Video card opinions needed....

[CaptainHaplo]

OK guys - here is the situation.

My current game rig is due for an upgrade. However, I am limited in funds.

So - here is where I sit.

AMD x2 4200 (Dual core at 2.2Ghz)
MSI V-class 7253 VMS MB
2 Gigs of ram (all the board will support)
500GB SATA main drive
150GB EIDE backup/storage drive

And the bottleneck at the moment:

x1650X Pro

Now - I am not going to go hog wild as I don't have the funds for a full rebuild. When I do my next one - I hope to have a budget of 1k or more. So I am looking under $150 if possible.

I have 3 main options at that price point.

Nvidia 9800GTX

Nvidia GTX250

ATI HD4850

Now - I used to be a fan of Nvidia - but migrated to ATI after a bout with the first few incarnations of their global driver. Now - both sides are about equal there, so I am fine with going with either manufacter.

Here are the concerns I have.

The biggest is heat - My box is in a bad spot honestly - my desk has a pc cabinet - and to run currently I have to keep the door open for airflow purposes.

A close second is fan life. The past few ATI cards I have had have all chunked fans after a few months. I really don't want to repeat that yet again....

Lastly - and a very distant 3rd - is DX10.1 support. Nvidia doesn't and won't do it - though they do support base DX10 - and none of my games really require 10.1 support. Still - its a consideration.

So - give me your thoughts on which card I should consider.

Also - my PS is a 400w right now - After looking it seems the minimum I will have to have for any of these cards is 450, correct?