RAM vs. video card

[Modlerbob]

My system is a HP Compaq 8200 elite with an AMD Radeon HD 5450 video card 1 gig, 64 bit, DDR3. I already have 8 gig of RAM installed. The power supply is only 250 watt. I was told a DDR5 video card would improve performance but most I checked recommend at least a 300 watt power supply. I currently have to run FSX with several of the scenery components set near the minimum levels to prevent freeze frames. So. where would my limited funds, I live on SSD, be best spent? More ram or a faster video card. Opinions and reasons please.

[garymbuska]

My system is a HP Compaq 8200 elite with an AMD Radeon HD 5450 video card 1 gig, 64 bit, DDR3. I already have 8 gig of RAM installed. The power supply is only 250 watt. I was told a DDR5 video card would improve performance but most I checked recommend at least a 300 watt power supply. I currently have to run FSX with several of the scenery components set near the minimum levels to prevent freeze frames. So. where would my limited funds, I live on SSD, be best spent? More ram or a faster video card. Opinions and reasons please.

A faster card is not going to be much help due to your power supply More ram can not hurt I suggest you compare prices of power supply and ram and go from there

[Capt_Cronic]

I looked up the specs on your machine, there are several configurations available.
what processor does yours have ?

[Modlerbob]

Mine is an Intel(R) core(TM) i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz

[Blaunarwal]

If you already have 8 GB Memory, there's no need to have more for FSX. It can be an advantage, if you have other programs open to avoid shifting these into virtual memory on the disk. I recently changed from a graphic adapter GTX 570 to GTX 770, what gave me a huge improvement. The older card was usally running at 50% when flying FSX, therefore I always thought the graphic adapter still has reserves, what wasn't the case.
If you change your card for a GTX 770 you have to change the power supply too. As you can see on the comparison of the two cards, your's is demanding little power and also giving litte performance
http://www.hwcompare.com/14702/geforce- ... n-hd-5450/

Dan

[Fozzer]

In the past, my selection of Graphics cards was strictly limited by the power supplied by my PSU's.

I always had to study the power requirements of the graphics card before making my purchase!

My previous 320 Watt PSU limited me to low-power graphics cards, and therefore slightly inferior graphics.

A PSU delivering over 700+ Watts should be OK.

Paul.... ...!

[Blaunarwal]

I think mine is 600 or 650 W what is sufficiant.

[Fozzer]

I think mine is 600 or 650 W what is sufficient.

How many what's are there in a Watt.... ...!

A thousand what's in a Kilowatt?... ...!

Paul...what am I talking about?.... ... ...!

[Bass]

I think mine is 600 or 650 W what is sufficient.

How many what's are there in a Watt.... ...!

A thousand what's in a Kilowatt?... ...!

Paul...what am I talking about?.... ... ...!

Well Paul, now you are getting the hang of the metric system

[Capt_Cronic]

well that processor is pretty good and you already have enough memory.
your best improvement would be a better video card and power supply to run it
check this link

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

it gives performance and prices. expect to pay around $200 for a decent card
keep in mind your motherboard supports pci-e 2.0 video cards when makeing your choice
and depending on the card, you will need 450-750 watt power supply

[Modlerbob]

Will one of those higher wattage power supplies fit in the Small form factor case? The 400 watt units I saw were much too big unless they can be attached externally.

[Capt_Cronic]

hmm, I seem to have overlooked the small form factor case.
that will limit your choice of video cards also. (high end cards are large)

all is not lost, you can still get a card much better than what you have
now and require a smaller power supply that will fit in the case

[Modlerbob]

I am on a tight, read SSD, budget income wise so I am going to have to live with this computer for a while. Right now my total budget is around $200 for any upgrades. That is why I was asking if more ram would improve performance. I bought this computer before I got rebitten by the flight sim bug so I am going to have to deal with what I have for now.

[garymbuska]

I am on a tight, read SSD, budget income wise so I am going to have to live with this computer for a while. Right now my total budget is around $200 for any upgrades. That is why I was asking if more ram would improve performance. I bought this computer before I got rebitten by the flight sim bug so I am going to have to deal with what I have for now.

In your case I would add 4 more gigs of memory provided you have the extra slot?
My mother board has the ability to hang 4 cards with each card being 8 gigs for a total of 32 gigs of memory so I now have 3 cards 4 gig each . That was the cheapest way to do it. One 4 gig card was cheaper than two 8 gig cards which would have given me 16 gigs. But be sure to shop around some times you can get some good deals to where the two sticks of 8 are cheaper. I use TIGER DIRECT. I have access to local stores here. so I do not have to wait on shipping.

[Modlerbob]

Thanks, I do have extra slots for more ram plus I will shop for a faster video card that will work in my computer.