Im lost in an ocean of graphics-cards reviews and don't know where to begin http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/kao/otn/pcrying.gifYou people are a lot more cued up on this...so here I am.Would really appreciate some advice!To narrow things down I have decided to go for the ATI brand - which one is the burning question. I know there are gazillions of chipset-graphics processor combos out there...major confusion!This is only a 7-month old computer but when I bought it I did'nt pay any attention to the videocard. I have an ATI X300 (PCI Express) which I wanna upgrade. It does its job but after seeing the pictures in the screenshot forum I know I can make my FS9 run smoother and turn up the eye-candy.Budget is

"I was checking out the Sapphire Radeon X800 256M GDDR3 PCI-E VGA/TVO/DVI-II. Its going for

Thank you Greg for that sharp and to-the-point reply. Just the pointers I was looking for. Also thanks for explaining the pipeline thingy...the doorway analogy helped! Copy that on the 256bit bus vs. 256MB memory. Will defintely keep your pointers to mind!Now only one problem remains:I've got a phobia for opening up my PC...Im terrified of ruining something. Getting me the new card is one thing....cracking open the case to slot it in is another! I hear its not too hard and that you just need to take some simple precautions (Im particularly hyper about static-dsicharge damage). Thanks again for taking the trouble to help :)

Hi Nevin,If you're worried about static discharge you can purchase a grounding strap. Inexpensive and easy to use. It attaches to your wrist and has a coil cord with an alligator clip for setting it to ground.A word of caution about Windows and changing hardware. As you're ready to change cards you should go into Device Manager and Uninstall the X300. That's it... just uninstall it. Would be wise if you remove the old drivers as well (just to be thorough). After Uninstalling the X300 in Windows power down the computer and do the card change. When you power the system back up it will see the new card and you can then go through the drivers install routine.The actual changing out of cards is easy. You'll need to remove the left case cover and then remove the single screw that affixes the card to the motherboard/case (it's the screw that holds the card to the back plate of the case). Ease the card out (you may have a seperate Molex connector on the X300-- not sure here what they have) and then install the new card in reverse order of what I just outlined. Your new card will probably require that extra Molex, but reputable manufacturers include that extra cable with the card.Good luck. You'll notice a big difference between the X300 and X800.Greg

Greg - Thanks very much for taking the time to reply! Most appreciate it. Its comforting to know that the actual card-replacing isnt as bad as I thought it was! Will be very careful when I do it! Actually Im gonna take some digital photos before I remove anything so I have a reference in case I phase out and forget what goes where!I will definetely get an anti-static strap and will open up the computet in a room that has no carpet lol! Cant wait to notice the difference between the X300 & X800...now to go and buy the thing!:)

ATI radion 9800 pro is not too bad. Nvidia have some good makes too.Have fun searching. It can be a daunting experience.

If you already have PCI-E, then I would recommend the Sapphire X800PRO. Great card in your price range.Dave---------------------------------------------------System Specs:Athlon64 3500+ ClawHammer @ 2.3mhzECS NForce4 A-939 Mobo (1g FSB)1.5G of OCZ Performance PC3200 Ram (Dual Channel)ATI Radeon X800Pro PCI-E (Catalyst 5.5 @ 520/540)SoundBlaster Live 24bitSaitek Cyborg EvoWinXP SP1