Gainward 7900GS Vs. Connect3d x1900GT

Hey
Im upgrading from intel GMA 900 to a pci-express graphics card and have a budget of up to £135 (~$253). Ive looked around a fair bit and used THGs interactive VGA charts alot and have come up with the following cards..

Gainward 7900GS Golden Sample
Manufacturers Specification

Connect3D x1900GT
Manufacturers Specification

The x1900 beats the 7900 in alot of the tests but looses badly in 3d mark 06 making me unsure of which to get...

My computer specs are:
P4 Prescott @ 3Ghz
350W PSU (came with my case)
P5GDC-V Deluxe
1 x 1gb DDR2 533mhz

Also are there likely to be any problems with my powersupply? I got it with my case and wouldnt mind too much replacing it. Also would my processor cause a bottleneck at all?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as i dont want to get the wrong one :?

Exactly. If you plan to spend your time competing for 3dMarks, then get the 7900.

If you want to play games, get the X1900 GT.

Or better yet, the X1950 PRO...

Probably only about a 5% increase over the X1900 GT, but it will take less power.

[EDIT] Yikes! 350w power supply! That's cutting it close.

You can try it, but if it crashes alot you know why. Replace the PSU with a beefier one, 450w at the very least, and a name brand. [/EDIT]

If i was to get a 7900 would i still have the problem with the PSU?

and thanks for all the help so far

I just got the exact Connect3D card that you are thinking of and I also came from a very weak GPU (6200TC.) The performance is astoundingly different, and you'll be surprised to say the least. It's rather quiet unless you *really* push it, and I got mine for $175 after a $75 rebate at Newegg. I think the rebate is only $50 now, so it's $200, but still not a bad deal unless you compare it to ASUS's x1950 Pro that sells at Newegg for $165, no rebates (!!) If I were you, I'd get that x1950 Pro if it ever gets back in stock and is less than $220.

These cards (both the 7900GS and the x1900/x1950) can draw up to about 125W of power at full-bore, so if I were you, I'd order a decent PSU along with your GPU to ensure that it runs fine. You need at least 12A *free* on the +12V rails, and I bet that your current PSU does not have that. I'm running mine on an Antec SmartPower 2.0 500W and it runs like a champ. It would cost you about $60-80 for a good 450-550W PSU, but it would save you a lot of trouble and let you use a high-class GPU such as these in your box.

Have you looked at the SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB? The card is 199.99 US.