# A new video card

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-video-card/472075>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 10, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-video-card/472075 "2008-11-10T18:29:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-video-card/472075/21 "2008-11-12T16:55:42Z")

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> [@Ruken](#):
>
> Since I’m going to have to buy a new power supply to use whatever card I buy, I might as well try to buy one that I’ll be able to use in ~2 years when I build a new system. The 380W I purchased 3.5 years ago isn’t good enough to handle the upgrades that I want now. Is there any way to predict what I’ll be able to use down the road?
> 
> Newegg has lots of rebates on all sorts of PSUs. I’m willing to spend a bit more if it’s something I’m going to be able to use later. 500W? 750W? 1 kW? That’s a lot of power. Newer components can do a lot more than older ones, but I’m assuming they’re also more efficient. A 450W psu was overkill when I put this system together, and now it seems to be pretty standard.

Point of reference–I built my current $1.7k gaming system with 850W, you probably want to look at something in the 680W range if you want to re-use it later. Zalman, Antec, ZeroCool, Sparkle, and Thermaltake are good brands, and Rosewill is the only discount brand I’d even consider.

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