i currently own a pc with the following spec

intel core 2 quad q9300 @ 2.50GHz,
2.00 GB Ram
NVIDIA Geforce 8400GS

i recently perchased Empire Earth 3 but have noticed some lag even when i dramatically reduce the graphics settings in game obviously this has some relevance to the graphics card so my question is is there a need for an upgrade of my graphics card i keep coming across the 8800gts is the upgrade from 8400gs to 8800gts worth it

Definitely... The 8400GS is barely a step above integrated video (which means that it's only good for 2D use at most), while the 8800GTS is a great gaming card (Great for heavy 3D use).

8400 is a useless card. get the 8800, you will not regret it.

Is it a GTS G92 512mb or the 320/640mb varient? Either way its a huge upgrade, definately worth it.

right, get the 512mb one

Night and day difference, with a 8800GTS 512MB, you will be able to play almost any game at 1680x1050 with top quality.

did this come in a prebuilt system? if so you might want to check the power supply can handle it, but there are less power consuming things that will still RAPE that POS 8400

Here's a ranking of video cards from an article here at Toms, the 8800GTS is 15 steps higher then the 8400gs
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 923-7.html

The only time I saw anyone choose an 8400gs for games is when they simply didn't want to spend more than $40 or so and their integrated video couldn't handle Guitar Hero. You'll do much better with a midrange discrete card than an entry level card.

You'd be better off with a budget 7600gs or something last generation than a recent entry level card, as far as games are concerned. The entry level cards are often geared towards video playback and improving on basic computer tasks like running Vista's 3D Aeroglass.

You may also wait 3+ weeks and have a look at the newer cards coming out. The 4xxx series from ATI is going to be good and affordable, and then there the G260, and the G92b refresh

If you aren't really into games that much, it might be better to just get an 8800gs or something, because it would be a lot cheaper, but probably still just fine for gaming.

But if you want to get serious about gaming, then definitely go with an 8800gts, or wait about a month until the new cards come out.

yes