Can my pc be upgraded?

[BenKavanagh]

I dont know much about pc's but love gaming on it. I bought a stock pc from bestbuy which may have been a bad choice. Its running integrated graphics so i can't play many games and want to upgrade. Because its a cheap stalk pc im not sure if its very upgradable. So my questions are, is my pc compatible with most good gpu's? Will i need to ugrade power supply also? And is it possible to have a dedicated graphics card and integrated graphics running at the same time for better performance? Thanks. Pictures down below

[jeonjaeng]

You could probably get a good graphics card, and i dont think you can use integrated with a seperate card, also you will need at least a 500 watt psu for a graphics card. However you may want to consider upgrading somewhat soon.

[Dash Lambda]

That power supply makes me uncomfortable... You'll definitely need to upgrade it first.

Other than that, it does look like you can stick a GPU and SSD in it.

 

And no, you cannot use the integrated graphics with discrete graphics. Or, to be more precise, you don't want to, because the only cards that can do that with your iGPU are pretty low end.

[Wyzzy Moon]

New PSU first because 350 is not going to do it for a dedicated GPU.
An SSD or an extra stick of RAM are options too. but wouw that is single dimm 12 gb. you don't need a ram upgrade.

You could also go for a GTX750Ti GPU,  than you don't have to upgrade the PSU because that one does not require any extra power cables and that would be a simple but decent GPU if you want something better than your iGPU but not spent to much at once.

But i'd still recommend upgrading your PSU because that can cause other problems.

PS. some APU's can run in crossfire with a dedicated AMD GPU but almost always that's not a great option.

[CGurrell]

First and foremost, PSU will die if you put any meaningful GPU into that system. You need a new one. Make sure to consult the PSU Tier List (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html - There is also an LTT one but I can't find it right now). Make sure to get a good quality unit from that list with at least 500W, preferably 600W for better efficiency (PC not as close to the limit of the unit under load).

 

Other than the PSU though, the system should be capable of taking a new GPU no problem. You have an empty PCI-E 16x slot which is imperative, just make sure you don't buy a card too long for the case, and if you buy a water cooled card like an R9 Fury X, just make sure to check if you have a fan mount for the radiator, if not then choose something else or buy a new case.

[Fbranton]

A better power supply would be best for a start to your upgrade path because if you go with a 500 watt power supply that would leave upgrade room for a graphics card like a EVGA 750ti for a budget gaming Graphics card it will get really good performance even on the latest titles like gta 5 black ops 3 csgo minecraft ect..

[Mr.Meerkat]

1. upgrade your Power supply (most important before performing any GPU upgrades)
2. Your APU will do sufficently as a CPU for a decent GPU (something like a 950, 960, 750ti, 270x, 280x ect.)
3. maybe get a cheap SSD while you're at it  

[BenKavanagh]

8 hours ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

1. upgrade your Power supply (most important before performing any GPU upgrades)
2. Your APU will do sufficently as a CPU for a decent GPU (something like a 950, 960, 750ti, 270x, 280x ect.)
3. maybe get a cheap SSD while you're at it  

 

[CGurrell]

Something I have just noticed on the images, you'll need to lower the slot in which your rear wireless antennae are, as that slot would be needed for any 2-Slot card (i.e. most GPUs). It's only a small job but I'd recommend lowering them to the 4th slot (Note: You'd only need to move the PCI-E Bracket, the card itself looks to be in an mSATA port and shouldn't be moved)

[SaladFingers]

Definitely upgrade that PSU before anything else. 350W isn't enough for a discreet graphics card, also it doesn't look like a quality PSU either. You could then look for a GPU, though you need to make sure it won't be bottle-necked by the CPU. If you decide to also upgrade the CPU, you have some better options, too, but keep in mind that this is an AMD socket so you can only buy AMD processors for it. Lastly, nope, you can't really run iGPU + GPU for better performance. 

[ybriK]

Upgrade to a good quality PSU, check your local PC store and find a PSU that falls under Tier 1, 2 or 3 from this list.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 

I did a quick research on your CPU and the highest GPU you can upgrade to without noticing any stuttering or bottlenecks for CPU heavy games are:

GTX 750 Ti, GTX 760, GTX 960, HD 7790, HD 7850, HD 7870, R9 260X, R9 270X, R9 380X.

 

Found this quick video: A10-6700 + R9 380.

 

From the uploader's description

fps:
whit recording: 50-60
whitout recording: 50-70

 

 

 

 

 

[Epotheros]

Since cost is likely important to you a safe bet would be to start off with adding a GTX 750ti. The GPU only costs between $80-$120 USD in the US and was designed to be a gpu people can throw into a prebuilt PC without upgrading anything else. This is a low risk, high reward type scenario as for about $100 you may triple the graphics performance of your PC. The next logical upgrade would be to buy a decent power supply. Anything 80+ Bronze or higher will do as long as it is from a well known brand like EVGA, Seasonic, Corsair, etc. The powersupply is also a part that will last a very long time (5-10 years+) so you will likely be able to use it down the road in a future build. A 400-500W 80+ Bronze powersupply for around $40-60 would be a solid choice. Having a higher wattage powersupply will also give you room in the future to expand to a better card like a GTX 960 or R9 380 (500W recommended).

[amoffat20]

I reckon if you wanna keep the pc and upgrade, you wont need anything better than a 770/r9 280 cause your processor will soon otherwise start to limit the usage of a better graphics card. If that's where you wanna go, you will need a higher rating power supply in the range of 500w depending on the graphics card you get. Hope this helped!

[BenKavanagh]

Thanks everyone for the replies! helped a ton!