What's the best NVidia Geforce card my PC can take?

[Focksbot]

Hi community!

I'm looking to upgrade my 3D card. The next one up is an NVidia GeForce 560, but I don't know if my PC will take it, or any higher than that. I'm not sure exactly what info I need to make a decision.

It's an Intel(R) Core (TM) i5 CPU, 3.20 Ghz

RAML 4GB (3.87 GB usable)
System type: 64-bit

This is the same PC, I think - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pavillion-P6799uk-Desktop-Processor-Windows/dp/B004L519BE

What else do I need to know?

 

[nurgletheunclean]

If that's your computer then it's got a 300w power supply. You are probably good to about 150w of a GPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
you'll need to look at the specific model to see what the dimensions are to make sure it physically fits in your computer.
the 560 i rated at 160w. This could be pushing it, since the watts of your power supply are shared across different voltages. You won't have for example 300w available to the 12v. I think you would probably be safer with something like a Radeon HD 6850 or HD 7850. If you want Nvidia, then a GTX 660 (not the 660TI) is probably the best choice. all of these are rated arount 130w. So just 1 extra pcie power connector.

If you have a standard ATX power supply in there it's probably a simple replacement if you want more watts.

 

[Focksbot]

Many thanks for the detailed and helpful reply! If I went for one of the cards you recommended, would I get a good performance and decent graphics out of Guild Wars 2? I can currently run it fine with no noticeable frame rate drop as long as the settings are all on fairly low - crank it up to best and I get a frame rate drop.

I want to upgrade to experience the game in all its glory, but I'm worried that if I pay for only a small upgrade, it won't be more than six months before I have to upgrade again (and buy another ATX power supply, it looks like) to play something else. Is it just a case of 'That's life'?

 

[nurgletheunclean]

Here's the chart. While the none of those cards I listed are on the chart, you can kind guess where they would fall.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/guild-wars-2-performance-benchmark,3268-6.html
Not sure what you have right now. But if it's the onboard, any of these would be a giant leap forward.
I don't know which I5 you have but if it's a i5-650 your CPU may hold you back, in which case you may not want to over do it on the GPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/guild-wars-2-performance-benchmark,3268-7.html