Old guy upgrading.

[lyned]

Hi there. I currently have (self built):

K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI MB, AMD 4200+ dual core
Dual XFX 6600 gt video cards running SLI
2 GB, OCZ, dual channel ram (2x1 gb)
3 year old 600 watt Ultra PSU
Cooler Master Centurion full size case

Now. I'm looking to upgrade my video card to a XFX 9600 gt to run the newer games better. I might be 45 but I still love FPS games . I'm not sure on the specs of my PSU anymore, threw out the box. Has 2 fans, blue LED's. Does anyone know if this PSU would have the amps to run a newer vid card? Haven't stayed up to date on hardware. I'm looking to stick with XFX because they have never caused me any headaches, but if anyone has a better suggestion, I'm willing to try another brand. Trying to stay under or around $200. Currently playing Crysis on low settings :-(. Thanks for any info.

[sswilson]

What CPU are you running on that board? (S939 right?)

Can you see what the model # of the ultra is?

My main concern is that you're probably going to be getting into a major bottleneck with your CPU and might not see much benefit out of a new card.

[lyned]

Thanks for the fast reply sswilson, AMD 4200+ processor 939 pin, can't see the model # unless I pull the PSU out of the case. Sticker is on top. From what I've read, XFX has the lowest power consumption of the 9600 cards. Not sure how much juice dual 6600's would use.

[sswilson]

I expect it should be fine if it hasn't already blown up on you... :) (Some of the earlier Ultras didn't have the best rep).

Have you had a look at the 4850 cards? Not sure if you can find one in your price range, but it'd be worth you while to compare the two.

[lyned]

Thanks again sswilson. I built this PC 3-4 years ago. How long ago the Ultras not so good?

"Have you had a look at the 4850 cards"
I'd prefer to stick with Nvidia cards as thats what I'm used to.

[yamawho]

My daughter has a K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI in her system.
It has a MSI 6600GT as the video card.
The only gaming she does is the Sims 2, so there was no need to upgrade it.

This looks like a decent deal ...
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...7&promoid=1015

[magictorch]

Yep thats a great deal. But you could do with running the CPU at around 2.6 to avoid too much of bottleneck. That will at least get you decent framerates-even in crysis on high in XP (till the spaceship anyway). As long as the psus over 30 amps on the 12vrails thats fine.

[JD]

Originally Posted by yamawho

This looks like a decent deal ...
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...7&promoid=1015

Yup, definitely get a 8800GT over the 9600GT. Especially at that price.

I'd be inclined to buy a new power supply. A 3 year old Ultra PSU kinda scares me...
This Corsair 650W is rather affordable and Corsair is known for high-quality, stable power supplies. Might also knock off some money from your electricity bill if your computer is on 24/7 since it's more efficient.

I would seriously consider overhauling the whole computer though (motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply), but that's your choice.

EVGA, XFX and BFG are all top brands for NVIDIA cards though so you'll be fine with any of them. I prefer EVGA myself since their warranty is the best.

[lyned]

Thanks for the replies. I had thought of getting an 8800gt but figured it might be better stepping up to the 9XXX series. I keep reading in some forums that an 8800gt is still better. Maybe I'll get an 8800gt and then change my PSU if needed.

[lyned]

O.K. ordered the 8800gt that yamawho posted. Hard to find one at a better price. I'll try it out, if my PSU can't handle it I'll wait for a good deal for a new one.

"But you could do with running the CPU at around 2.6"
You mean upping the volts to the processor Magictorch? Won't hurt the CPU doing this?