Upgrading from 8600gt to 8800gt Need Advice

[Vish92]

Here are my specs
AMD X2 4600+ @ 2.4 Ghz
2gb ram (4x512)
Nvidia 8600gt

So, as the topic says im planning to upgrade to a 8800gt (even considering the HD3870).
Now, I have 2 questions regarding this
1) Is my CPU good enough to run 8800 to its potentital?
2) What other stuff do I need to keep in mind when upgrading (this is because im very new to this and it will be the 1st time ill be upgrading a video card)?

Thanks.

 

[error8]

Well your CPU could use some slight overclock to help the videocard, but it mainly depends on the resolution you game at, the higher it is the less important the CPU is. You should also be careful about the PSU, a good 450 W it is the minimum for your sistem. And that would be all I guess.

 

[Denithor]

Error8 summed it up pretty well but I would note that the PS is very important to overall system stability. Is this system a custom-built job or from one of the OEMs (Dell, HP, etc)? OEM power supplies are usually rated rather low but will actually handle fairly high loads without complaining. If it's custom built, the power supply included with the case may have a high rating but actually be rather weak; you want to make sure it's a PS from one of the better makers with at least a rating of 400W (Antec, Corsair, Fortron are some of the better makers out there).

Right now you can get the Antec Earthwatts 430W power supply from Newegg for $30 (after $30MIR). This is an excellent mid-level unit that should provide plenty of juice for your system with the new card.

 

[imported_Scoop]

1) Your CPU will be hindering your system's performance with the 8800GT.

2) About installation, before changing the card, remove your display drivers before shutting down and then switch the cards and install display drivers when you get back to windows.

 

[Vish92]

If I play it at 1400x900 would you still think the cpu would cause problems?

If so would you recommend upgrading the cpu and forking out some more $$

Or What if I go ahead with the Ati HD3870 would it be the same case with that as well?

Have a look in this article where they tested the amd x2 cpu's with the 8800 gtx
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._cpu_scaling/page4.asp

when he compares the 3d mark 06 and games like oblivion etc etc. there isnt really much of a difference as he goes up in the cpu.