Do I need a bigger power supply

I'm undertaking the project of building myself a computer. All the parts I ordered came in the mail, and I was wondering if anybody would recommend upgrading to a bigger power supply. This is actually my first time building a computer, so I'm praying I get it right lol. If I do need a new power supply, is it difficult to install? Here's the hardware I've got

-Asus A8v Deluxe VIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard

-AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Socket 939 CPU

-XFX GeForce FX 5200 Video Card (I plan on upgrading to a GeForce 6800 GT)

-Mad Dog Dominator DVD Burner 12x

-Speeze Socket 754/939 CPU Cooling Fan

-Ultra 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (I plan on adding memory, at least a gig, maybe 2... it's upgradable to 4 gigs but I think that's a bit overkill)

-Maxtor 120GB 5400 EIDE Hard Drive (I'm getting a faster harddrive, most likely 7200)

-Soyo Black ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case with a 350 watt power supply

I heard or read somewhere that with the 6800 gt they recommend a 450 watt power supply so that's why I'm wondering if I should go ahead and get it. Are there any performance advantages to having a bigger power supply?

Any other recommendations or suggestions? Any help would be appreciated

This question was answered on November 24, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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350W is a bit lean for that system, you can't go wrong getting a more powerful one--even a 450W is pretty cheap, and it is the most important part of the computer.

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Posted by Michael of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on November 24, 2004

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