Up grading my Dell XPS 9000

[Esoteriksky]

I want to upgrade my computer but all the recommended video card upgrades are no longer available,
I have a Nvidia GeForce GT 220

475.0 Watt power supply, the rest of the specs are here
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-studio-xps-9000/4507-3118_7-33743813.html

920 @2.67 Ghz

What video card is available that I can use to improve performance?

would it be possible or worthwhile to upgrade the motherboard or CPU?

besides RAM upgrade and switching to Raid with SSD drives is there any other
upgrade should I consider to maximize performance to use with Maya??

or would it be better to consider instead of these upgrade to consider a new computer
home build??

 

[SinisterSalad]

Dell has a nasty habit of using proprietary motherboards/cases, so upgrading that is near impossible. You still have a pretty solid system, and a 475W PSU should still be fine for most cards. You should be able to go ahead and pick one in your budget and be fine, if the specs on that link are what you have.

 

[Esoteriksky]

could you reccomend an appropriate video card to be used for Maya?

budget under 400$,
I tried adding a Sata 3 expansion card but it didn't seem to take well with the Dell bios,
I'm concerned about using video cards that are not recommended for my system,
is there any way to make sure a video card will be compatible with my dell system before I buy it?

Dell is not very helpful in these regards.

 

[SinisterSalad]

There's probably no way to know 100% if a card is compatible if Dell has stopped updating their list. With Maya, you'll want to stick with AMD since they're known for better compute power than NVidia. A 7870 would be an excellent card within your budget.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605