Ok, now for the video card?

[TaskTool]

So when I came on here asking you guys what kind of video card I should buy, you all told me that I needed to upgrade my power supply. 450 watts wasn't going to cut it, so I went out and bought some complete garbage 550 watt power supply for 30 dollars at compusa. Now assuming I can move on a bit, which video card would you guys recommend? And if I still need to upgrade my power supply, then what wattage do you recommend?

There is also a 600 watt there. But it is a bit more expensive.


Am I still limited to my choice of video card?

The reasons for upgrading from my 9600 GSO, are mainly Modern Warfare 2, and All Points Bulletin, and probably The Agency. Which I want to play at around 50-60 fps if possible.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0ghz Stock
Intel DG31PR Classic Series, Max 4gb of Memory, 1 Pci Express x16
4Gb Nvidia OCZ Performance ram (Windows xp only reads 3.20 something gigs)
XFX Geforce 9600 GSO 768mb
Power Up! 550W pci Express ready PSU.

 

[Druid]

What is your budget for video card?

I would return that psu. It can't be trusted.

Here is one: Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

It is modular (which is good but more expenseive) but I don't have time to browse around forever.

 

[TaskTool]

What is your budget for video card?

I would return that psu. It can't be trusted.

Here is one: Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

It is modular (which is good but more expenseive) but I don't have time to browse around forever.

I would honestly consider looking for a better power supply, if the one I currently have in wasn't working like a champ..

I don't think I would pay any more than 200 dollars for a graphics card, but I want to play modern games at around 50-60 fps constant on medium to higher settings, and looking at my current setup, my ram, os, and CPU, do you think it is possible to achieve with a graphics card that costs less than 200 dollars?

I don't really want to waste my money on a new power supply until this one breaks, or completely fails.

 

[Trotter]

Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-YWFC Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - BFG Tech GS-550 550W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.8 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies

$175 total. The BFG power supplies have gotten rave reviews and are highly rated. The 4870 requires a 450W, minimum.

 

[Druid]

It is working now, but since it is a really cheap psu, it isn't reliable. It is likely to fail. When a psu fails, I believe it can take some of your other components with it.

If you get that $50 one, you have room in your budget for the 1GB version of the 4870.

Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[TaskTool]

It is working now, but since it is a really cheap psu, it isn't reliable. It is likely to fail. When a psu fails, I believe it can take some of your other components with it.

If you get that $50 one, you have room in your budget for the 1GB version of the 4870.

Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Thanks guys, i'll go with the 4870.

Is it guaranteed to play Modern Warfare 2 at decent frame rates? All Points Bulletin (Unreal 3 Engine)?

I am really looking forward to these games.

 

[Druid]

Yeah, it'll max mw2 with probably as many frames as you can see, and if that other thing is on the unreal 3 engine, I'm sure that too.