Help this PC gamer...

[ITPierce]

Hello. Looking for some advice on updating my current OS for gaming purposes....

In 2007 I built my first PC. I wanted something to last me for a few years and to game on. I dislike console gaming and I was brought up on Keyboard and Mouse back in the mid-late 90's. Anywho... I want to play current games (Starcraft 2, CoD: BO, etc...) at the highest potential on my system without purchasing a whole new PC. I've recently upgraded my RAM and am on the fence as far as the OS. Again, the only move I am talking about here is the OS. I will not be purchasing any new hardware for this system. My resolution is at 1440 x 900 for all applications and games.

Here are my specs...

Windows XP SP3
C2D E6600 - 2.4Ghz
MSI P6N SLI Platinum Motherboard
G.SKILL 4GB (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
1 EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB Video Card
CORSAIR HX Series 520W
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA HDD

Please share your thoughts and advice. The big jump is to Windows 7 from XP...? I have never overclocked anything but I think my CPU is capable.

Please help!

 

[plznote]

Windows 7 is a great OS. You should overclock the processor a bit.
They are great OC'ers.

 

[kashifme21]

That CPU can easily be overclocked past 3.5ghz, which would be a great performance increase, along with that i would recommend a 100usd gpu upgrade (considering the resolutions you are playing at and you are set for few years).

 

[mother242]

get:
windows 7 home premuim x64 $100
Gigabyte GTX460OC $215

 

[ITPierce]

Well... I'm stuck at DX9 on XP... I am anxious to see what DX10 offers in Windows 7 with my current 8800... Will it be able to take advantage of DX11?

 

[K3vBot6000]

No DX11 on that one.

 

[ITPierce]

Best answer selected by ITPierce.

 

[coastie65]

Well... I'm stuck at DX9 on XP... I am anxious to see what DX10 offers in Windows 7 with my current 8800... Will it be able to take advantage of DX11?

As was stated, Windows 7 is DX11 as is Vista now. As long as you have a DX11 Compliant video card, you'll do fine. For a lot of bang for the buck, an ati HD5770 is a good card as long as you have a decent PSU.