Advice?

[Apple]

Hi all
I had a PC bought for me a few months ago and its pretty cool so far, enough space to build my library of music & films etc, only thing is when i run games its a bit cack (Sims 3 crashed.) I don't really understand because there is 4Gb of RAM which is being maxed out by the game & its quad core (when it wants) so I'm assuming its the graphics card & was thinking about upgrading it but then i thought about compatibility, price, installation etc, there seems to be a few good ones which are cheap but I'm just looking at the memory they have + reviews so I'm not sure on which direction to go
I would appreciate your input

 

[Cortb]

Post the specs of the computer you have and the cards you're looking at so we'll know what's compatible and what range your looking for.

 

[Apple]

I was just looking at some Asus & that can't quite remember, but I'm not keen on spending over £100, i just don't believe that it would be worth it, to be honest im looking for improved performance and slightly improved graphics, im using my HDMI input on the TV as a monitor and its spot on for most stuffm just games are stuggling

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120830-0333)
System Manufacturer: LENOVO
System Model: Lenovo H520S
BIOS: LENOVO BIOS Rev: ECKT18A 0.0
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2320 CPU @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Available OS Memory: 3990MB RAM
Page File: 2207MB used, 5771MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows

DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0102&SUBSYS_365317AA&REV_09
Display Memory: 1696 MB
Dedicated Memory: 64 MB
Shared Memory: 1632 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 720 (16 bit) (30Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor

& most of that is irrelevant but i accidentally closed chrome the 1st time lol

 

[Cortb]

Looks like you only have pci express x1 and x16 so finding a card above £100 would be a challenge since that interface isn't as new as others. The best one I could find was this: Newegg.com - HIS H645H2GD1 Radeon HD 6450 2GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express x1 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card

But it looks like your integrated graphics may be better than any graphics cards your motherboard could even handle. Oddly, with this setup, upgrading your processor may be the only way to get better graphics. The ivy bridge processors that have intel hd 4000 should about double the performance of your current integrated graphics. The i3-3225 is in your price range, but its a step down in processing power, the i5-3xxx, are about £125+.


Edit: it feels like I'm missing something, if anyone sees what I can't let us know!

 

[Apple]

The ivy bridge processors that have intel hd 4000 should about double the performance of your current integrated graphics.

is that the next processor up from the i7?
Thanks for your time, Is there any way I can verify if I have the required pci for a newer card then?
--
edit
--
Also even with what i have I don't understand how it's maxing out 4gb of ram and crashing when it has 4 processors :s surely cant be using all of that for graphics, its only the Sims haha

 

[Cortb]

The i7, i5 & i3 are models updated annually, and ivy bridge is the latest iteration for those models, sandy bridge, the type of i5 you have, is last year's model.

And you can verify that you don't have the newer pci slots by visiting:
Newegg.com - lenovo H520s (25612ZU) Desktop PC Intel Core i5 2320(3.00GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity Intel HD Graphics 2000 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

And looking at the section that says pci

Or by downloading this PDF from the manufacturer:
http://download.lenovo.com/consumer/desktop_pub/ideacentre_h520s_hmm_20120627.pdf

I believe page 21 or 22 has the the info you need.

If I looked up the right model you only have pci express slots, one running at x1 and another at x16, so don't go buying a card that says pci express 2.0 or 2.1 or 3.0, cause they won't work.

 

[Apple]

Ohh right, yeahh that's the right model, bit of a downer then :/ was going to get Skyrim but hey-ho, I guess I can live without lol thanks again

 

[Cortb]

I've played skyrim on integrated graphics of a sandy bridge i5, it's playable, but it can be choppy even on low settings when you play at 1080p. If you know anyone who has a copy, you might borrow it and try it out before writing it off as not doable.

 

[BikerEcho]

well.... the PCI express 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0 you are referring to is actually a PCI Express x16 port.
the 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0 is that same thing as saying USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. it's a higher bandwidth on the same port.

the problem in your case is... the case. it's a small formactor, so i don't think a graphic card will fit into it.

 

[Cortb]

Ah I knew the ports were backwards compatible but didn't realize the cards were too, so I did some research:

PCI Express 2.1 supports a large proportion of the management, support, and troubleshooting systems planned for full implementation in PCI Express 3.0. However, the speed is the same as PCI Express 2.0.
--- Unfortunately, the increase in power from the slot breaks backward compatibility between PCI Express 2.1 cards and some older motherboards with 1.0/1.0a, ---
but most motherboards with PCI Express 1.1 connectors are provided with a BIOS update by their manufacturers through utilities to support backward compatibility of cards with PCIe 2.1.

So I'm assuming since the manual doesn't say pci express 1.1, you should stay away from pci express 2.1 cards. And like echo says, your case is pretty small, so anything pci express 2.0 low profile should fit, just be sure to check the dimensions of both.

Give this a look, it's pci express 3.0x16 so it'll go in your x16 slot, it's a low profile card, but I can't find its dimensions:
Newegg.com - VisionTek 900574 Radeon HD 7750 1GB PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card

Do you think this would fit echo?