Nate5452:I just thought of this. I gotta make sure that the connectors are good. Don't the newer graphics card have a different power connector than the older ATI 9800PRO series graphics.
yes, they do. Newer graphics cards use the 6-pin PCI-E power connectors, however, many cards do come with adapters, so you can use two standard molex connectors instead.
Also, do you have a PCI-E slot? I think that the 9800Pro is an AGP slot card. The vast majority of new graphics cards are made for PCI-E slots.
If you don't have a PCI-E slot, you can get a fairly new graphics card for AGP, the ATI Radeon 3850 video card comes in an AGP version. Also, the 3850 is very power efficient(under 100watts at max load), so, provided you have a good quality power supply, 420watts should be enough.
What brand is your power supply? Is it ATX 2? What is the max 12v power(either amps or watts) listed on the label?
EmP:
Unfortunately, that
wattage calculator is really inaccurate. I put in the specs for a
400watt computer in, and it came up with 577watts. I put in the specs
for a 450-500watt computer, and it came up with 786watts.
It's really easy to calculate the wattage requirements yourself, and far more accurate.
A good way to narrow down the power supplies you're looking at, or evaluate the quality of an older power supply, is to take a look at the eggxpert tiered power supply list. Check it to see where your current power supply is.