Help a noob out, please :)

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NAHTANOJ

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Hello everyone. I am new here and would like some help. These are the current specs of my comp. I want to upgrade my video card, but I need some advice. What are some top of the line video cards that I can buy between a price range of $200-300? Also, do I need to upgrade anything else?

current comp specs:
CASE: Cooler Master CM 690
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6750 CPU @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit
MOTHERBOARD: Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: Corsair 4GB (4x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
VIDEO CARD: ATI RADEON HD 2600 PRO 512MB Video Card
600W Power Supply (RP-600-PCAR (Non-PFC))
 
Well, what do you do with your computer? I'm going to assume you're a gamer at least with that rig.


Newegg.com - MSI R4890-T2D1G OC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - OC Edition - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Factory OC'ed 4890, cheaper then any other 4890, and free shipping. The Nvidia GTX 275 is the competitor to that card. Both perform very well. Some will prefer the GTX 275 and others the 4890. Either is a great choice.

What type of power supply do you have? If I had that computer and was looking to upgrade on a limited budget I would go with a 4890 or GTX 275 and look into getting a new power supply if it's a not a solid one.

EDIT: I should also add, how much are you thinking you would want to spend outisde of your video card budget? You can get a pretty nice performance boost with a newer CPU and motherboard on top of the video card.
 
 
^^
My power supply is a Cooler Master eXtreme Power RP-600-PCAR 600W ATX from factor 12V V2.01
I just want a good video card for gaming and multi tasking. (Things such as photo shop and messing around with music)
 
Not too many Cooler Master power supply fans on here, I can't say much since I haven't use a power supply from them.

If you want to get the best video card out of $300, I would go with an ATI 4890 (again, other option is a GTX 275 at the $250 point). Or look into the video cards Hefe suggested.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Munh appreciated, buut let's say I increase my budget a little. To around $350-375. Would I be able to get a much better card? And should I replace my RAM. Some people were saying that Corsair is garbage and that I should go with OCZ. Lastly, It's optional to replace my power supply right? 660W's should be enough?
 
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1182-AR GeForce GTX 285 FTW Edition 1GB 512-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

That's what I would get for $370. Awesome card.

I wouldn't replace the RAM. Corsair is a solid brand.

If your RAM is DDR2 800 5-5-5-15 you could go with-

Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

But practically speaking, you're fine with your current RAM for gaming, unless you want to spend some cash.

The 12V rail(s) really means more than the wattage rateting of your power supply. I can't comment on if you need a new PSU or not because I'm not entirely sure on how well those Cooler Master PSU's are, maybe Hefe can.

For a great power supply that you won't have to worry about it being enough for any video card-
Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Power Supplies
 
 
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