A hardware questionnaire
 

Another one?

Yep. A while back I bought myself a medium end computer with the intent that I was going to ween myself away from PC games and be done with them once and for all. I'm certain plenty of you know how futile that attempt is, so now I want to upgrade this sucker without breaking the bank. The computer I bought is an E-Machines T6420.

I'll wait for you to quit laughing, so no hurry.

Anyhow, I've gathered together a list of things I need to get this thing in motion, and I'd just like some opinions on whether or not these are quality components or not. My plan is to be able to play games like F.E.A.R. and Quake IV. I know the machine they're going into will be the weak link, but such is life. Overclocking isn't going to be a concern of mine, so no need to factor that in. My spending limit will be $350, shipping costs included. Fire away!

The computer itself is built with this:
AMD 3400+ 64-bit processor
2x512 PC3200 dual-channel RAM, two slots free
200GB ATA Seagate HDD
Hipro 250W Power Supply

What I'd like to add are these:
PNY 256MB Ge-Force 6600 PCI-E card - $132.00
Antec 350W SmartPower PSU - $38.00
2x Corsair Value Select 512MB PC3200 RAM - ~$100.00
Logitech Razor Copperhead mouse - $46.00
Total: ~$316.00

I'd skip getting the extra RAM for now, 1GB is enough. And put that money toward a video card. A 6600 is on the slow side of things, and I'd try to get a 7600GT or at least a 6800GS so that you don't buy something that you'll regret. The logitech MX510 is much cheaper, and enough for most gamers.

Also, Razor makes the Copperhead not Logitech.

No, she has a PCI-E board.

Save up a bit and get the 7900 GT. At 300 bucks with performance near a 7800 GTX, it's a steal.

Dump the RAM. Get a decent PSU - You can get a 420W Thermaltake for under $40 shipped from Newegg. Leave her with a normal mouse and let her buy a good one in the future. Same with more RAM. Pour it ALL into Video Card. 7900GT, 7800GT.

What I'd like to add are these:
Logitech Razor Copperhead mouse - $46.00
Total: ~$316.00

As stated, dump the RAM. Or at most HALF what you're thinking of adding.
Go for a slightly higher power supply...450W should be fine.
Also, check out the 512MB video cards. I know on the AGP there's some fairly comparable. Not sure about the PCI-E side though.

Don't waste your money on 512MB Video Cards. RAM doesn't matter - speed does. 512MB is a waste and a gimmick to get extra cash.

Is there a specific advantage to getting a higher wattage PSU save the ability to add more power hungry components to the mix? Do higher end cards need 400+ watts to run properly?

All in all, seems like my original setup isn't as lacking as I thought. Any other recommendations on a mouse? I like the concept of having seven buttons within easy reach. My cousin has one for his rig and it proved invaluable when he went through Doom III.

Well some higher wattage PSUs make more efficient use of the power given, that's about it. If all your components can run without shutting down or behaving weirdly, then the PSU you currently have is fine.
It looks like on Newegg you can snag a GeForce 7600GS for $129-$135 and a more recommended 7600GT for $179-$212. Ax the RAM, and you can easily fit this into your budget. If you went on the high-end, get a 7900GT, it's extremely close to the performance of a 7800/7900GTX and much cheaper.

I refuse to call that a medium end computer. You only need a good GFX card (Be it a Radeon X800XT or a GeForce 7800GT+) and you'll be cruisin' to high end games in no time.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102483

x850xt - 163 dollars. this is probably the best deal for how fast it is.

there are some advantages and disadvantages to going this way-

1. the x850xt is slightly cheaper than the 7600gt
2. the x850xt has more pixel pipelines (4 more) than the 7600gt
3. the 7600gt is slightly faster (40mhz? whoop-de-doo, you can always overclock)
4. the x850xt does not support shader model 3.0, which is required in a few games for the best possible graphics; however, it's not really required in any one game to play it, and it almost always looks nearly as good anyway.

whatever, the choice is yours.