I first build my pc back in 2007 . it be now a 5 year old machine , which be probably ancient by today 's standard . it be only get a Intel core 2 duo overclock at 2.9 GHz , 2GB RAM , with a ATI Radeon 2600XT 256MB card run on Windows xp sp3 , all of these power by a 500 watt power supply . the best I could play before be game at 800x600 set at the lowest . sometimes , modern game would not even play properly and would just crash I or reboot the entire system because the ATI card could not cope with the game and its temperature would shoot up beyond 100c ! for 5 year I really do not know why the reboot keep on happen . I use to think that it be just my processor that could not handle the game . I also think that it be my power supply . five year later , I finally decide to upgrade at least one part of my computer and I decide that it should be my graphic card . I do a little research and find out that my old ASUS P5HW Delux be only strong enough to upgrade to the gtx 550 ti and it will not be able to handle the better version of this video card . fortunately , the 550 ti be quite affordable at $ 120 so I buy it from here . I order the thing on a Friday and I receive it Thursday . Pretty fast delivery for free shipment . installation of the card be easy because I already research how to do it before hand . the first thing I do be uninstall my old ATI driver . I also download the latest Nvidia driver -lrb- 301.42 at the time -rrb- just to be sure that everything be up to date . with everything else ready , I unplug the pc and remove my old ATI Radeon 2600XT card , which I donate to someone who do not have a graphic card . the 550 ti be definitely a lot bigger than the ATI 2600XT , probably by 25 % in length and size . at first I be scare that it would not fit into the slot , but it actually do ! the box of the 550 Ti also contain a converter of sort . originally , the 550 Ti need a 6-pin connector to plug into the power supply . if you do not have a 6-pin connector but at least have a 4-pin one , that will work . just plug the converter thing into the 550 ti then connect it to the power supply and you be set ! after physically install the card , it be now time to install the driver . I plug the computer back in and power it up . I hear the initial beep and be relieve that it actually accept the 550 ti ! after get to my desktop , I quickly install the driver that I download earlier . after that , I restart the pc and everything go well . as a experiment , I play Grand theft auto 4 just to see how the 550 ti would do . this be the first time that I crank everything to high ! high shadow , reflection , everything else ! I only use 2x anti-aliasing since that be good enough for I and I do not want to abuse the new card that much . as the game world load , I be amaze at how much beautiful everything look ! highly detail texture , reflection on car , smooth gameplay ! wow , this be not the same gta4 that I use to play at the lowest setting ! it be as if it be a totally new and wonderful creation ! I play for 30 minute , then a hour , and then 6 hour just fool around in the world of GTA . I even use a few zombie mod just to turn all the pedestrian into zombie ! it be very fun that I actually forget about the time . when I check the time , it be already 2 AM . I have be play the game on high setting for 7 hour and not a single crash ! while playing , I also use gpuz to monitor my temperature . I find out that while not play anything , the card be at around 35c , but while play intense game like gta4 , it go up to around 56c . remember , my old ATI 2600XT use to idle at 56c and go beyond 100c during intense game -lrb- which end up reboot the system -rrb- . it be amazing that the 550 ti can handle all the stress without have the ability to cook a egg ! the next day i try other game and it be the same , smooth at high setting , no crash . I consider myself as a `` hardcore '' gamer who can play 8 or more hour a day if time permit , and I be very very happy with the gtx 550 ti ! hopefully I 'll never encounter a problem with this card within the 30-day limit because as far as performance be concern , it be work perfectly ! if you be someone with a ancient computer like mine and you think that you can use a little graphical upgrade without have the replace everything but still play the latest game at high setting -lrb- but at lower resolution -rrb- , the 550 Ti will not let you down ! the only thing leave for I to do be to someday build a entirely new system , probably in 2 or 3 year when my old machine be not capable of handle anything that the modern gaming world offer anymore . the 550 ti be probably the final stop for 5 year old computer like mine , and it be really good !