Best graphics card i can use?

OK first your budget second what do you prefer ATI or Nvidia?

Here is the data plate on your power supply. Max combined power of +12v is 25amps which is actually decent.


I think you can safely handle a HD 5850 unless you have something else unusual crammed inside your case.
Which you should probably list just so we know you're not going to overtax the PSU (overclocking a CPU and GPU might do that)

A 5770 is low power and should be powerful enough to handle 1920x1080, it wont do high or highest but it should be able to do medium high, it shouldnt put too much of a load on your PSU.

Your PSU only has 25A(300W) between its 12V rails so its a bit too weak for most higher level GPUs.

i prefer ati, budget is anything under 300$, my current system specs:

pentium 4 3.2 ghz
756mb ddr ram (dont ask)
2 cd rom drives,
150 gb hardrive
and a wireless card
and the above mentioned power supply

You can find a HD 5850 at the top end of your budget these days. SAPPHIRE 100282-3SR Radeon HD 5850 $300

But the HD 5770 $164 is probably a good option if it's going to get you into a new system just that little bit sooner.

Here is a chart that shows where the 5770 and 5850 lay in terms of power efficiency requirements.

With those specs your system will bottle neck any thing over a 4670 but a 5770 would be a good choice performance and power wise. Avoid 5570 and all 56x0 since they are very overpriced for the performance they deliver. I am seeing some 5670s going for more than a typical 5750 and some used 5770s.


5770 nothing more.

Yeah, ignore the suggestions for the HD5850 on a P4 with less than a gig of ram. The HD5770 is the best choice for your resolution and power supply but your CPU is going to limit that card and any decent card really. It simply isn't appropriate for most current games.
Fortunately upgrading your system into a capable gaming machine doesn't have to cost a large amount. Basically you can replace the motherboard/cpu/ram and recycle all the other components. Something like an Athlon II x3, a decent motherboard for it and 2 gigs of DDR3 can be had for $170;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The motherboard can even be used to (hopefully)unlock the fourth core on the chip. That plus an HD5770 shouldn't be much over your stated budget. Add another 2 gigs of ram when you get a chance.

+1 5770, great card.

A 5670 would do poorly at 1080p, like others have already mentioned, you should look at no less than a 5750.
With your current processor and ram, most new games will be almost unplayable due to low fps with any video card you may purchase.

alrite seems like ill go with the 5770, and yes i know my system is a PoS but im in the process of upgrading   jsut dont wanna do it all at once. mobo/cpu/ram is next  
thanks for the info

A 5770 is a nice start to your upgrade path. You'll enjoy the improvements in your gaming immediately.

i see you dont mention what gpu you have now? maybe a cpu/mobo upgrade path would be feasible instead of gpu