Video card upgrade for dell dimension 4700

[vinu]

Hi
I have a dell dimension 4700 since..i donno when (i know, its pretty old now).
Recently I decided to upgrade some of its parts due to serious lags when gaming.
( I usually play sims 2 with all expansion packs )

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.2GHz
Intel 915G Express
512MB x 2 RAM ( = 1.00GB RAM)
ATI radeon X300SE
305W psu

Above is my original spec, and I want to upgrade my graphics to nVidia GeForce 8600GT 512MB PCI-Express x16 if its possible on my cpu and my psu.
And also, add two more of 512MB RAM,to make ram of 2GB in total.

Is this alright?
Should I add a higher psu?
I was thinking of [Antec Earthwatts 430W ATX 12V v2.2 PSU w/ Active PFC / 2x +12V Circuits / Low-Noise 80mm Fan / 80PLUS Certified / 1x 20+4pin ATX v2 / 1x 4pin ATX12V / 1x 6pin PCI-E / 4x SATA / 6x Molex / 1x FDD Connectors] <- does this fit my dell?

(Early years, my comp rebooted suddenly, and wouldnt boot itself after that, but sometimes boots completely fine. And just yesterday, did the same thing. When I can't turn on my dell, only the fan goes crazy and nothing would appear on the monitor, is this symptoms of power shortage? When I searched the net, other dimension 4700 users had this same problem also. Some said it was a psu problem, and some said its mobo)

Should I just get a new pc, rather than upgrading my dimension 4700?? (as you can see it has some problems..but does not occur too often)
I'm very on budget...so I prefer to have it upgraded rather than buying a new one..but if buying a new pc is more beneficial. I think I can handle it.

Please help..I only have very little knowledge about computers.:dead:

*btw, i replaced my hdd about a year ago, when my old one died.
*the place where I'm planning to buy the parts are...well. no refund policy. so I have to really really really know what parts I'm going to replace T.T help me on this one also.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Your PSU can support an 8800GS easily, so the 8600GT will be quite easily supported. Also, more RAM will help performance.
As for the problems, if it's the mobo or PSU, then these might be dying and a new PC might be the best way to go, especially since computer parts are so cheap right now.

 

[vinu]

Thanks. You made my day

 

[cosmos100]

Your PSU can support an 8800GS easily, so the 8600GT will be quite easily supported.

Really? I have a similar spec to this and my computer can just about support a 7 series nvidia... without a PSU upgrade.

Surely for a PSU of 350w is the bare minimum needed for an 8800?

I would suggest a PSU upgrade before considering a 8 series, or you may end up having to buy a new PSU or having a card you can't use.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Really? I have a similar spec to this and my computer can just about support a 7 series nvidia... without a PSU upgrade.

Surely for a PSU of 350w is the bare minimum needed for an 8800?

I would suggest a PSU upgrade before considering a 8 series, or you may end up having to buy a new PSU or having a card you can't use.

The PSU in the Dimension 4700 is a PC Power & Cooling PSU with 22A on the +12V rails, which is the minimum required for a system with an 8800GS. I agree though that it might not be guaranteed to work. But I just posted it there so as to reassure the OP that his current choice of card will work.
As for the card he's considering, the 8600GT and the 8600GTS will run comfortably with that PSU.

 

[cosmos100]

The PSU in the Dimension 4700 is a PC Power & Cooling PSU with 22A on the +12V rails, which is the minimum required for a system with an 8800GS. I agree though that it might not be guaranteed to work. But I just posted it there so as to reassure the OP that his current choice of card will work.
As for the card he's considering, the 8600GT and the 8600GTS will run comfortably with that PSU.

maybe I'm just cautious with these things, but I'd still feel more comfortable with a bit more power or a lower wattage card.

I mean a few extra power hungry peripherals and it could be lights out - this computer place won't offer a refund, is it worth the risk?

 

[raybay]

I have not seen a PC Power and Cooling power supply in a Dell 4700, so I dropped by the insurance office here which has 12 Dimensiion 4700 machines. Theirs are are All Dell Units of 305 Watts, but according to the UL number, made by at least three differenc companies.
Decent enough, as we rarely see one fail in the Dimension 4700 . But it normally uses the ATI 128 MB series, the TVT2, Radeo X300 and Radeon X800.
I suspect you might eventually have trouble with the 8800GS. If yours does indeed have a PC Power and Cooling power supply, you should be OK, but I cannot ever remember seeing one in these units which are all Dell labeled.