Upgrade Question? What would you do?

Okay sorry for the somewhat, long post,

So I've been reading a lot of threads for a while, and just needed some outside input.
My current rig is the same as my sig:

C2D e6700 (stock)
Intel X975XBX
2GB pc6400 800mhz
ATi Radeon X1950 XTX OC'd to 668/1071
WinXP Pro SP2

So my question is, do I really need to upgrade any part of my computer yet, and if so what do you think would need to come first?

Most people might say my video card, and I'm probably leaning towards that as well. I play on a Samsung 204B 20.1" LCD (4:3 ratio) at it's native resolution of 1600x1200 always. And surprisingly I play most games with their max graphic settings most of the time and experience no lag really. But I will have to note, for example, on COD4 I have my AF turned to about 1/4th, and my AA is Off, while everything else it turned to normal or on. My average framerate is usually always ranging from 35-90fps depending on the situation (what's going on in the game, etc..) I'm pretty happy with this but ever since I've got this machine in Dec. 06' I really hate playing games if the graphics aren't turned all the way up..they just become ugly to me and unbearable to play. The thing is I really want to get a DX10 card but am afraid of upgrading to Vista, as of now.

Another issue is I can't (as far as my knowledge is concerned) figure out how to OC my CPU with my current board, it's supposed to have a jumper on the board to allow it in the bios, but my version of the board does not have it at all. The only way to get around this is soldering the blank jumpers together or something. I'm not so much for doing that, as I've never done it. I figure if I OC my CPU some it would/could boost my FPS up a bit, as well as my overall computer. Any suggestions on this matter would be appreciated as well..

So in conclusion, I've been more than satisfied with my X1950 XTX and it's (literally) Hot Hot Self... but it seems like its days are coming to an end for me.. So what should I do.. Upgrade to a HD3870: when/if the prices come down some more? or wait for something else? Or upgrade to some other card that you might recommend?
Note: I'm probably not willing to spend more than $250.00 -ish As I'm going to school, making car payments, etc etc.. I might make an exception if I wait longer to save more.

Any inputs/comments/suggestions would be very much appreciated!! Thanks in advance.

I think it wouldn't be worth upgrading your vidcard if you're tight on cash. I'd say wait for the new cards to come out before upgrading.

You system seems well balanced when it's not OCed. Learn how to OC your cpu.

I don't understand why you would have to connect the jumper to get into the bios. Usually you do that when you want to clear the bios.

Read your motherboard manual. The key required to get into the bios is usually "Delete" or "F2".

If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Keep your system for a year, then build a brand new one where you can actually OC

I totally understand where you are coming from and must say Only you can know if it's worth it. The X1950XTX was top dog at one time but it is the weak link for 1600x1200 max eye candy gaming on your system.

My first thought was to agree with these guys, keep the system as is and reduce settings a bit if need be. It's a great option for sure. Saying that though, I had an X1950XT and upgraded to a 8800GTS 320MB for more Oblivion performance at the settings I wanted to play at. It was worth it to me but I had wished I had the 640MB GTS at the time. Crysis came along and both cards did aweful at 16x10, so I upgraded again. No I didn't need to, but things sure look and play better now.

So, if better performance at 16x12 max details 4xaa/16xaf than you get now at 16x12 oxaa/4xaf is worth it to you, sure grab a 8800GTS 512MB or 8800GT 512MB.

Check this one out as it includes your card:
http://firingsquad.com/hardware/ca [...] /page4.asp

And this one includes the newer 8800 and HD38xx cards, but not yours:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardwar [...] gts_512mb/


BTW, don't compare numbers directly from one review to the other. System specs change, drivers changed, and one was Vista 64-bit the other Win XP 32-bit. But just wanted to show how the HD3870, and 512MB 8800's do.

Thanks for all the info/input, I appreciate it! And yea, I mean sometimes it can be frustrating when I play COD4 and my FPS suddenly drops 30-40 frames and I miss a kill! but haha, anyways yea, I'll probably just keep it for a while longer.. then get something brand new