[QUOTE="el_carl"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="el_carl"]That was a pretty nice deal, considering that is a $250 processor. I would get an 8800 gt. You can find them for under $200 now.xuimod

the computer has a 300W power supply, read the reviews, a user mentions it. another user put a 8800 gt OC in it with the stock psu, i wonder how its perforuming?

two users also put in 8800 cards in the pc but also upgraded the psu.

I've heard a few different things from different sources, but the most reliable minimum I could find was 350 watts and 24-28A on the +12v rail. That being said, another factor is whether the PSU is generic or not. If generic, I would definitely upgrade before risking an 8800 GT. There's really no excuse not to: you can get an MSI 450w PSU for less than $50.

The price shot back up to $350. I'm going to e-mail Tiger Direct and Amazon to find out whether or not it was a glitch.HavocEbonlore

You do realize that their sales process are fully automated and in doing so, you may well have caused the bump back to $350. I hope you didn't go through with it...

Sony NEC Optiarc 7170 SATA -- retails for $27.

Here's a recent recommendation from Tom's Hardware: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/18/sbm_mid_cost_system/page7.html#test_setup

"The drive's speeds approach those of the fastest drives: DVD-R and +R writes of 18x; DVD+RW and -RW rewrites of 8x and 6x; DVD+R and -R Dual Layer disk writes of 8x; CD-R and -RW writes of 48x and 32x; and DVD-RAM writes of 12X."

Newegg link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16827118002

The minimum for that card, according to this specifications page (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?XFX-85GT), is 350w.

I wouldn't try it before upgrading your PSU. Here's a link to a $45 450w PSU from MSI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817701003). I'd rather spend the extra $45 than risk frying valuable components.

Here's a quality tutorial from Hardware Secrets explaining what RAID is an how to create a RAID array if you decide to do so: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/393.