9800gtx+ bottlenecked by my comp?

[xxdejavuxx]

I am looking for an upgrade for my rig.
Specs are :
E6400
2gb ram
7900gt
all on a 19" screen

I was thinking of upgrading to a 22" Wide screen and want to play the latest games on high settings.
Will a 9800gtx+ be enough? or will i need the 260? also how badly would my old cpu hold back either cards?
I am willing to spend abit of cash but dont want to overspend on things i could do without.
What would you guys recommend me to do? which card should i go for first? and later on if i need a cpu upgrade, which one should i get to pair with your recommended card so that it is not bottlenecking it.
Thanks for your time.

 

[outlw6669]

What is your current motherboard and PSU?

What I would recommend upgrading would be:

Ram => 4Gb
GPU => 4850 -or- 4870
CPU => Overclock as far as you can with an upgraded cooler.

Also keep in mind, a new GPU and overclocked CPU will draw quite a bit more power than your current 7900GT.
If it is a low end unit, you will have to upgrade it or risk damaging your system.

To answer your specific questions...

Yes, a 9800GTX+ or the cheaper and slightly faster 4850 will have no issues with most games at 1680x1050.
IF you decide you need more power than that, the 4870 will give you better performance than a GTX 260 for less.

Even at stock, your current CPU is quite powerful.
It is also highly overclockable and, depending on your motherboard, should have no issues matching newer CPU's for speed. I would not worry to much about it holding you back.

 

[xxdejavuxx]

Thanks for that mate.
Any other opinions out there?
Right now im leaning towards getting the 260.
Cpu can come later depending if its going to hold back the 260 or not.

 

[Wrecks]

Because you have a similar system to mine; for comparison:

I had a 7950GX2 paired with an E6600 C2D; stock speed. The GPU fried, so I got a 9800GTX+

Just using 3DMark06 as an example;

E6600 + 7950GX2 = 8000

E6600 + 9800GTX+ = 11000


I'm no tech wizard, but it seems to me that these make a pretty decent
pairing.

I wouldn't be scared to put a nice GTX 260+ in there.

 

[jay2tall]

I am going to give you my life experience on your system. I to have an e6400, but oced to 3.0GHz. I recently bought a GTX 260 to replace my 8800GTS/512. The card had some issues and i am sending it back today as a return and getting a 4870 1GB.

What i have found out is the performance increase from my 8800GTS was minimal. Less than I had hoped for. The G200 cards are pretty CPU intensive. And if you are running something other than a i7 or highend core 2 you may as well go 4850 or 4870.

The 4850 and 4870 is less cpu intensive and more driver intensive. My friend just got a 4850 in an older ATi system and it runs like a wild banshee. My recommendation is since you have an older core2 go with the 4850 or 4870. OR the 9800GTX+ which actually outperforms the 4850 but not the 4870. They are sorta prices in teh same order they perform 4850,9800gtx+, 4870, 4870 1GB.

I would not recommend the GTX 260 though because of your CPU. and this is from my personal experience.