Originally posted by: Pete
$350 sounds too expensive to me when you can get an
AGP XL for $260. I don't think the X850 will be 40%
faster than the XL, so you're paying a premium. Going one step further, an XL probably isn't generally 30% faster (see the same THG benchmarks) than the ~$200 X800P that jevans linked. I've also seen a used 6800GT for $230, a good deal provided you buy from a trusted source, and probably 15% faster, on average, than a X80P.
I'm just not sure I'd recommend spending over $300 on SM2 tech this close to ATI's SM3 lineup and nV's top-to-bottom second-gen SM3 lineup. It's even harder to see how a $350 X850XT is a good deal when compared to a faster, more fully-featured (SM3), and comparably-priced (~$390) 7800 GT. Admittedly, the 7800s are PCIe and you're looking for AGP, but I still think it's a valid comparison in terms of performance.
So I'd recommend the cheaper X800 XL or Pro, and you can use that $100-150 you saved for a faster, SM3 card in 6-12 months.
Dunno about Thermaltake PSUs. 18A on the 12V rail seems a little weak for a PCIe-specced PSU, considering the
http://www.antec.com/specs/true330_spe.html]Antec TruePower 330[/url]'s 22A 12V rail, but it'll probably be more than sufficient for your PC. The Tt's push-pull dual 80mm fans and minimal vents looks to be a good airflow design--better than the Antec TP330's perpendicular fans, in any case. (I found the TP330 didn't evacuate hot air from my case very well, as it had too many vents and the more powerful 92mm fan likely pushed the hot air from the CPU back into the case via those vents faster than the 80mm fan could expel it. The TP330 raised my case and CPU temps by a few degrees over my single-fan SmartPower 300.)
What PSU do you currently have? You sure you need a new one?