Computer upgrades

[Pear]

Alright, so I need to upgrade my Video card. My current system is running an Nvidia GeForce 9100. That would be pretty pathetic in itself, but besides that, it's integrated. ;__;
I have two potential candidates for replacements. I'm looking into the GeForce 9800 GTX or any of the XTS 200's, preferably in the lower end of that series. Now, my question to you is, which card should I choose? If you think there's a good alternative to those, don't be afraid to mention them too.

Now, the second part of my problem. I have a wimpy power supply, a 300W. Most of the cards I'm looking into have a 400W minimum PSU, so what size would you recommend?

I'm 14, so money doesn't exactly flow to me in a steady stream. Please don't recommend a card that can play Crisis on full and 1300W PSU.

 

[Bogmire]

I just got a ATi Radeon HD 4670 that works in my PSU pretty well, and I think it's like a 250 Watt or something. According to Can You Run It it can play Crysis, maybe if that one will do. But if you do don't forget to uninstall the nVidia Drivers.

 

[Pear]

I just got a ATi Radeon HD 4670 that works in my PSU pretty well, and I think it's like a 250 Watt or something. According to Can You Run It it can play Crysis, maybe if that one will do. But if you do don't forget to uninstall the nVidia Drivers.

That's one sexy card.
It's well in my budget, a lot cheaper than the other stuff I was considering.
I'd probably buy from XFX, which is a reputable company. The power supply is a 400W minimum, so should I go with the bare minimum and get that, or get a 500 or 600W?

 

[beehdaubs]

Yeah, listen to Bogmire and get some ATI Radeons. I have a nice XFX Radeon HD 4870 video card here that can run Crysis very nicely. It's got a relatively low power requirement, and it's pretty cheap too!


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5509358&CatId=3670

 

[Pear]

Yeah, listen to Bogmire and get some ATI Radeons. I have a nice XFX Radeon HD 4870 video card here that can run Crysis very nicely. It's got a relatively low power requirement, and it's pretty cheap too!


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5509358&CatId=3670

I can't find the price on the page. 0__0
Am I blind, or something?

 

[Rawburt]

Yeah, listen to Bogmire and get some ATI Radeons. I have a nice XFX Radeon HD 4870 video card here that can run Crysis very nicely. It's got a relatively low power requirement, and it's pretty cheap too!


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5509358&CatId=3670

I can't find the price on the page. 0__0
Am I blind, or something?

Probably because it's currently unavailable.

 

[Pear]

Yeah, listen to Bogmire and get some ATI Radeons. I have a nice XFX Radeon HD 4870 video card here that can run Crysis very nicely. It's got a relatively low power requirement, and it's pretty cheap too!


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5509358&CatId=3670

I can't find the price on the page. 0__0
Am I blind, or something?

Probably because it's currently unavailable.

Well, that'll do it.

I have an AMD processor, which means I can't run SLI with an ATI card, right?
I'm just curious, it's not like I'd ever use SLI.

 

[Pear]

Would this be a good PSU to run those cards, or would I need to go bigger?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

 

[beehdaubs]

Would this be a good PSU to run those cards, or would I need to go bigger?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

Yeah, that's a good PSU. Mine is about 450w if I believe. It's more than enough. You never want to go 600w+ because that's just too big, unless you're focusing on future-proofing it.

 

[Pear]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

 

[beehdaubs]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

Nice deal. GT 240 should keep you busy for awhile. It might also be able to max Empire: Total War(?). Which is probably one of the most beautiful RTS's I have ever seen.

 

[Zex]

I wish I understood what this meant.

 

[«Jack»]

I wish I understood what this meant.

Then why are you posting in this topic?

 

[Zex]

I wish I understood what this meant.

Then why are you posting in this topic?

So someone could possible give me a lowdown on whatever.

 

[Pear]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

Nice deal. GT 240 should keep you busy for awhile. It might also be able to max Empire: Total War(?). Which is probably one of the most beautiful RTS's I have ever seen.

Right now, my integrated card has frame rate drops playing it on the lowest settings.
I'm looking forward to seeing it at high+ settings. As for the installation, my uncle is coming over tomorrow to show me how to install the power supply and video card. I'm 99% confident I could do it from the tutorials I watched, but it's nice to have some reassurance.


@Zexion- A video card is a computer component. It controls graphics, ie, games in most cases. The better the card, the better the graphics. A power supply is the box in your computer that takes the AC current from your outlet and distributes it to the different components in the computer. More advanced and power hungry components require a larger power supply to run.

 

[beehdaubs]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

Nice deal. GT 240 should keep you busy for awhile. It might also be able to max Empire: Total War(?). Which is probably one of the most beautiful RTS's I have ever seen.

Right now, my integrated card has frame rate drops playing it on the lowest settings.
I'm looking forward to seeing it at high+ settings. As for the installation, my uncle is coming over tomorrow to show me how to install the power supply and video card. I'm 99% confident I could do it from the tutorials I watched, but it's nice to have some reassurance.


@Zexion- A video card is a computer component. It controls graphics, ie, games in most cases. The better the card, the better the graphics. A power supply is the box in your computer that takes the AC current from your outlet and distributes it to the different components in the computer. More advanced and power hungry components require a larger power supply to run.

Yeah. Backup is always appreciated. I had a friend's dad help me with building my computer.

EDIT: And Empire: Total War does look beautiful on high settings.

 

[Pear]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

Nice deal. GT 240 should keep you busy for awhile. It might also be able to max Empire: Total War(?). Which is probably one of the most beautiful RTS's I have ever seen.

Right now, my integrated card has frame rate drops playing it on the lowest settings.
I'm looking forward to seeing it at high+ settings. As for the installation, my uncle is coming over tomorrow to show me how to install the power supply and video card. I'm 99% confident I could do it from the tutorials I watched, but it's nice to have some reassurance.


@Zexion- A video card is a computer component. It controls graphics, ie, games in most cases. The better the card, the better the graphics. A power supply is the box in your computer that takes the AC current from your outlet and distributes it to the different components in the computer. More advanced and power hungry components require a larger power supply to run.

Yeah. Backup is always appreciated. I had a friend's dad help me with building my computer.

EDIT: And Empire: Total War does look beautiful on high settings.

I got it installed, and it's amazing. I'm running Empire Total War at high settings with no framerate issues. Before My computer couldn't handle the lowest settings on the lowest resolution without FPS issues. On Flight Simulator X, I have close to full settings, getting anywhere from 80-200 FPS. Before I could get 20 max on the lowest settings.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

 

[«Jack»]

I got the
<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>
They were both on sale, so I got them for about $150 combined. :O

Nice deal. GT 240 should keep you busy for awhile. It might also be able to max Empire: Total War(?). Which is probably one of the most beautiful RTS's I have ever seen.

Right now, my integrated card has frame rate drops playing it on the lowest settings.
I'm looking forward to seeing it at high+ settings. As for the installation, my uncle is coming over tomorrow to show me how to install the power supply and video card. I'm 99% confident I could do it from the tutorials I watched, but it's nice to have some reassurance.


@Zexion- A video card is a computer component. It controls graphics, ie, games in most cases. The better the card, the better the graphics. A power supply is the box in your computer that takes the AC current from your outlet and distributes it to the different components in the computer. More advanced and power hungry components require a larger power supply to run.

Yeah. Backup is always appreciated. I had a friend's dad help me with building my computer.

EDIT: And Empire: Total War does look beautiful on high settings.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Am I invited to the wedding?

 

[Pear]

Quoting limited to 5 levels deep<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>

Right now, my integrated card has frame rate drops playing it on the lowest settings.
I'm looking forward to seeing it at high+ settings. As for the installation, my uncle is coming over tomorrow to show me how to install the power supply and video card. I'm 99% confident I could do it from the tutorials I watched, but it's nice to have some reassurance.


@Zexion- A video card is a computer component. It controls graphics, ie, games in most cases. The better the card, the better the graphics. A power supply is the box in your computer that takes the AC current from your outlet and distributes it to the different components in the computer. More advanced and power hungry components require a larger power supply to run.

Yeah. Backup is always appreciated. I had a friend's dad help me with building my computer.

EDIT: And Empire: Total War does look beautiful on high settings.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Am I invited to the wedding?

You're the best/first/whatever you call it man. ;D

 

[«Jack»]

Quoting limited to 5 levels deep<div class='spoiler_toggle'>Spoiler: click to toggle</div><div class="spoiler" style="display:none;"> GT 240 and a 450 watt power supply!</div>

Yeah. Backup is always appreciated. I had a friend's dad help me with building my computer.

EDIT: And Empire: Total War does look beautiful on high settings.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Am I invited to the wedding?

You're the best man. ;D

Hell yes.
I'm so tripping the ringbearer right before the altar.