updating my psu, video card and monitor.

[The_Lyrics]

hey so i just wanted to update during the holiday(December)

here is my current specs:
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 4800+ (SOCKET AM2)
ASUS (M2A-VM)
PCI-E X16 / 10xUSB2.0 / SATA / RAID
KINGSTON 2GB DDR2-667
RADEON X1250 GRAPHICS 256MB
6-CH INTEGRATED AUDIO
500GB SATA 7200RPM
LG DUAL LAYER DVD±BURNER
MULTI-CARD READER
10/100/1000 ETHERNET INTEGRATED
IN-WIN Z589T MICRO-ATX
350W POWER SUPPLY

any recommendation for some of the things i added on the topic
i'd want at least 19-20 inch monitor, at least 500 watts, as for the video card something in around 100-150 budget, since i use my ps3 more for gaming.

should i upgrade to 4 gigs of ram now?

edit: forgot to say use canadians sites. like tigerdirect etc. haha
thanks agian.

 

[rkagin]

What sort of gaming do you do? You could get away with a 2400PRO or an X1650 if you wanted. As for a PSU, you could get a thermaltake 550W:

NCIX.com - Buy Thermaltake TR2 W0134 550W ATX12V V2.2 24/20PIN Modular Power Supply 140MM Fan Dual 6PIN PCI-E - W0134RU In Canada.

You could buy a 19" Acer for $155 or a 22" for $205:

NCIX.com - Buy Acer X193WB Black 19IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1440X900 2000:1 5MS VGA - ET.CX3WP.002 In Canada.
NCIX.com - Buy Acer X223WBD Black 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1680X1050 2500:1 5MS VGA DVI HDCP - ET.EX3WP.001 In Canada.

 

[The_Lyrics]

hmm not that crazy since i use my ps3.
probably just to play any games on med - to high. hahaha

 

[The_Lyrics]

CBiT - Computer Parts, Computers, Laptops, FTA, Service, Training, Networking, and more!
would this do well, if so i can pick it up locally.
this card requires a minimum of 350 watts which is what i have right now, will it be able to run that or not? i think it won't.

 

[Kerosinek]

CBiT - Computer Parts, Computers, Laptops, FTA, Service, Training, Networking, and more!
would this do well, if so i can pick it up locally.
this card requires a minimum of 350 watts which is what i have right now, will it be able to run that or not? i think it won't.

You mentioned a $150 budget for the graphics card, but if you could spend another $20 or so you could pick up a HD 4850 for $164.99. Visiontek Radeon HD 4850 Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, HDMI Support, VGA Support 900241 at TigerDirect.com The 4850 will easily handle all games out right now except crysis on max settings. If you only play games like WoW though the 9500 will be plenty though

 

[The_Lyrics]

i`m not much of a hardcore gamer as i used to be, probably just for some cs source or 1.6 occasionally, unless some good games come out on pc in the near future.

i think i need to really need to get a new psu first before the video card. since mines only 350 watts.

 

[Kerosinek]

i`m not much of a hardcore gamer as i used to be, probably just for some cs source or 1.6 occasionally, unless some good games come out on pc in the near future.

i think i need to really need to get a new psu first before the video card. since mines only 350 watts.

You should be fine with a 350w and 9500.

 

[The_Lyrics]

You should be fine with a 350w and 9500.

sounds good so just stick with my current psu, would a 9600gt be a better choice? or just stick with a 9500.

should i upgrade so 4 gigs of ram?

any recommendations on a lcd monitor.

 

[Brinson]

XP or Vista?

 

[meat_helmet]

You need a 64bit OS to recognise 4GBs of RAM, so unless you have one i wouldnt bother as you will only be able to use 3.2GBs of it.

Can you tell us what kind of PSU you have, and how many amps on the 12 volt rail it has? (this should be under the +12v on the sticker on your PSU). Watts dont mean as much as amp, but considering it is a 350w PSU, its probably not very good and if you want a descent video card you should upgrade it.

You may be able to run a 9500GT on it, but that card is fairly underpowered for newer games. The 9600GT is a good card, but will definately push your PSU i think.

Bottom line, your PSU is probably due for an upgrade, (look for a Corsair 450vx) and a 9600GT would keep you going for some time as well.

As far as monitors go, Samsung are just about the best. Just remember if you go up to something like a 22 or 24 inch the resolutions will go up and you will need more graphics horsepower.