HP Store Online

Do I really have to buy this graphic card/power supply from HP?

OK so I want to change my crap integrated video card to something that can perform well during online games. I went to HP online help, and this is what the guy ended up saying... "You will have to purchase a nvidia GeForce 7600GX PCI Express X16 video card and a 350W power supply. The video card is available locally, however, their compatiblity and performance have not been test with the computer. And I would recommend to purchase the power supply from HP because the power supply dimensions should fit in the computer chassis." Is this legit? I tried finding that exact video card model on google and I couldn't find anything. He said the card would be $100, and the power supply would be $50. The only way to order it through HP is over the phone, and I don't really wanna do that, I'd rather go online or to a store for it. And if you know about this card, does it perform well with, say, Counter Strike: Source, or Team Fortress 2? thanks! sorry i just got an e-mail from them...it's the gs, not gx

Public Comments

1. I would not buy it through them. They are just trying to get more money out of you. Though the prices he gave you are not that overpriced. You could pretty much get ANY PCI-express video card within your budget. It does not need to be "tested" to work with your system. Any video card that is 6000 series or better from Nvidia will play either of those games rather well. But keep in mind the game performance also depends on your processor and memory. As far as the power supply goes, just bring the one you currently have installed with you when you go to buy the new one. This way you know the dimensions are correct.
2. First check and see what the wattage of your current power supply is. You may have to look inside the case and get the info off the unit directly. If you have at least a 250 watt unit already, you should be fine. But you don't need the 7600. I just purchased the 6200OC for my computer. If I wanted to go with the 7600, I also would have had to upgrade the power supply. I have a 300 watt unit. But since I am not an "extreme" gamer, the 6200 is plenty good enough for me. I purchased the 6200 at Best Buy. I'm sure you can get it anywhere, online or not. If you go to Best Buy.com, it shows you the system requirements for all GeForce models. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17071&type=page&initialize=false&sp=&nrp=15&iht=n&list=y&sc=Global&st=geforce&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&cp=1&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq6765666f726365%7E%7Encabcat0500000%23%231%23%2315&_requestid=40509 Just click on the model you want to look at. When that page comes up, click on the "specifications" tab and look at the "system requirements" section. The 7600 requires at least a 350 watt power supply. You can also type in "power supply" into the bestbuy search engine and view the units that they sell. I guess what it all boils down to is, how much gaming you want to do and how much you are willing to spend. I play Kuma games. Which is Source. The 6200 works fine. I have to turn down the resolution because I only have 756K DSL. But it still looks a lot better than the GeForce4 that I had in my computer. If you have 1.5GB, 3GB or 5GB downdload, you won't need to worry about that though.
3. I don't see a 7600GX I do see a GT and GS (I think the GT is the better of the two). You should be able to get this card anywhyere. This should work with your machine. (or really any PCIexpress card) The power supply he might be right. if your Machine is not the normal size then maybe only a HP power supply would work. So to answer your questions the Graphic card you can get anywhere, the powersupply maybe not.