[Graphics Cards] Upgrade?

If u will be building a new sys next year, id get the cheaper (and almost as good) 8800GT.

When u build ur new sys u have the option of going 8800GT sli, which is an awesome setup, or ditching it for something new.

Assuming I purchased this card,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125224

It says that it is PCI-E 2.0, and while my mobo has a PCI-E 16x slot I've been using for years, can I use a 2.0 card in the 1.0 slot?

Also, how big of an improvement over the 7600 GT can I expect in games like Counter Strike: Source for instance.

Thanks

another vote for the 4850

PCI-e 2.0 cards will work in the 1.0 slot - it might hold it back a little but you're better off in the longrun because you can use the card in your next PC if you want to.

watts aren't as important when you're considering video cards as is the amperage. In the case of video cards they run off of a 12volt sort of "cable" (they are typically called rails) - you have to refer to the video card manufacturer or AMD(ATI) to determine how much amperage the video card requires and what kind of power supply they recommend.

Now, I figure that the minimum you are probably looking at is a 500 watt power supply with at least 1 pci-e 6 pin connector and 25-30amps on the 12 volt rail. But that is just a pure guess, literally. You will just have to check your PSU, the video card, etc. This is all good stuff to learn when you're getting more into building PCs =x