The gpu does not have its own power supply, what you are most likely reading about is the pcie 6 pin power cord from the psu. http://www.pcpower.com/images/products/b/PCIE-6-8_3853.jpg I do not believe the card you currently have requires a seperate power connection because it probably doesnt need more power than your motherboard supplies it with.

Right now you either have no problem, a small problem, or a expensive problem. Lets start with no problem: If your power supply has two (or maybe eveb one of the above cords sticking out then you are fine. Small problem: If your power supply has none of the above cords sticking out then you would have to buy one or two of http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=4+pin+molex+to+pcie&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7247854542493788615&sa=X&ei=axqZTZfeGYOI0QH7y5jsCw&ved=0CCwQ8gIwAw# Now, the large problem would be that your psu simply does not have enough wattage to support whichever card you choose. In that case you either have to choose a lesser card or buy a new power supply

If you told me the card you are going to pick and the psu that you currently have I could help you furtherI will probably save up for a 5850: http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-HD585XZABC/dp/B003WQS2ZO and my PSU (not sure exactly what this stands for) has 460 watts. Thanks for this btw

Well psu = power supply unit = fancy way of saying thing that plugs into crap

A far better choice would be the 6850 its cheaper http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100315L/dp/B0047ZGIUK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1301880078&sr=1-1 (note this isnt the brand i would recommend you buy (not that its bad, i'm just using this link to show the price)) and it ranks better http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

You will have to buy a new psu for either of these cards. I would reccomend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

Well psu = power supply unit = fancy way of saying thing that plugs into crap

A far better choice would be the 6850 its cheaper http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100315L/dp/B0047ZGIUK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1301880078&sr=1-1 (note this isnt the brand i would recommend you buy (not that its bad, i'm just using this link to show the price)) and it ranks better http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

You will have to buy a new psu for either of these cards. I would reccomend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 Cool, thanks. So does the PSU need to go inside the computer as well?

Yes. It replaces the old one. The old one will look like this http://www.dansdata.com/images/eg651p/psu440.jpg and will be mounted at the back top or bottom of your computer . For some undetermined (by me) reason older computers tend to like the top, while newer ones use the bottom.

If you are really uncertain I would recommend finding a friend that knows more about computers than you, but I honestly dont think you should go to a tech support place. Its better to learn because next time you can (completely) build your own computer for a **** cheaper than any brandname will sell you.

I'd say it's definitely the GPU (graphics card) that's holding you back. The 6 series is of course a step above the 5 series time-wise, but in performance as mentioned here in this thread, it's all about the last 3 numbers. I'm running a single 1GB ATI Radeon HD5870 and Crysis 2 runs with absolutely no problems. Of course, i'm not getting a ridiculously huge FPS with the card as it's a moderate - high end card, not an amazing one.

Also, your power supply (PSU) will have to be replaced to run anything more intense than the graphics card you have at the minute. I would guess HP only put the card in that you have due to the low wattage of your power supply. I built my rig with a 550W power supply which I envisioned would be powerful enough to run my system. It wasn't, and blew up, tripping all the electrics in my house. It was whilst playing Sims 3 (which is surprisingly graphically intensive) meaning that the graphics card (HD5870) was pulling too much juice through it. I upgraded to an Antec 1000W Power supply and i've had no problems since then.

If I had to recommend a Power supply and a new graphics card, they would be the 2 that I have now. Antec 1000W PSU (Moderately easy to install with more cables than you could ever need, and 2 ports in it just for your GPU) and also the HD5870 which hasn't failed me to this day at running anything I throw at it with excellent performance.

Increasing your PSU is a must if you plan to go mainstream (or mid - high end) GPU...... a 550w(brand RAPTOR or something equivalent to that, don't buy a generic Type ) is good for your setup.....BUT I would go higher than that to be safe or for FUTURE use

I would recommend my card 6990....but then again, for you it may be a TAD overkill for your set up...so what i will recommend is the card i used for my Cousins which are 450 GTS OC nvidia card or a 5750 HD card....both cards are Good for your Resolution..and both i have used up to 1600 X 900 resolution Crysis 2 EXTREME setting

The Radeon 6450 is terrible. A very low end budget card. You'll want at least a Radeon 5750-5770 for this game.

would you look at that, another crappy radeon card holding back a decent system. i see a trend going on here.

Biebers, go troll somewhere else. Even when we're all pc gamers sticking together with the problems we have, we still get assholes like you who turn it into a different fanboy war. It was a legitimate question from someone who may not know as much about pcs as the rest of us.

And for the record, I was a victim of crappy marketing from Nvidia's side. GT220 1GB ring a bell? One of the worst cards on the market, causing me to upgrade to the HD5870 I have now.

Basically the gist of it is that if you're going to blow a thousand or more on a new PC, do some research, go on newegg and find product reviews, look at prices of things and get a good idea of what some good parts are you so when you buy a PC (either a prebuilt like yours, or a custom-built) you'll be able to actually pick out a good one. Keep up the researching thing and before you know it you'll have enough info to be able to build your own gaming rig, circumventing the usually retardedly high package fee for prebuilts.

High-tech machine? Not with that 6450. That's a VERY VERY weak card. VERY weak. Go for like...a 6850, or 6870 at least. Don't get a 5xxx ATI card, go for a 6xxx ATI card because the 6xxx series is essentially an improved 5xxx series that is cooler, quieter, more efficient, more reliable, and has better DX11 capabilities.

If you're going with NVIDIA instead, avoid the 4xx and below series and go for a 5xx card. Probably a 560 Ti would be good for you.

Next time read some forum or review about the things u going to buy will be a good choice or u will spending on worthless stuff=\ not to making fun but a lesson u need to learn