How much longer can my system last...

[sgtbaker420]

Hi all. Long time reader 1st time poster.

Specs:
Asus A8N-Sli Deluxe
Athlon X2 4400 Toledo
2gig Ram (1-2 years old)
2 X 6600GT-SLI
160 gig HD

I'm eagerly awaiting all the DX10 gaming goodness in our future and waiting frustratingly patient for some 2nd gen DX10 hardware. However I'm not sure if with my system I should wait. With more ram and a new (I'm saving for whatever becomes the 2nd gen Top of the Line) Video Card is my system going to be powerfull enough to still kick butt? Or, should I get a better DX9 Card and be happy for now and keep throwing some scratch into the bank and get a brand new from scratch system in like 6 mos. to a year?

Thanks,

 

[uberman]

My rig is somewhat similar to yours and at the moment plays most everything at decent framerates.Looking to buy 8800 gts and I figure that will be good for another year or so till DX10/Vista bugs are worked out and there enough software to make the switch worth it.

 

[akahuddy]

If you've waited this long, I'd keep waiting until a couple of DX10 games come out.

 

[aevm]

I'd wait. Try Diablo 2 or Titan Quest, they'll work great on your PC and by the time you finish them you'll be able to get something really nice for your money.

 

[Daredevil_8]

Diablo 2 = Stealer of life....I spent so many hundred hours playing that game...

 

[dobby]

your PC is fine to run DX10 game apart form your GPUs, when your done with your can i have your 6600 pls

 

[sgtbaker420]

I tell you what... honestly...you pay for shipping they are yours!

 

[fredgiblet]

I vote for wait until the second gen of DX10 hardware comes out and build a new box.

 

[aevm]

Are we talking about the high-end card from the second generation of DX10? That should be available "in the fall", according to an article dated June 5 (I posted the link in some other thread yesterday). If we're talking about the cheaper cards, those should arrive in the spring. Of course, that's just promises, nVidia might have delays just like others I won't name here :lol:

Edit: Here's the other thread

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/8900-GTX-65-nm-September-ftopict240702.html

 

[sgtbaker420]

Yeah, that's what I'm leaning towards...It's just hard not to get excited and want the new stuff...especially with all the hype surrounding all the new hardware/OS/quad-core stuff.

 

[sgtbaker420]

Well that's kind of my question...if I bother to get say an 8800gtx OC or something high end now, by the time I am ready to get a completely new rig are they going to be like the 6600gt's that I bought a week after they came out..TOTALY USELESS 1 year later?

 

[aevm]

The 8800 GTX will not be completely useless even 3 years from now. Game companies want to sell to as many people as possible, not just the 5% who can afford US $500 video cards. You may need to lower settings in a couple of years for the newest games, that's all.

 

[VFighterX]

Well that's kind of my question...if I bother to get say an 8800gtx OC or something high end now, by the time I am ready to get a completely new rig are they going to be like the 6600gt's that I bought a week after they came out..TOTALY USELESS 1 year later?

Totally useless? I'm still using an FX 5200.

 

[aevm]

Well that's kind of my question...if I bother to get say an 8800gtx OC or something high end now, by the time I am ready to get a completely new rig are they going to be like the 6600gt's that I bought a week after they came out..TOTALY USELESS 1 year later?

Totally useless? I'm still using an FX 5200.

Could be worse. I'm still stuck with Pentium 3/GeForce MX 4000 until the QX6850 and the 8950 GX2 are out. :lol: I'm sure that in 2012 this combination will look stupid, but I can live with that.

 

[sailer]

Yeah, that's what I'm leaning towards...It's just hard not to get excited and want the new stuff...especially with all the hype surrounding all the new hardware/OS/quad-core stuff.

I have a machine very close to yours, having a 7800 GTX instead of the two 6600's. I tried going to a 8800 GTS 640 and had a number of troubles. Seems that Nvidia designed the 8800 so that it doesn't work well with AMD K7 and K8 cpu's. Changes have to be made in the registry to allow it to work without crashes or total lockups. At least that's what Nvidia told me and after following the changes, it works ok. As a result, I'd vote along with Fredgiblet and advise that you wait until the second generation of DX10 cards come out. If you feel you really need to buy something right now, stick with a 7900 series or one of ATI's X1950 series cards.