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upgrade

First off, provide more detail about your computer.
The Geforce 8800 for starters comes in 6 different models...
 
my psu is really old, i got it from my friends old computer
my budget range is 300
Ok, find out what PSU you have. It would be a stupid idea to upgrade the GPU if the PSU can't handle it.
sorry i got it wrong my graphics card is the xfx not the gtx

XFX is the manufacturer of video cards. It is NOT the model number of the video card. So find out which 8800 you have.
 
i have an msi 1366 motherboard, 3 gigs of ram, windows 7 64 bit, 1 tb hard drive, geforce 8800 xfx, and Intel quad core 2.66GHz 1366 and a dell monitor with a resolution of 2048 by 1152
 
Not knowing exactly which 8800 card it is, hearing that the PSU is really old, and guessing that the CPU is at best an early dual-core, I would suggest a new 500W-600W PSU (a quick perusal of the PSU forum suggests this one for $65) and this XFX 5770 1GB for $168. Both of those together come well under the budget of $300, and more than a 5770 will almost certainly be wasted.

Edit: quad-core CPU, so it probably would not bottleneck the 5770, but still probably no reason to get more, so I stand by that.
 
the PSU is not that old it has been able to handle everything that i just listed.

Can you just take a quick picture of the side of the PSU where all the numbers are... or even give a brand name and model?

Again, 8800 XFX is meaningless. Is it a GT, GTS, GTX, Ultra? and how much RAM?
 
8800 gs, gso, gt, gtx? Look at power supply label, what brand/model or look at 12+ value. How many amps listed for 12+ value? Not wattage. Best card for $300 limit, is a ati 5850.
 
Not knowing exactly which 8800 card it is, hearing that the PSU is really old, and guessing that the CPU is at best an early dual-core, I would suggest a new 500W-600W PSU (a quick perusal of the PSU forum suggests this one for $65) and this XFX 5770 1GB for $168. Both of those together come well under the budget of $300, and more than a 5770 will almost certainly be wasted.

Edit: quad-core CPU, so it probably would not bottleneck the 5770, but still probably no reason to get more, so I stand by that.

well if the OP got his Mobo being right then its an i7 920 or better. Means at minimum a 5770, but most likely a 58x0 series.

Problem is that the PSU is in definite question. If its a 300w unit then I am surprised the 8800 & i7 didn't already burn it up.

@OP chances are your money would be better spent for the time being on a good PSU now & then get a 5850 as soon as you can afford.. Seriously the PSU is one place where you dont want to have crap..
 
Yeh, it is.

It's not lifechangin, but he coulsd sell og the 8800gt.

Also he would get DX 11 support.
 
A 5750 would probably be pushing it on that PSU.

You're going to need a new power supply, then a 5750. If you can stomach a small increase in your budget, do everything you can do squeeze in a 5850 and a 600w power supply from a reputable manufacturer.
 
A 5750 would probably be pushing it on that PSU.

You're going to need a new power supply, then a 5750. If you can stomach a small increase in your budget, do everything you can do squeeze in a 5850 and a 600w power supply from a reputable manufacturer.
is that power supply really that bad?
 
His budget is $300, minus the $65 for the PSU I recommended, leaving $235. The 5850 is $290 and the GTX 465 is $280 (yes, they're available on newegg today) so both of those are ruled out (a 430W PSU is not going to cut it for those cards). That leaves the 5830 for $200-$230, which is right on the OP's budget. Nvidia doesn't really have any answers to the 5830 or the 5770.

So, OP can either overspend by $60 on a 5850 and a new PSU or stay on budget with a 5830 and a new PSU.
 
A 5750 would probably be pushing it on that PSU.

You're going to need a new power supply, then a 5750. If you can stomach a small increase in your budget, do everything you can do squeeze in a 5850 and a 600w power supply from a reputable manufacturer.

okay i will upgrade my PSU to atleast 600w
 
you need to look at the stats beyond the wattage. The 12 rail(s) are the most important. A $35 600W psu will be junk. This is $60 after promo and rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 52 amp, 12v single rail, silent, 5 year warranty. I have had about 6 corsair psu's, and never 1 problem. This psu, and a 5850, you will be in business. The enermax mentioned above is $290. You wont be needing that for your system with 1 5850.
 
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get a 5770 and new psu

5770 is twice as fast as 8800gtx in most game plus dx11 eyefinity and better IQ just to name a few
 
my PSU is a cooler master 430w, and my graphics card is a 8800 gt

is that power supply really that bad?

Yes. There has never been a good quality Coolermaster 430W PSU. As said earlier, it's a surprise that PSU is still running. He's definitely gonna need a new PSU.

OP, pick up the Corsair 650TX as it's a good deal for a PSU and then pick up the HD 5770 or the HD 5830, whatever fits your budget.

Make sure to purchase a quality power supply. Some good brands are...

-Pc power and cooling
You might have to remove PC P&C from that list temporarily: Stock of their known good quality PSUs have dried up and their new Silencer MK II PSUs have cause to worry: They're made by the same manufacturer as OCZ's PSUs, Sirfa. Since most of OCZ's Sirfa PSUs are mediocre, it doesn't leave a lot of hope that the Sirfa built Silencer Mk II will be any better.
 
while we are at it how is the Ocz Mod Stream Pro 600watt? some guy is asking about to power his Q9550 and gtx480. I told him wattage wise thats fine for a an otherwise basic system but I was sure if that was decent enough quality psu.
 
while we are at it how is the Ocz Mod Stream Pro 600watt? some guy is asking about to power his Q9550 and gtx480. I told him wattage wise thats fine for a an otherwise basic system but I was sure if that was decent enough quality psu.

It's not that good. Mediocre at best. I mean if it was $15, then yeah it's worth buying for a basic PC with onboard video.

Also, I wouldn't recommend a 600W PSU, no matter what the brand, for a Q9550 and GT 480, especially if he's planning on overclocking. At a minimum, I recommend a quality 750W PSU.
 
is that power supply really that bad?

It's so close, it worries me. A efficient 500W be sufficient. It is highly unlikely his PSU could sustain 400W.

The last thing you want to do is game in fear of your computer crashing at any second. Believe me, I've been there with my SLI GTX 285's when I was stupid enough to run one entirely off molex adapters. :eek:

This incredible 750W continuous PSU from Zalman can't run SLI with 2x6pin and 2x8pin. How embarrassing.
 
I think your best choices would be a 5770, a 4890, or a GTX260 depending on whatever best price you could find. None of these would require an upgraded power supply.
 
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