Hello! I want to get a graphic card for my PC mainly for gaming purpose. I brought my PC from Dell early in 07. Here are some specs: Dimension E521 MoBo: Dell 0CT103 with NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ RAM: 3GB My friend suggests me to get a GeForce 8800GT when I wanted to settle with a 8600. I understand the GeForce 8800GT is one of the best cards now, but my real concern is: Can my current PC support the card? What other factors should I look at other than the ones mentioned above?
your motherboard has a pci/e 16 slot on it with a 305 watt psu in the tower. specs link http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dime521/en/SM_EN/specs.htm#wp1052310 board layout link http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dime521/en/SM_EN/techov.htm#wp1058256
Thanks for the info. I didn't even know most of it until now. I viewed some of the 8800 card, but I found out all of them at least require a minimal of 400W power supply. What should I do? Is there a 8800 card out there that is compatible with my PC without upgrading the power supply?
no. all latest graphics card need a higher watt psu. there's no way out of it. also, stock psu's shouldn't be used when adding a graphics card; they won't be able to handle the new power load.
Thanks for the info. If I want to just settle with a 8600, (I know this might be unwise) can my PC support the lastest 8600? I don't expect to play the latest games at max quality, just able to play it without lagging, can a 8600 card satisfy me?
As long as you don't play Crysis, an 8600 will be able to play any recent game to some degree. However, it will still probably require a PSU upgrade. I don't advise ANY change in graphics card until you've bought a decent power supply first.
