NVIDIA Geforce GT 740 Compatibility?

your better off getting a R7-250.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150713

newer nvidia cards are more likely to power spike under load which will stress your psu. you'll need to check to see if you have enough amps on your 12v rail. the gt 740 needs at-least 16 amps to run smoothly on your system. their should be a sticker with the amps of each rail listed on your psu.

also you may want to consider upgrading your cpu as well 6.5amps(75watts) goes to your pci-e slot but your cpu has a 105watt tdp(8.75amps).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q9400S-SLG9U-2-66-GHz-AT80580AJ0676M-CPU-LGA-775-1333-MHz-/271709969668?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f432d1d04
^the q9400s is way faster then the q6600 your using and only uses 65watts(5.41amps).
plus not only dose it have the advantage of being 45nm but it also has the SSE4.1 instruction set and a FSB speed of 1333mhz. that said you may need to check for a bios update before you can use it.

UPDATE: @DerKrieger I did a bit of interior measurements. The distance between the network card and GPU slot is .8 IN. Any GPU over that won't fit, unless the TV Tuner is removed (Which would do no good, as I plan to replace it with a USB expansion card). Looks like I'll just have to go with the 740 until I can afford a custom PC, or a new motherboard and case. Just thought I'd inform you. :) Thanks again for all the support, and check back in a few days time to view any other changes, if you are curious.

@DerKrieger I sincerely apologize for the continuous questions. I am not well knowledge of computers yet, It is something I am new with.

Viewing the specs of the recommended card (PNY 740) I came across the system requirements. It is stated that a 400W power supply is needed. Quote: "Minimum 400W or greater system power supply." Will I need to buy a 400W power supply, or can my 300W PSU be used?

Those power requirements are way overstated. They do that just to cover their butts. You'll be fine. I ran a card with similar power draw on a LITEON 300W and it was good.

@DerKrieger Will it cause stress to the PSU? I don't want to burn down the house with it! Haha!

No you'll be safe. You may want to think about getting a better PSU in the future tho if you wanna upgrade further. The CX430 is decent and can be had for $20 on rebate.

I do plan to upgrade more, and have intention on buying a PSU, but I am currently on a small budget (I am a minor), and can't afford it at the moment.

I guess the PNY is the card I am gonna purchase. Seems to be the best card for my situation. Thanks again for the help! I apologize again for the large amount of questions. This is a new area for me. :)
Hopefully I won't need to ask anymore questions..... xD

Don't worry man. It is all good. This is a place to learn after all.

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