8600GT to 9800GT - worth the upgrade?

You could always upgrade to a Radeon HD 4670 which costs about $80 and might not require you to upgrade your PSU. The 4670's performance is about the same as the 9600 GT's, so it's a bit below the 9800GT.

lol so many of these "friend/family member" posts lately... if he was really ur "friend," you'd tell him ur card sucks and he'd get it for much cheaper through retail. but whatever, i'll assume ur using that term lightly.

Haha, I knew this was coming sooner or later. It wasn't like I flat out lied to him about the card's price. He needed something to run his MMORPGs well, which his current card cannot do. So I tell him I'll sell him my current one, which can run them on fairly high if not maxed. He was more then delighted and offered me $100 on the spot. I gave him a $5 discount and there you go.

He has a job and spends his money on playing cards anyway, so why not let him buy something a little more worthwhile?

Good point, but I've already considered cards of those level and decided I wanted to take a few steps up, not just one.

Thanks. I'll try that PSU out instead since its $10 less, reliable, and has the same voltage.

First, what games and what resolution do you play at? There is a big jump in performance between the 8600 and 9800GT. The 8600GT can barely handle 16x10, while the 9800GT should do it with ease. If your looking for a good solid card, the 9800GT (or the 4850/4830 would be even better.) is it. Second...

Something isn't right here. Lets see, 12V x 36A = 432W, which is more then the 400W the unit is rated for. You can't just add the two rails together! Looking at the pics, I see this statement. "12v1 & 12v2 = 348W" Doing the math, 348W / 12V = 29A. As for quality, I'm not convinced on that either. [H]ard has a review of this unit, read it for yourself.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/arti [...] VzaWFzdA==

OEM is FSP, effiency is low, and the temps on it get VERY hot. (exhaust temp was over 60c) IMO, your better off getting the Antec Basiq 500W or one of the Thermaltake PSUs that newegg has. Both are less then $50.

Well I've played most of the games I've wanted to play with the 8600GT on fairly high settings, 1600x1050 res, avg 30-40 fps: WoW, COD4, Fallout 3, Oblivion. The 9800GT should probably do the same on next gen games, hopefully.

I'm not an expert on power supplies, but I know 29A should be well enough for the 9800GT. I can live with 60C - that temperature is regular for my stock PSU, which has working great for over a year.

I don't really think it's fair to look at just the numbers. After all it is a 30 dollar psu. Hardocp test are just that hard. The fact that it survived says a lot and on top of that to get a silver award really is a glowing recommendation for the unit. I'd still recommend it.