Looking to Upgrade Graphics Cards, but

[teapole]

Currently I am running a NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT [Display adapter], a card which is quickly getting outdated, and I am looking to upgrade to a card with better results for gaming.

Mainly I'm concerned about running games such as "The Old Republic" and "World of Warcraft" with better graphical detail and smoother gameplay on my 34 inch screen.

I'm looking for a graphics card that will be compatible with my Motherboard and will be worth the upgrade, I'm willing to spend around 140.00

Here's some information about my PC that might help you answer my question! I greatly appreciate your time.

Board: ASRock N68PV-GS
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P1.30 01/08/2009


3.00 gigahertz AMD Phenom II X4 945

ATA Channel 0 [Controller] (2x)
ATA Channel 1 [Controller] (2x)
Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller (2x)

CVT LCD TV [Monitor] (39.7"vis, March 2010)

4gb of RAM

 

[ulillillia]

The AMD 6850 is probably what you might consider. It's nearly 20 times more powerful than your current card based on the gigaflops. If you can find a great Black Friday deal, consider the 6870 instead, of which is nearly 30 times more powerful. If you want to go the Nvidia route, then the 550 Ti or 560 are your best bet (the latter only if you can find a great deal).

However, what PSU do you have? If you have a weak PSU, you won't be able to get a significant upgrade. If your PSU has no PCI-express power connectors available or is below 30 amps or 400 watts for the +12V rail, you won't be able to run the higher end cards.

 

[acerace]

You can put Radeon HD 6790 in that. But, we need to know your PSU make/model first.

 

[teapole]

Ok, Im pretty sure my PSU is 450-500watts but I will check real quick.

 

[teapole]

ok its 400watts max Rosewell PSU

 

[ulillillia]

How many amps do you have on the +12V rail(s)? This will determine the most powerful card you can get. A 400W PSU likely only has 30 or so amps total (15 amps if it's a 2-rail PSU, of which will be much more limiting).

 

[jyjjy]

Give us the actual model # of the power supply.

 

[teapole]

13 amps it looks like

 

[teapole]

therre are 2 12+ with 13 and 14 amps

 

[teapole]

I don't know where to find the model number

 

[jyjjy]

It likely says the model number right above the chart you are getting the amps from.
Check here for examples of Rosewill model numbers if that will help;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%2050002177&IsNodeId=1&name=Rosewill

 

[teapole]

Rosewill lc8400btx Model No

 

[jyjjy]

The most I would try on that is a HD6770. Or you could replace it with something better. This is a great deal;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031
If you want it you would need to buy it now or the sale will disappear.

 

[teapole]

If I was to get that, what could I buy around 120$??

 

[teapole]

Best answer selected by Teapole.