4650 with 250w psu?

you wont have any issues running the 4650 on a 250w and since you don't game the card will rarely need full power

if all you do is MS office projects, surf the web, watch movies/video; then you could save a few bucks and grab an ATI 4350 or 4550.

Yeah I've looked at both of them along with a 5450 but the 4650 is only a few quid more and looks a fair bit better performance wise.
Not a gamer but have been known to d/l the occasional demo (currently have COD4MW) until I get bored and uninstall them.
Can't justify the extra expenditure of a psu upgrade so the 4650 seems to be my best option so long as my psu can cope.

Steve.

Yep, the 4650 idles at 9W an maxes at 30-40W, so it should be a good fit. Do they still sell DDR3 versions?

i have not seen in some time, i know newegg and tigerdirect sell the DDR2 only

Very few online stores here and this DDR2 is about the only one I can find.

Bummer, I must have gotten some of the last. I think with the release of the new cards, the 4650's role has been replaced and it is now only super low end.

Even on the Hierarchy chart, the DDR3 version is two levels above the DDR2.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-radeo...

Maybe go up to 5570 or 4670?

Atm the 5570 is out of my price range and the 4670 looks to consume even more power (remember the 250w psu!).
I've seen a GT220 1GB/DDR3 which is slighter more money than the 4650 and uses less juice. Would that be a better option?

Actually, I think that would be an excellent choice. That easily beats the 4650 DDR2 whilc using about the same power (33-40W). Loses to the 4670, but that is expected. Here's a nice review:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-220,2445...

Note however the peak draw of the 4670 (in this test) is only 12W more, so it would probably work too. However as I said, the GT 220 looks like a very nice card too.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-220,2445...

Yeah I've read the reviews and although none of them are particularly glowing, the 220/1G/DDR3 outperforms the 4650/512/DDR2 AND at reduced power consumption.
According to eXtreme's PSC it's only slightly higher than my 7300LE.
Having read the forums, most people (gamers) dismiss the GT220 as a piece of overpriced crap but it seems to fit my needs pretty well.
This one has my name on it I think.
Don't stress it too much and put a PSU upgrade on the shopping list for the near future.
OK?

Well, it was overpriced initially, otherwise it was a good card. How much does that cost in relation to a 4650 DDR2 or 4670? If about the same, then it is a good choice.

At today's exchange rate:
4650/512/ddr2 $62
GT220/1G/ddr3 $77
4670/512/ddr3 $93

The beer's cheap here but IT prices suck!

Yeah, that is high for what I could get in the USA, however it is exactly where (relative) it should be. A little above the 4650 DDR2 but well below the 4670.

I'm going with the 220.
Thanks for your help guys.

Steve.

Ok, got my GT220 yesterday and installed it this morning.
Installation and driver update - no problems although audio was disabled.
A quick google soon fixed that. Changed Bios onboard audio from auto to enabled - fixed!
So all ok.
The card is running 8-10 degrees cooler than the 7300 and my 3DMark06 score has gone from under 800!!! to 6500ish.

So I'm a happy guy today.
Thanks guys.

S.

Glad it worked out. I imagine the improvement in games must be huge as well.