So, I'm looking into getting a new graphics card around the holidays... and after lots of research, I think I've narrowed it down the the Radeon 4890, 5770, or 5850. But I have some questions, mainly, which card would be best for me (more on that in a bit) and whether or not I should just upgrade my whole system (not sure if my processor will hamper a powerful graphics card).
My current system is:
CPU: Intel E2160 dual core 1.8 ghz
MoBo: PCI-Express, 2 slots for RAM
RAM: 2 GB
Video Card: ATI X1650 ( <---- I'm right in believing this is ancient, right? )
My monitor is a 25.5" Samsung, and I want to run games at 1900 x 1200.
Games I would play include Modern Warfare 2, World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Atuo IV, Borderlands, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. But, I'd also like to prepare for the future (Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, etc) so would investing in DX11 be the way to go?
I'm leaning towards the 5850, as I figure the extra money is worth the extra performance. Plus DX11. Or will the 5770 be good enough for games at 1900 x 1200?
Or, would the rest of my comp hamper such a powerful card? Should I just upgrade everything? Maybe a motherboard with two PCI-E 2.0 slots for crossfire capability...or more RAM slots. Also, is my processor really bad? I haven't really researched them much... most of my time has been dedicated to video cards. It is a 1.8 ghz dual core... so does that mean technically it is a 3.6 ghz? I've seen specs for 2.6ghz quad cores... does that mean they are essentially 10.4 ghz?!?
Plus, I plan to get windows 7 (still running XP), plus I MAY need a new power supply, I haven't popped it out yet to check the wattage, but it may not be enough for a new graphics card. So maybe I should just start over?
Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated. My computer's future is in all of your hands!!
My current system is:
CPU: Intel E2160 dual core 1.8 ghz
MoBo: PCI-Express, 2 slots for RAM
RAM: 2 GB
Video Card: ATI X1650 ( <---- I'm right in believing this is ancient, right? )
My monitor is a 25.5" Samsung, and I want to run games at 1900 x 1200.
Games I would play include Modern Warfare 2, World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Atuo IV, Borderlands, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. But, I'd also like to prepare for the future (Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, etc) so would investing in DX11 be the way to go?
I'm leaning towards the 5850, as I figure the extra money is worth the extra performance. Plus DX11. Or will the 5770 be good enough for games at 1900 x 1200?
Or, would the rest of my comp hamper such a powerful card? Should I just upgrade everything? Maybe a motherboard with two PCI-E 2.0 slots for crossfire capability...or more RAM slots. Also, is my processor really bad? I haven't really researched them much... most of my time has been dedicated to video cards. It is a 1.8 ghz dual core... so does that mean technically it is a 3.6 ghz? I've seen specs for 2.6ghz quad cores... does that mean they are essentially 10.4 ghz?!?
Plus, I plan to get windows 7 (still running XP), plus I MAY need a new power supply, I haven't popped it out yet to check the wattage, but it may not be enough for a new graphics card. So maybe I should just start over?
Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated. My computer's future is in all of your hands!!