I'm thinking of purchasing a GTX 970 for about $40 since my integrated graphics are pretty terrible. If it works well, I might even upgrade to a better GPU later, like an RX 6750 XT or a 3060. My question is: do I need to buy a new power supply for this older card, or does my current PC already have one? I have an Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 Desktop with an Intel i5-12400 (12th gen). Also, is there anything else I should know about this setup? If I do decide to upgrade from the 970 later on, what GPU options are available for $300 or less? I've posted some pictures of my setup on PC Master Race since I'm not sure where the power supply is located.
3 Answers
The Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 has a 300W power supply, and the GTX 970 actually requires a minimum of a 500W PSU to function properly. You're going to need to replace the power supply if you decide to get that GPU, especially since 300W isn't enough to support any more powerful GPUs either.
Just a heads up, your current power supply is a proprietary model, so replacing it might be a bit tricky. It doesn’t have extra connectors for a video card either, so the highest-performing card you could technically use is an RTX 3050 6GB, which is still not the best option if you're looking for upgrades.
Your desktop definitely has a power supply, or it wouldn’t be turning on. However, you might run into issues as your current power supply likely doesn’t have the necessary PCIe power connectors for the GPU. It's best to check what connectors you have first before buying the GTX 970.
I posted some pics on PC Master Race to get opinions. Is that a good way to check?
Got it! Any suggestions for a decent and affordable PSU? It looks tough to access with all that metal.