Ok, let me start with the fact that I am on a BUDGET. I simply can't go out and buy a new computer right now. When I

I was going to buy a nvida 960..but when I went to upgrade the PSU, I found that I have some strange plug setup. My psu -> motherboard connection is a 12 pin and a 4 pin, not the standard 20 or 24. So I'm stuck with a 300w psu. I looked around and it apparently the cheap-ass motherboard.

The computer has a built in Intel HD 4600. For $100 I can buy a EVGA 750, which seems like a small, but probably noticeable upgrade. It does say it will run on a 300 watt psu and doesn't need a plug in. The other option is to wait a few years and build everything from scratch. My question is that in the meantime, do ya'll think the 750 is a worthwhile band-aid?

What do you hope to be able to do with a new GPU? The non-Ti 750 is exponentially more powerful than your CPUs built-in Intel HD4600 graphics...but that's not saying much, really. The 750 Ti is a much better option but of course it's a lot more expensive. It only draws a little bit more power than the regular 750 and still doesn't need a PCI-E power connector, at least the EVGA version doesn't. It will work on a 300w PSU, too.

Whatever you decide, just order it from Amazon or somewhere with a liberal return policy and try it out. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work and then you get your money back.

I mean, it depends on what you want to run and at what settings/resolution. You'll definitely see a performance increase from your internal graphics but don't expect to max out any modern game at 1080p and get high framerates.

There's really not a gigantic difference from the 750 and the 750 ti. The ti is obviously better and has an extra gigabyte of memory over the 750 but in performance comparison videos the difference is usually just a few frames. Sucks the ti has crept up in price from the holidays though, it was going for like $130 with $20 rebates.

If you're like me and like playing older games like Saints Row 3, Tomb Raider and Skyrim, the regular 750 should be good enough.

I just want something better. This was such a dissapointing moment as I was set (in my mind) to start seeing pretty grahpics.

750 ti requires a 400w psu, so thats out. It seems like the straight 750 is highest I can't find with a 300w requirement.

As far as what I want...improvement. Anything better would be great. I WAS looking forward to getting some newer games this year. I guess I need to find a better paying job (which is already the plan too).

Thanks for the opinions.

What about just biting the bullet and buying a new Mobo? If you're not experienced in system building I'll say that the first major PC surgery I did (apart from swapping graphics cards and coolers) was replacing a dead motherboard and slotting all my old parts into it.

It wasn't anywhere near the arse-ache I imagined it to be and gave me the confidence to start building PCs from scratch.

If you're looking for cheap pc parts I'd recommend checking out your local pawn shops. Sometimes I've seen them selling desktop PC with decent parts inside at a decent price only cause the owners had no clue how to get around a bios passcode or windows passcode.

Yeah if you have a built in 4600 HD graphics, the intel chip you have must be pretty ok? Do you know what it is? Replacing the Motherboard and PSU and graphics card could be what you can do all in one fell swoop.

Here is another bit of trickery... you could buy another powersupply for the sole purpose of powering the new graphics card. Can anyone check on if this is possible?

The 750 ti does not require a 400W power supply, unless your PSU has degraded to complete trash and/or your CPU is a power hog, and since it's Intel I'm inclined to believe that isn't the case. Seriously, the 750 ti uses less than 100w at full load and doesn't require any power connectors unless you get the FTW versions. If that somehow doesn't work with your PSU I have a hard time believing the regular 750 will either.

I'm not sure which one you're looking at, but the EVGA 750 Ti that I recommended lists a 300w PSU on it's data sheet. It doesn't require an additional PCI-E connector and draws only a few watts more power under load than the 750 does. Even the EVGA 750 Ti Superclocked only requires a 300w minimum.

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=02G-P4-3751-KR

MB...THANK YOU for pointing that out. I realized that when I selected it on amazon, it was showing me three different versions of the Ti card. Only the TI FTW has a 400w requirement. The 750 ti sc is 300w. So I bought it. I can't wait to game at not the lowest setting ever. :)

The good thing about all this has been its put my brain back into the build mode. I just realized in shopping that next time I'm buying a computer..in 2 years sadly..I'm just going to put it together from parts. It just doesn't seem to cost that much more and I'll actually end up with something more useful.