lol thanks. kpo. Any reccomendations on a video card for the same setup? Someone suggested this one. http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102061

Might max the psu out (300w@22amp)
7900 series I would suggest if you don't require DX10 or Vista
8600GTS for DX10 would be system limit

7900 card that would be best bet:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2918356&CatId=1558

The max power draw on the radeon i linked is 75w. The 7950gt is 82w. Not sure if that is what you are talking about. http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=466&card2=445

7950GT
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2918356&CatId=1558
A 350W PCI Express compliant system power supply (with 12V current rating of 22A or more)

X1950Pro
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2855874&CatId=2349
450-Watt power supply or greater, 30 AMPS, 12 volt rail recommended

Have you bought the system yet or what?
Research what you need to
Google is your friend

I am just about to buy an Inspiron 531, with AMD 64x2 5600, 1gb ram, 320gb hard drive. And I want to add another 1gb of ram myself. Also looking for a video card. Dell offers the 8600gt for $150.

And I know google is my friend. I have done a lot of research on my own. But my knowledge of the subject is still very limited. I find it easier to ask the specific questions I would like answered, from people who know what they are talking about.

Fair enough. This is what some people do (I did)
When you order your system get the lowest-cost option for the video card. This will be your back-up card.
Order the card you want for less from someone like Newegg, TD, or whoever you prefer.
8600GT you can find for $100
8600GTS you can find for $150 or so and get the card you want with what specs you want on it.

Good luck

What is the maximum wattage I can get away with? The Dell I'm getting is 300 watts, as we all know.. You suggested a 350 watt card, and said a 450 would be too much. What is the maximum watts I can get away with? 350? 400?

Should I get one with DX10 capability? I am getting Vista.

Your 531 is the replacement for my 521.
I don't know the specs of that psu other than it's 300w.
My 521 had a 305w @ 22amps which translates to being able to run up to and including the 7950GT or 8600GTS with the stock psu. ATI ? All I know about ati is they use more power than Nvidia's.

google PSU calculator. Add 30% to the total. This is what you will need.

Thanks for the help guys. I hope I'm not a pest.:blush: A few last questions before I purchase. Should I bother upgrading the sound card option? And, again on the video card. I assume a 256mb 256 bit, is better than a 256mb 128 bit. I am looking at this card right now. A 7900. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133186 Either that, or the 8600gts. What would you guys get?

Instead of a 7900GS try the 7600GT. It has some better core clocks speed as well as the memory clock. I don't know what the difference between the 128bit and 256bit (I would assume that the 256 is better) but the 7600GT is cheaper and has the better clock speeds, but it only has the 128bit. Again don't know the difference but since the 7600GT is cheaper and its got some better clock speeds I would go with that.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062

I think your mistaken:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=385&card2=443

You have to take all factors into consideration
#1
7600GT has a 128bit memory bus
7900GS has a 256bit memory bus

But I did, I said that I didn't know the difference between the 128bit and 256bit and said that I assumed 256bit is better. Then I went on to say that I thought the 7600GT is better. But I was saying get that because of the better clock speeds. I did say that I didn't know about the 128bit and 256bit so I can be corrected if I am getting it wrong.

Should I go with the 8600gts or 7900gs? 7900GS is 256 bit compared to 8600gts 128 bit. But the GTS outperforms it in other areas.