Looking to upgrade my 8600GT

[bogus666]

I recently built this comp:

E8400 cpu
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UDR3 motherboard
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
WD 500GB 32mb cache SATA hard drive
2 GB of pqi DDR2 800 SDRAM
and a 22" ACER LCD monitor with max res at 1680x1050

reused an xfx 8600GT 128-bit 512mb gpu, 20x dvd-r, and 600w psu.

i decided to wait on the gpu to see if some of the higher end cards would go down in price. which it seems they are definitely doing now. i mostly use my comp for games, internet, movies, music, etc. its a great comp, but i just can't seem to push my newer games(such as fallout 3, fear2, cod5, oblivion) past medium settings without getting choppy frame rates. so i believe its about that time to look for a new video card. i'm looking to spend between $100 to $150. i'm not looking for the top of the line, high end card. but i do want something that can play fallout 3 smoothly on high settings(i love this game so any suggestions would be appreciated! thanks!

 

[rewindlabs]

Benchmarks maybe?

Why not look out for a GTX 260 going for cheap...or a cheap 4870 1gb...those would be your best bet...

 

[hundredislandsboy]

To match the power of that e8400, GTX 260 for sure. $169 free shipping from Newegg. I just bought a Newegg XFX GTX 260 for that price because when I overclock my e8400 to 3. GHz I notice my EVGA 8800 GTS 512 starts to become a bottleneck.

 

[bogus666]

To match the power of that e8400, GTX 260 for sure. $169 free shipping from Newegg. I just bought a Newegg XFX GTX 260 for that price because when I overclock my e8400 to 3. GHz I notice my EVGA 8800 GTS 512 starts to become a bottleneck.

you must have gotten that deal just in time cause they are sold out on newegg. haha. a great deal none the less.

well, i really didnt want to go above the $150 rage. im thinking a 9800GTX or 4850 would be a pretty big step up from what i have, but not as pricey...... i dont know, all this makes my head spin pay the extra $40-$50 or wait for prices to go down? or settle on the cheapies and have a better card than i have now?

 

[mactronix]

The 4850 would as you say be a good size leap from what you have and a budget is a budget after all. There is a new ATI card out on the 4th of May HD4770 which is said to perform between the 4830 and 4850. It may be worth your time from a budget point of view to wait and see what this card can actually do. Its said to be aimed at $99.
This could help with the prices on the other cards as well ? Its all guess work until the card comes out but at least you have the option now

Mactronix

 

[gkay09]

^+1 yes wait for just few more days and check out the 4770...If its performance doesn't fancy you, you could buy a GTX 260 or 4870 1GB for less than $150 by then...

 

[rags_20]

I can do so with a 4850 - Fallout 3 60+fps , CoD4 - 80+fps
Get a 4870 512 from ASUS - $135

 

[bogus666]

sweet. yeah i'll just wait it out a bit. thanks guys, you've been a great help.