upgrade cpu or upgrade video-card?

[steve74]

Any insight would be appreciated please!

I want to speed up my gaming experience (i.e. BF2142) and I'm on a limited budget. Which upgrade would better if I could only pick one?

Athlon 3500+ to Athlon FX-72 OR

Nvidia 6800 (258mb) to Nvidia 8800 GTS (640mb)

Thanks!
Steve

 

[alcattle]

other than in game, how does the rig handle everyday stuff? I am very sure the video card would help more and you can take it to the next upgrade, the CPU is coming to a dead end.

 

[apt403]

Your processor will bottleneck the performance of the 8800gts, although it'll still net you much better frames, and you can carry it over to your next build. A new processor is a waste though...

I say go with the 8800gts.

What's the make and model on your psu? It would suck to get the new card, only to learn that your psu doesnt have enough power for it.

 

[steve74]

Thanks for suggestions! Apologises, I'll add a little more information about rig.

It's 2 years old now, and it runs general day-to-day apps easily enough. My games are at 1074x748. Any higher and frame-rate gets crunchy.
My 3dMark06 score was a poor 1810.

Here's other setup...
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower 560W
RAM: 2GB OCZ DDR

I'm finding this upgrade decision very, very hard. Right now leaning towards buying video-card over CPU. Any further thoughts?

THANKS! STEVE

 

[mrmez]

8800 fo shizzle my nizzle!
I went from a 805D to a 4300 @ 3.1Ghz.
Didnt REALLY make FA difference in games tbh.
Much to my dissapointment.

 

[skyguy]

You have a bit of a connundrum........

More RAM will definitely help.
Better GPU will definitely help.
Better CPU will help.

All things considered though, GPU is the way to go. 8800GTS 320mb. Your CPU might bottleneck it a bit, but depending on your resolution you play at, it won't be too much. The performance jump to the 8800 will far outweigh any bottlenecks alot.


Lesson on CPU/GPU for Gaming 101:

-average CPU + great GPU = great gaming

-great CPU + average GPU = average gaming



New graphics card FTW! Just make sure your PSU can handle it though.