Hi,

I have an old 2009 system that works well but could do with a new graphics card. I have a Nvidia 9800GT and was thinking of a Nvidia GT 1030 or GTX 1050. I'm specifically looking at Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Gigabyte OC 2GB for $Au 159 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Gigabyte Windforce OC 2GB or Nvidia Gigabyte GT 1030. The question is, will it run if I plug it in? I have never changed a graphics card, but it looks simple enough (once taking care of static electricity). Am I missing anything obvious?

My current specs:
Core i7 860 2.80Ghz
Ram 4GB DDR3 1333
Mboard Gigabyte P55A-UD4P P55 1156pin USB3 DDR3
PCI Express x16 slot conforms to PCI Express 2.0 standard
Gigabyte PCI-E 1GB 9800GT
Psupply Antec Earthwatts EA-750Watt PSU
Coolermaster 120mm System Fan RS-650-PCAR-E3

What I'm not sure about:
Check the physical size of the card- I guess I'll have to google that but I assume it is standard sized slot (I have a standard tower)
1050 and 1030 seem to use less power, but not sure about the amps
Will GDDR5 work in the GDDR3 motherboard slot?
My graphics card memory bus is 256bit while the 1050 is 128bit - is that a problem?

Here is a comparison of the 2 cards:
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/inde...0-gigabyte-oc-2gb-vs-geforce-9800-gt-1gb
Here is a comparison of the 1030 GT and 1050 GTX:
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/inde...1030-vs-geforce-gtx-1050-gigabyte-oc-2gb

Games
I play older sims, A10C Warthog, Huey (not yet installed) and Falcon 4AF/BMS, Skyrim etc. My current PC runs them, but fps can get low. I don't play much these days. I can live with the 1050 or 1030 not running at full speed.

Options:
Options at the (big) store I use are (for nvidia) limited to 710, 730, 1050,1050 ti, 1060 and way, way up.

Alternative: DDR3 RAM 8gb 4gbx2 Patriot Signature 1600 $au 95.

You may want to upgrade the RAM, sure, but you'll really get more results for your money with a new GPU And no, AFAIK, DDR3 slots will need DDR3 for RAM.... for GPUs, the RAM it uses is not a factor.

I'm assuming you're gaming on a 1920x1080 monitor as well? Looks like the new cards are PCI-E 3.0 but they should work with PCI-E 2.0 slots as well. Changing GPUs is as simple as taking the old one out and puttin gthe new one in.... maybe updating drivers or changing drivers if going from AMD to nVidia or vice versa. A few things to check --- clearance inside your case... not just for the case structure but also that the GPU does not hit/block anything essential on your motherboard or wiring, check that you have the power connections you need for your new GPU, and that you have sufficient ventilation.

I love it when you said "older sims," then the next one is DCS A10C Warthog How time flies!