How do I choose a power supply.

Ok so I'm looking at getting the Sapphire radeon x800gto ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102602#DetailSpecs ) and i suppose i need a new power supply since the one i have is a 305w. So how do i figure out what power supply i need to get, which one will fit in my computer. I have a gateway 552ge, so does it matter what power supply i get, or do they all have the same connections and whatnot. I'm have very little experience when it comes to power suupplies, so help would be apprecdiated grately.

Is this ( http://hardware.gamershell.com/articles/cooler_master_real_power_450_watt_psu_power_supply/ ) any good for [bold]My[/bold] computer??

 

What kind of motherboard do you have? Probably an ATX. If yes, then get an ATX power supply and you will be fine. If you don't know what kind you got now, open your comp and look at your current power supply. If it says ATX somewhere on there, than get an ATX power supply.

 

To see how much power you will need, take a look here..

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

Very handy site.

 

so some power supplies are wacky dimentions? and by clone psu's, is that a brand or do u just mean like after-market or something. Well I have a HIPRO psu from the factory in here, but how do i see what kind of motehr board i have, and how do i make sure a psu will be compatible?

Also, does whether it's dual 12 rail or just single matter at all, or will both work

 

OK cool, well windows shuts me down, so I have an atx then. Is ATX a brand of power supplies or is it some fromat of something. So I have a 24 pin connector HIPRO 305w psu right now, and I'm getting a radeon x700Pro, and i guess i'll go with 350w, maybe 450w to be safe.
ok so what about this one, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182015
It has a power switch on the back, so does that mean it's not ATX and i need to get another one, and what about the psu in my first post, is that atx? Apologies for being a total noob when it comes to power supplies

 

oooooooooooooooooo ok. So the [bold]only[/bold] thing that i need to watch for is whether it's 24 or 20 pin? and nothing else will make a difference besides the wattage?

 

ok cool, and totally off subject, do u know much about video cards, how much of a difference will 8 pixel pipelines vs 12 make, and 128-bit memory interface vs 256-bit if they both have 256MB or RAM

 

yeah, just wondering how much difference that wull make since they both have 256mb gddr3 memory. but anyways, thanks for all the help

 

Hey lemme see the card kid (link me if possible). PixelPipelines deal mostly with resolutions. The more PixelPipelines you have, then the better the cards performance is at higher resolutions. Now the memory interface doesnt matter as much, but obviously a 256-bit card will display a better picture than a 128-bit card. You might want to look and compare the clock speeds on those cards as well.

 

ok well i just got the radeon x700Pro, and i'm gonna buy a quieter, more efficient cooler for like $30

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102414

becuse bestbuy had a $100 rebate on it($100 card after rebate), and you can't really beat that no matter how much you try. It's a pretty nice card, and al i want it for really, is half life 2 and counter strike source, so it ill do just fine. But this one for $200 is just amazing for it's price, and supposedly it's usually a good overclocker

http://www.bonafidereviews.com/article.php?id=111

Also, since I have the x700pro now, i'm upgrading my 305w psu, i guess i'll get a 350 from compusa for $4.99 (i love thanksgiving sales)if someone thinks i need to go higher, like 400 or 450 watt, then tell me, i'm also adding a stick of ddr2 ram to my setup

 

does anyone know if Master Power is a good brand in psu's?

 

and one more thing, if i have 2 256 ram stick, and two poen slots, can i just buy one 512 srick and add it on to have 1GB, or do all the sticks need to be the same

 

Yeah you can buy two more sticks of ram, but the new one(s) will run at the same speed as your other two 256MB sticks.

 

what do you mean by speed, they will all be ddr2 pc3200, but do you mean that it will be the same as having all of then 256MB regardless of what the faster ones are? even if they are all ddr2 pc3200?