please recommend a graphics card uprgrade for my system

[silverburn2000]

hi
i may need to get a new graphics card for my 5 year old Mesh pc but dont know which one to buy??

i think my current geforce 7800gtx is broken as my pc crashed while playing sniper ghost warrior and now it wont boot properly and there's vertical stripes at the boot up screens!! ( ive looked online and this is apparently a busted graphics card!)
id like to upgrade to a more recent card anyway so i can play games at a better setting, but dont know if i can get a middle/top of the range card to work with the rest of my system? (dont want to have to start from scratch with new mobo etc!)

any advice would be greatly appreciated
thank you

pc spec:
asus a8n-sli deluxe, n force 4 mobo, 550w psu, 4gb ddr ram (pc 3200, 400mhz)
athlon 64 x2 4800+ dual core processor, 300gb hard drive, windows xp sp3
256mb nvidia geforce 7800gtx

NB [-ive never used a forum before so apologies if ive omitted anything]

 

[yashiro]

You've missed out the most important thing. How much is your budget?

 

[silverburn2000]

Doh!! rookie mistake.
id be comfortable spending around £100 - £140 if the performance improvement was really worth it?
but im not sure if id be better off just getting one for about £40 or so. ive no idea if my processor etc will hold back a 'high spec' card making such an investment a bit pointless.
i was looking at the geforce gtx 460, i keep reading good things about that card, but would it work well??

 

[nicnik]

it would yeh. the 1gb version though.

 

[silverburn2000]

something else im curious about is the 6 power pin connector?
there is one on my current card but apparently the gtx 460 and similar, need two connectors!
is there an adapter that will convert one pin into two or would i need to get a second six pin connector?
if so, how / where do i connect it?
many thanks

 

[Marine-RX179]

With your CPU, I would go 2nd hand just grab a 8800GT/9800GT (around £30~35), or a GTS250/HD4850 max (around £40). Any card faster than that, you simply won't see the extra performance with the CPU holding you back.

 

[silverburn2000]

wheres the best place to get a second hand card?
the only 9800gt i could see on ebay was £60+?