Question : Problem: Need to replace a 7600GS card..

My neighbor's graphics card on her son's PC is deceased and I'm struggling to work out what to replace it with.. the PC has an MSI MS-7235 Mobo with an E6300 and 1.5GB RAM, running XP SP3.

As far as I can see from the documentation this means that the PCI-E slot is version 1.0a.

It has a Jou-Jye JJ-460 PPSA 460W power supply which is working fine.

She doesn't want to spend a lot at the moment but I wanted to get a good graphics card that will work OK in the current set-up but wouldn't be out of place in an upgraded set-up in 6-9 months or so.

I was looking at a Gigabyte 9600GT, Sapphire Radeon HD4870 or 4850 or the 3870.

I'm just a bit concerned about the heat and power supply .. I don't want  a costly mistake.

Any advice gratefully appreciated.

Answer : Problem: Need to replace a 7600GS card..

Unless the power supply was made by a high-quality company like PCPower & Cooling or Seasonic, a 450 watt unit probably would not provide enough current on the +12v line, which is what video cards need.  They have a separate power connector expressly for this purpose.  Also, you never want to skirt too close to the edge of power requirements, because you risk overtaxing the supply and possibly blowing it up.  If the power supply blows, it can damage the motherboard, video card, and drives attached to it, so do not skimp on the power supply - a good one will last longer than anything else in a system, except maybe the case.  I would recommend an 80+% certified component, such as  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005