Best card with 350 watt power supply?

[Robbie1687]

I want to buy a video card for a friend with a four-year-old Dell Dimension 8400 that has a 350 watt power supply and one PCIE x 16 slot. (She can't put a new power supply in.)

What's the best card I can get for her?

 

[forrehmmnd]

what we really need to know is the amount of amps that power supply produces on the 12v rail.

 

[Gabriel]

Does it have to be a card without power connectors?

 

[Robbie1687]

Dell doesn't say in the manual but I have a Dell 8400 too so I opened it and looked. I hope the power supplies are the same.

Two 12 volt rails, 18 amps each, max 336 watts combined.

The manual says the machine can take up to a 75 watt card without an additional fan..

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

i run a 3870 on a 350W psu and that is soon to be a 4870

 

[drastic]

the 3870 is a hell of a good price atm too

 

[Advil]

Or a 9600GT. Also fairly power-conscious and not too expensive.

 

[RADEoN]

i'd go with a 3850/3870.

 

[anime4u]

I would go with a 9600GT. Great card and easy on the pocket book.

 

[protagonist]

I would go with a 9600GT. Great card and easy on the pocket book.

+1 for the 9600GT

 

[Biskquik]

9600GT/GSO

 

[Robbie1687]

Thanks for the answers. I haven't decided what to do yet, but this info will help a lot.

 

[Dangman]

Definitely the 9600GT. That PSU is four years old so it may not be capable of providing 336W of power on the +12V rail anymore.