New computer question in regards to SL

Hi,
I just bought a new computer from Craigslist at an awesome price, and everthing about it is really nice, however, the graphics card sux. Since I got such a good deal on it, I am going to order a new card from tigerdirect in the next day or so, and was wanting to get some feedback as to how one versus the other performs with SL.
The computer is an HP Pavillion, its a 2.2GHZ Intel Duo Core E2200, 3G Ram, Vista premium 64B, 300G harddrive. It currently has an Nvidia 7100 integrated graphics chipset, which wont even run GTA San Andreas without turining AA off and draw distance way down.
I am on a budget, and cant spend more than 100 bucks or so. Tigerdirect has a few I was thinking about:
Sparkle GeForce 9600GT 512, its 74.99
Sparkle GeForce 9600GT 1G, its 99.99
XFX GeForce 9600 GSO 768, its 99.99
EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512, its 104.99

A couple of questions... If I am going to get one of the Sparkle 9600's, is it really worth the extra 20-some dollars to get a 1G card over a 512mb?
Is there really a big difference in manufacturers? (ie. should I buy XFX, PNY, EVGA, over Sparkle, etc.)

From an SL standpoint, is there going to be a huge difference between a 9600 and a 9800?

Finally, I didnt really look into ATI cards at all, but there are a bunch in this pricepoint, could I potentially find a better performing card for less by looking at ATI's?

Thanks for any feedback!
Brody

The Resident Geek says: I would go with the EGA GeForce 9800. I'd also add another 3GB of RAM.

The Geek just ran in with a list from NewEgg of the stuff he's ordered to build our new desktop powerhouse. I'm including it here, but have no idea what half of it is.

Lian Li PC-K7B case
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 motherboard
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 896 MB video card
Coolermaster UCP RS700 700W power supply
Intel Core i7 920 quad core CPU
OCZ 6GB DDR3 1600 (PC12800) RAM
Western Digital WD7501AALS 750 GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drives (3)
LG Blu Ray disc burner
Vigor Monsoon III dual 120mm fan CPU cooler

All I know is, if it'll run SL and let the Geek finish the tax returns, it'll be worth it.

The rule of thumb with Nvidia video cards is as follows: The higher the 2nd number is, the better the card is. So, the 9800 is better than the 9600. Also, the more onboard RAM you have on the card, the better performance you will get with your video. Now, I have heard about some issues with the 9800 card and SL, but there are plenty of fixes on the forums on it. If you want a card that will last you al ong time, go with the 9800. Either card will be find. I am running an XFX 8400 512mb card and SL runs fine. I am going to upgrade to a 9600 or 9800 within the next few weeks. I would do the 9600 1GB RAM. The more onboard RAM will make up the difference between the 9600 and 9800. Plus, it's 5 bucks cheaper

New iMacs are out! New iMacs are out! *drools*

/end threadjack

No Mac lover will threadjack this... I LOVE MY PC hehehehehe

More Macs for meeee!

mua haha

Weren't you the one at Help Island whining, "How do I right click on a Mac"?

If your PC's power supply can hack it, this one, no question.

Moi? Jamais! (my mouse has two buttons AND a mousy wheel tyvm!)

If I'm at a Help Island I'm...helping.

uumm stay away from sparkle lol inless ya want a kmart blue light special graphics card lol

Either evga or XfX.. btw XfX has a double life time warenty if you sell it to someone they will have a life time warrenty on it.. but evgas tech support is WAY better.
A 9800 gtx would be the one to get the 9600 gt isnt that great... not worth the price.

If ya price shop between www.newegg.com and www.tigerdirect.com ya can get pretty good deals atleast for the XfX cards Tiger Direct had a pissy fit with EVGA and now dont sell there cards... I think its more like evga wont let them sell the cards lol

That system will do that AND respect you in the morning hehe maybe even till afternoon

What would minimum be please?
My PC got a Nvidia 7900 and a PSU of 350 watt.
Thanks
Joe

Nvidia says 400 watts. It would probably be a good idea to check the manufacturer's system requirements, too, in case they've added something to the card that requires more power.

Just to sure what you mean is that to cover my PC and the Nvidia 7900 card, or the Nvidia card alone?
This PC with its 350 PSU as supplied did have a Nvidia 6000 series prior to my upgrade.

Which ever way I'm underpowered and therefore I wonder about what I would require for the 8000 or 9000 series.

Have you a Nvidia chart of these things?

Thanks for your help.
Joe

Thanks for all the replies. I am going to have to boost my power supply. The current one is only 250W. I'm getting a 550W Apevia I beleive.
In looking at this, I think with the purchase of the PS, I am trying to get a little more bang for the buck. I noticed on Newegg.com, I could get a Radeon 4830 512 for under 100 bucks, and all the user reviews seem to be positive. Most people are saying that most current games maxed out are do-able with this card. I am not a serious gamer per se, but I'd love to be able to run GTA4, COD, and I am planning on a 40" HD LCD monitor at some point.
So narrowing my original question/ choices: In the 100 dollar range, would I still be better off with a 512 9800GT or would I be getting more performance for my money with one of the Radeon cards? (specifically a 512m 4830)??

As always,
Thanks for your input

Thanks for all the replies. I am going to have to boost my power supply. The current one is only 250W. I'm getting a 550W Apevia I beleive.
In looking at this, I think with the purchase of the PS, I am trying to get a little more bang for the buck. I noticed on Newegg.com, I could get a Radeon 4830 512 for under 100 bucks, and all the user reviews seem to be positive. Most people are saying that most current games maxed out are do-able with this card. I am not a serious gamer per se, but I'd love to be able to run GTA4, COD, and I am planning on a 40" HD LCD monitor at some point.
So narrowing my original question/ choices: In the 100 dollar range, would I still be better off with a 512 9800GT or would I be getting more performance for my money with one of the Radeon cards? (specifically a 512m 4830)??

As always,
Thanks for your input
Brody

I'd go with the 9800GT rather than any Radeon, mostly because the NVidia drivers have been more solid for Second Life than the Radeon drivers have. The reviewers look at DirectX performance and stability (which is what most PC games use), not OpenGL (which is what Second Life uses).

If you're using the 32 bit version of Windows (which you probably are if your system came with 3GB of memory; the original post didn't say) ignore the advice about adding more RAM; your OS won't use more. To get the benefit of 4GB or more memory you have to use the 64 bit version of Windows. The main issue with 64 bit Windows Vista (aside from the fact that you'd have to buy another Windows license) is that some older hardware only has 32 bit drivers available, so upgrading an existing system can be problematic. 64 bit XP had more compatibility problems; I don't recommend it unless you're using it for specific server or workstation-class applications.