[j_cob]

Hi guys

I have an ASUS M2N SLI Deluxe motherboard, an AMD Athlon 64 x2 2.4 ghz processor,
a 5gb DDR2 RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256mb and I want to buy a new graphic card because I almost can't play GTA IV.
I've searched a little around but I can't find out which one I should buy. So I was wondering if any of you knew a graphic card that has 1gb or 512mb that is combatible my motherboard, that would be great!

Any help will be appreciated.

[bigbear]

What is your budget?

[crjdriver]

Right now the ati 48xx series seems to be the best "bang for the buck" One thing to be very conscious of is your power supply. Right now you have a low to mid range video card. If you go to a high end card, you need a PW supply that is capable of powering your new card.

One of the biggest mistakes we see is buying a high end video card like a 4850 or 9800 and attempting to use the same power supply. It almost always causes problems.

[j_cob]

Then how do I tell if my PW supply is capable?

[bigbear]

Look in the specs of the graphics card of your choice and it should tell you the minimum psu requirements.
If you take off the left hand side panel of your pc there should be a label on your psu showing the wattage.
Most high end cards require at least 450watts

[crjdriver]

Originally Posted by j_cob

Then how do I tell if my PW supply is capable?

Open the case and look at the power supply. There should be a name AND a specs sheet on the label. Post ALL of that info here. We can tell you if it will do the job.

What you are looking for is something like this;
3.3V 20amp 5V 40amp 12V 40amp. Note some pw supplies will have multi 12V rails; post all of them.

[j_cob]

It says "+3,3v +5v 12v -5v -12v +5vsb" I don't know if that's anything.
It has 400w.

[crjdriver]

OK, what is important is the amp rating for the 12V. Post that info.

FWIW 400W does not look like it will be enough however post the amp rating on the 12V.

[j_cob]

I can't find that

[crjdriver]

It is on the same label. If the pw supply does not even list the amp rating, it is safe to say you need a quality unit to run a high end video card. Good brand names; Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power&Cooling, FSP.

Look for a unit with 5-600W AND a min of 45-50amp on the combined 12V rail. A quality psu for a high end video card is going to run you $75 and up.