I just dont know what I can get with video cards

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N8T1308

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Ive been dying to upgrade my video card lately but i can't figure out which ones would be compatible with my motherboard and system. My price range is $200-250. These are my computer specs...

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M61PME-S2 (2nd Edition) (430 Chipset)
Memory: 2X2gb DDR2 800 1.8V (Crucial Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS (512 MB)
Operating system: Windows XP Home Edition 32-bit

Can someone help me out please? Im not a professional computer guy but I do know some so any information would help. Im really just looking for Video Card options...
 
N8T1308, i just replied to your other thread asking for advice on replacing your mobo.
Mate if you're now wanting to replace your gfx card, best to put it all in one thread stating excatly how many of your components you want to upgrade then we can help you better.

The PSU is the power supply. A good quality one of decent wattage is required to run more powerful gfx cards effectively.
 
You didn't say what you need the upgrade for. As for your PSU, it's usually located at the top of the case, towards the rear and there should be a sticker on it that looks somewhat like this:
sn41g2v2_psu_sticker.jpg


Post all the specs you find from your PSU, or a snapshot of it, if possible.
 
You need a new PSU. I'd recommend this one. As for the card itself, I recommend this one.

The PSU is of much better quality than your current one and is actually capable of running two HD 4870s if you wanted to. The card is, of course, a stellar performer and delivers overall better performance compared to its NVIDIA counterpart, the GTX 260. Also, if you want, perform this series of tweaks for increasing the card's fan speed, if you're worried it may run too hot.
 
650w is enough 'power', but its the ampage across voltage rails quality that's required to run a good setup.
Tbh i would think it would suffice, but i'd side with Rage in that if you're gonna buy new decent components, start with the psu, you don't want an older psu failing mid-game or mid-anything really as it could damage your system.
 
I see... im glad im getting my questions answered from you guys instead of just trying everything on my own lol
 
The HD 4870 pulls 150W of power on its own. That's around 12.5 amps from the +12V rail alone, leaving only 16A or so for the rest of your system, which may not be enough. And the 16A is assuming there actually is 28A available on the +12V rail. In reality, available power will be even lesser due to capacitor aging and component quality and efficiency. The PSU doesn't seem to be of very high quality, and is not even an ATX12V supply, seeing as it has most of the power on the +5V and +3.3V rails, which are the ones that are loaded the least in the vast majority of computers today.

The Antec on the other hand is built by Seasonic\Delta, who are very respected and reliable PSU makers, and provides a total of 34A split across two +12V rails, which is far more than what your current PSU provides. Also, this means that it has 408W or around 82% of its total power available on the +12V rail (compared to only 52% for your current PSU), which is where the majority of components in a modern computer system draw power from. This means that most of the power is actually available for consumption by components in your system.
 
Your a man that knows his stuff. I will go with your suggestion and get an Antec PSU. I still feel as though the 500 watt PSU you suggested for my system may not be enough as i intend to upgrade my system later on. Possibly a 600-700 watt maybe? would that be too much?
 
If you want a beefier PSU, go for the Corsair 650TX. It's available for around $80 AR on Newegg and provides enough power for almost any setup.
 
I love the single rail idea more than the two rails... any downside to having one rail instead of two?
 
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