What Video card to use to upgrade my P4 3.2Ghz Dell 8400 Computer with?

Question

Current Setup:
P4 3.2GHZ
2 GB Ram DDR2 533MHZ
GeForce 7600GS Graphics card (PCI-E)
Windows XP (Will likely upgrade to VISTA in 6-8 months)

I've been trying to decide if i should look at the 7900 Series, or go into the Series 8 cards 8800GTS or the 8600GT.
I realize i might need to upgrade my power supply if i try to fit a series 8 card in.

One concern i have is, will my processor not being duo core lead to a major bottleneck, or will i still see a benefit from the higher end cards.

Any insight or other considerations i should be thinking about are also appreciated.
Thanks,

I don't really know anyone who i could borrow graphics cards from to give them a test drive. But a certainly sounds like the way to go if i ever have the opportunity. Still looking for more suggestions/insights.

Answer 1

Since you are upgrading to Vista in 6-8 months it makes sense to buy a DX10 card, the 8600 GTS is not bad, but if you have more $$$, get the GeForce 8800GTS 640MB.

Of course you can borrow, go buy the card at Best Buy for example , try it out , if you don't like then return it for a refund, tell them you expected the card to be faster.

These big stores have a 30 day return policy so use it, they can afford it.

Answer 2

I have exactly the same configueration, except I have a Radeon X300 graphics card. If you know someone with one, borrow it and install it to take a look at what it can do. (Might want to do the same thing with any other display cards your friends will let you borrow... good way to test drive them.)

Good luck.