer Btw: Downgrading to diminish memory (512 mb) does not make that various of a distinction because of the fact the memory does not take plenty ability. wish you ought to apply this ideas