Need Help with Graphics Cards

[bobev11]

Hi guys, I am working on my first build and so far this is what I have...

Antec 300 ATX case
AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition 4MB Socket AM2+ (2.6GHz???)
HP 20X DVD +/- R DVD Burner Black IDE
Microsoft Windows Vista HOme Premium SP1 64-bit
Antec Tru Power Trio TP3-550W ATX 12V SLI/Crossfire Ready
Gigabyte S-Series MA790GP-DS4H + SB750 Chipset
4 120mm Fans
250 GB Harddrive ( I forget who makes it )

I was wondering what the best graphics card would be for this build with a 550W power supply. I am willing to go Geforce or Raedon. I am not a hardcore gamer, but i do play games so that might help.

Thanks

 

[Onus]

If your budget permits, a Radeon HD4870 or nVidia 260 / 260+ should be good.
Of course, it also depends on the games you play (not just how frequently you play them). If they aren't too demanding (e.g. WoW), a 4830 would be more than sufficient. If you play Crysis, well then the 4870 would still be stressed. If that's your game, and you haven't actually bought the 550W PSU, you might consider a 650W-750W PSU so you can run a 4870X2.

 

[bobev11]

For the Raedon HD4870 and the nVidia 260/260+ it says it needs 500W and my psu is 550W...do you think that there will be a problem with that? Also i was wondering if there was any way to see how much power my computer uses without the graphics card but without buying a meter.

***I also forgot to mention that I just purchased a

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 12000 : 1) Built in Speakers

and I was wondering if I would be okay because some graphics cards aren't compatible with some monitors.

 

[Onus]

Your PSU will be fine for the single card. I only mentioned the larger one if you thought you might want the 4870X2. As you say, the 4870 just needs 500W (assuming reasonable amperage on the +12V rails, which yours has).
With a resolution that high, you probably want a 1GB version of the GPU.

 

[meodowla]

Get Sapphire Radeon HD4870 Toxic 1GB

 

[boulard83]

+1 4870 1gb

 

[bobev11]

Okay, just wanted to make sure, hmm looks like I've got a decision to make. Would 896MB be enough or should I go for the full 1GB?