7900GTO to 8800GTS

Hello All

I'm unable to decide if it would be a good idea to upgrade from my current 7900GTO 512MB to 8800GTS 320MB or 640MB? i do not play games any higher then 1280 X1024. Or would it be a better idea to go for a faster processor because of the Intel's big price drop. Im an occasional gamer and mostly play racing games, Oblivion etc

System Specs
C2D E6300 @ 2.10 Ghz
2GB OCZ Platinum XTC
Asus P5B-E
Seagate 320GB SATA II

Thanks

Don't upgrade now wait until the next generation, and don't waste money on another cpu because for an 40$ cooler you can get it at 3.5 and it will outperform an 6800extreme.
Your system is good enough so don't waste money.

Yea, you have good rig, no need to start upgrading until it can't run the games you want at the settings and res you want.

well the reason why i wanted to upgrade was because currently im playing Colin McRae: Dirt and if I play @ 1280 X 1024 with bit of an eye candy (not high but medium) then the system seems to struggle as in I can tell the fps have dropped dramactically with a sluggish game play. The overall usage of the computer (browsing, commuting with friends etc) is fine on my system, its just that when it comes to playing games it seems to struggle. I try to make sure that any services running in the background which are not needed are off as well but still I run into situation like these...

Now you've given the best reason to make the upgrade, that your machine struggles and the frame rates drop during a game. In this case, I'd say go for the 8800 GTS 320. Get an overclocked version if you can afford it, or venture into overclocking the card yourself. At 1280x1024, there is little or no advantage in getting the 8800 GTS 640. Only if you get a 22" wide screen or larger will the 640mb have any advantage.

You've got to be kidding! He has a 7900 GTO 512 mb right now. What great advantage would it be to get a 7900 GT? As for the Q6600, how many games and apps around are there that would use a quad core? He can overclock his present cpu and get good speed out of it for the moment. But it remains that if his framerates are dropping bad, the best route is a better video card.

If your current setup plays all the games you play smoothly then stick with what you have... if frame rate becomes an issue then the 640mb 8800 GTS is a very fine card (at least until Crysis comes out in which case it's wait for the 9 series)
I personally would advise against the 320mb because there are games out already that use more than 320mb for "High" Textures (e.g. GRAW2), and using main memory for offloading textures is a major cause of lag

but in other news; overclock that E6300!! It's begging for it!

someone doesn't know how to read! i said look for the 7900gt mod.....and as for you q6600 comment.. in 2 months crysis comes out which supports multiple cpus, and i think 4 cores running 3.3ghz is slightly better than even a e6850 over clocked at 4ghz. a multycore game or app will benefit from a quad cpu. as for jaydeejohn.. dont get me wrong i did go from a 7900gs to a 8800 and my fps jumped like crazy but for this guy he can easily overclock his video card and save his money for something better. the 8800 are almost a year old!

I do know how to read. On the other hand, perhaps your lack of the use of capital letters, run on and/or split sentences and other gramatical errors confused the intention of what you wrote compared to my understanding. At least it appeared to me that you were suggesting that he buy a 7900 GT card that had a mod. If that wasn't your intent, then my apologies.

AY CARAMBA! just wait for the g92

Your GTO, if it's like the MSI one I have in my possession, may well clock to GTX reference speeds.