the system i'll be upgrading to:

Upgrading to:

AMD 64 X2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103204

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131234

2x1GB Kingston DDR2 800:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134117

Antec 550W PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371002

8800GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130318

currently have:
430 W PSU
200GB SATA HD ?rpm
160GB IDE HD 7200rpm
DVD Burner

do i need a 550W PSU or will my 430 work?

thanks

Depends on the make/model of the 430W. If it's an Antec Earthwatts, yes (it will work), if it's, say, Powmax or Rosewill or the like, no (go for the Antec TP3). BTW, that's a heck of a deal on that unit.

Please post the make/model of your current unit so we can help you.

^+1. Imo, just get a good 500W like that Antec just to be safe.

i think my 430's an antec, though might have been a rosewell... i'm thinking i'm going to have to upgrade the thing eventually, so i might as well spend the little extra coin. and yeah, i know it's a heck of a deal... it ends thursday, so i wanna jump on it. i'm at work now, i'll check when i get home on what the psu is.

Please state how many amps are on the 12v rails for the 430W.

I dont mean to change up what you seem to have made your mind up on, but would this stretch the budget to much? If not, it is a much faster card. If so, no worries...8800GT is still a fantastic card. Just thought I would suggest it.

As for the power supply. I would probably spring for the 550w TPT if I were you. Like you said...you will probably need the upgrade at some point or another.

4850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102747

Best,

3Ball

I think that 550W PSU is too good a deal to pass up. It will run your system with room to grow.

430W should be enough, but make sure your psu is of a high enough quality to not blow up under load

you linked the 4850, and that's pci-e 2.0. my mobo isn't 2.0, and i never really looked at the prices... now that i'm looking, it seems the prices are pretty close, but definitely a little more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131320
for 25 dollars more.. however, then you get the pci 2.0 cards that are another 25 dollars, and the budget is running away. i'm a college student with limited funds. what do you guys suggest? i really want to make an upgrade that's going to last me another 4 years like this current rig has (i haven't touched the core components save another gig of ram for 4 1/2 years), while not breaking my wallet. fyi: this is about a week's worth of pay and i'm going back the 2nd of september.

PCI Express 1.0 and 2.0 are both forward and backward compatible.

You dont need PCIe 2.0. If you look at my sig you will see that I am running a 4870 in a P965 mobo. It works perfectly. I am a college student as well...I feel your pain lol. The 4850 will be worth it over the 8800GT. You will be glad you stepped up to it.

P.S. If you get the 4850 you will want to make sure to set your fan speed manually. It is a very simple fix. I actually prefer this method over the turn up and down method that a driver fix will most likely produce.

http://forums.extremeoverclocking. [...] 50+fan+fix

Best,

3Ball

the 4850 you linked is pci 2.0 though... iunno, i've always liked nvidia, and i've never had a problem with my 6800, definitely the best card i've ever had. my dad went through two ati 9800's before finally getting one that didn't die, so while this is obviously a few years old, i think i might just stick with nvidia again. as you said, they're pretty comparable.

edit:

didn't see this. alright, that clears up a lot, thanks.

psu:

thermaltake 12V atx
model:
hpc-420-102 df

Your 430W will likely not work.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/o [...] html#sect0

This picture indicates 18A on the 12V line (216W), which is pretty light these days. More modern power supplies have significantly more 12V current. For instance, the EA380 (380W) has 27A on the 12V line. I successfully run a E2160 and a 8800GT on said power supply.

+1