Hi I have a motherboard with a pci express slot?

Question

I have a motherboard with a pci express x16 slot. Can I use a video card with a slot that is pci express 3.0

Answer 1

Sure! Video cards are backwards compatible. They work fine! :)



Video cards I recommend are the Radeon 7770 at $100, or the 7790, or 7850, or 7870 for $200. Anything over the 7870 gets way too expensive. The 7770 is great for general use, and light to medium gaming. The 7870 would be for heavier gaming. The 7770 is the most bang for the buck, at around $100. (The Radeon R7-260X is like a Radeon 7790, and the R9-270X is like a 7870, they just cost more, being more recent cards.)



Computers are built with a power supply just barely able to power them as they are. A video card of any kind requires an upgrade of the power supply. Even the ones that don't have extra power connections can draw up to 75 watts from the motherboard. I would recommend 750 watts, semi-modular, 80+ rated, single 12 volt rail, active PFC, and so on. Cost about $135. It's always best to have more power than you need. Power supplies are happiest running below their maximum, and they live much longer lives. :)



Total cost would be $100 to $200 for the video card, and $135 or so for the power supply. :)



~Helpful ~Cindy! :)

Answer 2

Yes they are backward compatible. Make sure that your motherboard slot is version 2.1 or later to use AMD hardware, if yours is older like pci v.2.0 in the older Dell/Compaq/HP then use an Nvidia card as these are more compatible with older slots.

Answer 3

It will probably fit but may not get the speed out of it that it is capable of? Generally part are backward compatible but not the other way so to get the performance you want you would need a motherboard with same speed capabilities.