Looking for new Graphics card need help?

I have a Geforce 6100 nvidia card i want a new card and i know that i if i upgrade to a 8600 or something i would need more power for my Computer. But what is PCI mean it says that on my computer "PCI express slot avaliable" and what else should i know before buying my first graphics card?

Looking for new Graphics card need help?

The power supply for your computer has to provide power to all the different internal parts. The most powerful the video card the more electricity (power) it will need from the power supply.

To actually work for your computer it has to be able to connect on the inside. Video cards hook up in one of 3 ways. 1) PCI which is a very old standard. 2) AGP which is a newer but still outdated standard. 3) PCI-e which is the current standard. All 3 have a different shape slot so if your motherboard has an AGP slot no other one will fit.

The 8600 does require a fair amount of power but if power from the power supply is a problem perhaps you should look at the 8400. The 8400 will still outshine the 6100 in a huge way and only requires a 300 Watt power supply on your computer.

But you 1st have to know if your motherboard is AGP or PCI-e. Easiest to do if you have the manual.

If you have AGP then none of the 8000 series boards will fit and you will be stuck with a 7600 or 7800/7900 as best boards you can use.

Looking for new Graphics card need help?

You have a PCI-E slot, which means your computer will support all 8x00 cards. Also, make sure you have enough juice for the cards. You'll need 2 PCI-E 6 pin power connectors for the 8800s, 1 for the 8600GTS (and GT, maybe). Have fun.