Need advice regarding new graphics card

[damage_inc]

I think my old gf8800 gts 320mb card is on it's way out, artifacts occur right from the get go during the POST. I'm looking into a replacement and this http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-evga-gtx-460-se-3400mhz-gddr5-gpu-648mhz-shader-clock-1296mhz-288-cores-2x-dl-dvi-i-mhdmi looks good. I'm wondering about the PCI-E tho, my mobo (2007 ASUS P5K) states it has 2x PCI-E x16 slots, but it doesn't say anything about 2.0, will that make a difference? Also I have a 500watt PSU will that be sufficient for the GTX460? I've had this PC for around 4 years and only upgrade has been some memory so I'm utterly out of the loop and baffled a tad by the tech and choice. Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

[jyjjy]

The GTX 460 SE is not a good card. The 768mb model is faster as well as usually the same price or cheaper.
I would recommend this card;
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI/ATI+5800+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+5850+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=44679
It's cheaper and better than any GTX 460. Also your motherboard is crossfire capable but not SLI so that it is an ATI card is a plus in terms of a future upgrade path.

 

[damage_inc]

Thanks for the reply, I'd prefer to stick to an Nvidia card tho. But that card defo looks promising. What are the issues of going from an Nvidia to ATI card regarding drivers (if any)?

 

[jyjjy]

You would just want to uninstall the old drivers before installing the new card/drivers. There's a free program you can run called driver sweeper if you want to be extra safe about it.
I don't think you are going to find anything from Nvidia close to that card's price/performance, especially on your side of the ocean.

 

[damage_inc]

Cheers for the info, much appreciated!