I need a new graph card, not going to be anything too special as I don't have the cash for that. But the one I currently got isn't compatible with Windows 10 and I found out today it gets incredibly stinking hot. I think it was about to catch fire or melt, as I began to smell something funky.

Looking for a new one, but seems many have passive cooling. Is this really okay, especially when the weather gets hot?
I prefer active cooling, but maybe technology is okay these days, dunno, so I'm asking here.

I'm thinking either MSI GeForce GT 710 2GB (Passive cooling)
or MSI GeForce GT 710 1GD3 LP - 1GB (active cooling)

Also, are these really compatible with Windows 10 AND
Can I expect to watch movies with either of these without problems? The one I got now cannot handle it when there's lots of flashing lights (action movies have these a lot).

Thanks!

I would say get a hold of Tom4Uhere. He is the smartest person on this site on computers.

Try to get an UPTO-DATE one not some old GT710,
Make sure it supports DX12 and since you only wanna watch movies a 1Gb - 2Gb is more than enough.

Passively cooled ones are silent and can run *Hot*
Better to buy one which is actively cooled (has a fan on it)


Good Luck :)

Hardly, I just have limited experience and operational common sense.
But, thanx fer the compliment.

Most aftermarket graphics cards come with their own cooling fans and heat sinks.
You need to know the hardware specs on your machine.
You can find that out with a program. Many ones available.
I use the free one called CPUID CPU-Z
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Once you know the hardware specs, you can go to retailer sites and buy the graphics card that 'fits' your system.
New Egg
http://www.newegg.com/Video-Cards-Video-Devices/Category/ID-38?Tpk=graphics%20card
Tom's Hardware (no affiliation)
http://www.tomshardware.com/t/graphics/
Plus there are other sites you might find.
Once you find the model you want, you can search ebay or amazon for that model at a better price. (figure in shipping costs).

A lot of computers have what is called on-board or motherboard graphics.
You can add an aftermarket card to them if you have the expansion slots to accomodate it.
You will need to follow the directions for installation and setting up the card so it is used instead of the on-board card.
You can also buy additional case fans to aid in cooling.
Heat kills computers.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/get-info-about-your-computers-graphics-capability.htm

Graphics Card


Motherboard Graphics

Thank you for your help!

I've indeed come to understand that the 710 isn't all that good, was advised not to get an MSI either, as they're cheap but then they cut out other (good) stuff to be able to make them at that cheap price.
I went for a slightly more expensive one, an NVIDEA GeForce GT1030 2GB.
It is substantially better & faster than the 710.

Tom, I did what you said: got the advice from a shop, was about to buy it from them, but then found that card E10 cheaper elsewhere. And the man had been great help, but yeah, E10 is a lot of money to me...

I do have an onboard graph card but that isn't compatible with Windows 10, the graph card I'm now using isn't either.
Colours sux, plus the size of images and movies etc is off. Sometimes I'm 'sketching' in Photoshop for a painting I want to make, precision work, then have to check on my phone if the dimensions / measurements are correct. Quite annoying to say the least!

I've been making do with this for some 9 months now, I think it will be quite the revelation to have good graphics again, hihi.

Last night my son cleaned the current one, dang was it dirty! No wonder it overheated.
The new card arrives today, my son should come over tonight to help me install it.
I used to do such things myself in the past, but then I also had the money to get myself a new PC if need be. I haven't that luxury anymore, so then I get nervous, lol.

Hi, sounds like your computers hardware is fairly older because MS ver.10 supports some pretty old hardware :) for the price of a good graphics card you could almost purchase a new computer with all the latest hardware. Anywho just be certain to remove the old drivers :) completely. Then install the new drivers before installing the new graphics card. Hope it works out well for you!

I haven't a clue how old that graph card is, it wasn't the one that came with my PC.
Currently running the new one, not yet sorted, image is now stretched, lol. First is what too wide, now it is too narrow/long.
Hopefully I can get it sorted.

I suggest you have a look at your "Display" settings in "Control Panel".
You might also need to tweak your monitor settings.
If you're not sure which setting your monitor uses you can do a search using its model number to find that monitor's specifications.

My screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 (recomended) but there are a few 'other' resolutions that might work better for your application than (recommended).
I have my screen refresh rate set to 60Hz but there are other refresh rates that can give you different results.
Most monitors can handle "True Color".
Most monitors have adjustment for display posistion and the ability to squish or expand the display on both the horizontal and verticle axis.
I use a television for my monitor.
My graphics card software also has a multitude of settings that allows me to tweak my display further.

If you're not sure of yourself, take a screenshot of the current settings window and save it to your desktop. (Screenshot = hold shift and tap print screen & paste that to paint then save that image to your desktop)
Then, play around with all the display settings, you have a snapshot of the settings you started with so you can always revert back.
Chances are, if its a settings issue, its not a major change needed.
I'm thinking screen resolution and monitor ability are not in sync.

You can also find that some programs need special settings so they look right. You can find those settings and save them as custom settings allowing you to change from one to the other quickly. I do that with some of the art programs I use and a few older games I have.

Note that sometimes, setting your display to optimal for the monitor may make everything look really small. There are settings for font sizes and Icon sizes that help with that.

Thank you, Tom! I already tried a few things, to no avail. but I'll give it another whirl. It would be jolly nice to finally have normal graphics and images again. If only my own card hadn't died one me :'(
I watched a series with this on, HD, and still had the same blocks/lines that I had with the previous one. Not all the time of course, but when there's an explosion for instance.
I had not expected that, I was told this one could easily handle HD movies.

Something to remember is that no graphics card will correct video issues in the video itself.

For movies I use GOM player. It has some nice filters you can usually soften or sharpen poor video quality.
Have a look at the preferences settings in the player you are using to play the video.
If it is from an online source in a browser, make sure you have the right plug-ins and they are configured correctly.
You can test if the issue is in your browser by simply playing the same video in a different browser.
Plus, the issue could be in your monitor settings or drivers.
The only way to see is to hook up a different monitor and see if the problem persists.
Even with my monitor as a tv I do get some videos that have blocky edges.
Sometimes it has to do with the file type of the video, the compression used or even the rip/recording itself.

Play a series of videos from different sources to see if the problem is global. If so, it could be the card settings or a missing driver or something.

Oh yeah, Try shrinking the video size down and see if it gets better, if so, its the video, not your card.
I know when I go full screen on a video optimized for phones it can get blotchy. But if I shrink it down it gets crystal clear.
Its just something I live with to keep file sizes smaller.

Try this.
Pop a dvd in the drive and try playing the movie - see if it is clear or blotchy. It should be clear.

Not sure about windows 10 but in win 7 there is athing called dxdiag that tests your graphics card.
You open a run command and type dxdiag and hit enter then run the display tests.
I just ran mine, it automatically runs the tests and gives the results in the notes section on each tab.
No problems found is what you're looking for, with no other entries.

Also open system hardware via the control panel and look for lil yellow exclaimation marks next to your display hardware. That is an indication that something isn't right. (probably a driver issue or memory conflict)

I'll do that, the DVD thing. Good idea! I think it was indeed that particular vid though as I was watching other things online yesterday and it all was fine. But will test it with DVD nonetheless.
Thanks!

Tried some HD stuff and is working okay. So I guess those other HD streaming vids online weren't okay.
My son had a look at it all and was quite impressed by the card. He said the icons in the taskbar ARE round. Right. Not sure I agree, lol, but I guess I've been looking at images that are too wide for so long I cannot tell the difference anymore, haha.
All in all I am happy with it too. It doesn't get hot, not seen it over 34C yet and my son says that even 64C is quite normal.
I cannot play GTA (not that I want to btw) but my son checked that to see what the card can handle. And it's not the card, that could handle it, it's the CPU that's just not good enough.
Now I'm not into gaming anymore, so I don't care about that. As long as I can watch decent movies and do all the photo editing and video stuff for my YouTube channel and practice.

So it seems all is well after all.

Thank you for all your advice and help!

Nice to see feedback and positive results.

Sure, you've invested quite some time in helping me, I appreciate that!

Thanks for sharing, nice post! Post really provice useful information!

I went through the upgrading the video card every couple of years thing 10 years ago. For awhile just about every new game made you step up. Spent a fortune on upgrading cards and ram. In the end you are better off buying a console totally dedicated for gaming. Like a PS4 or Xbox one I think. Others prefer to build a monster PC at home. Years ago you ran the game files on your own device. Nowadays more players are online where the game is hosted in the cloud. (a server elsewhere) Your browser just manipulates the protocols to access the game.