Adding some Parts to my Rig

[D-Tektive]

hey, L0ck-0n here.

I'm pretty computer illiterate, in the nitty-gritty wayz of the rig maker.

I'm currently running on a ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series

and i want to change to a NVIDIA card that would be of somewhat better quality


Problem is, if i need a new one, my friend told me i need more juice to power up more powerful cards.

I currently have only 300-Watts of power.
____________________________________________________
Stuff that you know:
>]ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series card is currently installed
>300-Watt power supply
>$140 is the amount i can use
>i want NVIDIA (windows 7 ATI drivers are corrupted for some games)

Stuff i wanna know:
>is the ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series a PCI Express card? If not, what kind?
>if i get this, what is a cheap, but good graphics card that can use that energy?
>If possible, can someone give me a combination of a card and a power supply that can supply enough watts that is under or LITTLE over $140?
>Is there a good NVIDIA card that can be powered by 300W

 

[HardHat]

That's a poor power supply. You're better of getting a high quality 450W like this Corsair VX450 ($80): http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3287208&CatId=1078 than some 600W from Ultra.

Your 300W may be enough, but it might not have enough amps on the 12v rail(s). Check them first. A 9600GT can be powered by a 300W, but it requires ~18amps. BFG 9600GT for $80: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4390151&Sku=B52-9607

Total of $160. With mail-in rebates, that price goes down to $140.

 

[Dieinpeace]

That's a poor power supply. You're better of getting a high quality 450W like this Corsair VX450 ($80): http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3287208&CatId=1078 than some 600W from Ultra.

Your 300W may be enough, but it might not have enough amps on the 12v rail(s). Check them first. A 9600GT can be powered by a 300W, but it requires ~18amps. BFG 9600GT for $80: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4390151&Sku=B52-9607

Total of $160. With mail-in rebates, that price goes down to $140.

+1

 

[D-Tektive]

That's a poor power supply. You're better of getting a high quality 450W like this Corsair VX450 ($80): http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3287208&CatId=1078 than some 600W from Ultra.

Your 300W may be enough, but it might not have enough amps on the 12v rail(s). Check them first. A 9600GT can be powered by a 300W, but it requires ~18amps. BFG 9600GT for $80: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4390151&Sku=B52-9607

Total of $160. With mail-in rebates, that price goes down to $140.

thanks so much hard hat, and btw, is there a possible combo that can go as low as $110-$130

 

[HardHat]

What games and what resolution are you playing at? Can you buy from NewEgg instead?

We can get you a PSU with 400W instead, which is still plenty: Corsair CX400W ($55): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

$45 with a mail-in rebate.

I wouldn't look any lower than that for a quality PSU.

And a BFG 9600GT for $77: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143161

$67 with a mail-in rebate.

Total of $112 with the rebates.

To be honest, anything less than that would be a severe downgrade.

 

[D-Tektive]

What games and what resolution are you playing at? Can you buy from NewEgg instead?

We can get you a PSU with 400W instead, which is still plenty: Corsair CX400W ($55): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

$45 with a mail-in rebate.

I wouldn't look any lower than that for a quality PSU.

And a BFG 9600GT for $77: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143161

$67 with a mail-in rebate.

Total of $112 with the rebates.

To be honest, anything less than that would be a severe downgrade.

Ill be playing games like Team Fortress 2...(HL2 EP3, Diablo 3, and Starcraft 2 when they all come out)

and the resolution i use now is 1440x900
(also let me add u on Steam Friends, so i dont have to Forum Msg you)

 

[HardHat]

1440 x 900 has less pixels than 1280 x 1024, which is still a CPU-bound resolution. A 9600GT will handle your current resolution without a single problem, as well as the upcoming games you listed.