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Upgrade Option: RAM or GPU?

Last response: in Systems
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I just got paid and I have a budget of $100-$160.

I plan on adding RAM and a new graphics card eventually but I'm not sure which should be a priority.

Here's what I do with my computer:

Editing video in After Effects
Editing 3D in Maya
Rendering video in After Effects
Rendering Frames in Maya
Browsing the Net
DVD-Playback

Occasional Gaming (6-12 hours a week):

Prototype
Last Remnant
Arkham Asylum
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age
KOTOR II


And here's what I have right now:

EVGA x58 SLI Micro
Intel i7 930 @ 3.5Ghz
EVGA Geforce GTS 250 1GB
6GB DDR3 1333Mhz (9-9-9-24)
1.5 TB Seagate 7200.11 HDD
Corsair 850w PSU

So I'm not sure what would help me the most. Also I kind of hate this MicroATX Mobo but I'm not sure if there's a decent replacement under $160. I was hoping to sell my GTS 250 to be able to afford a better graphics card but I dunno, no one answered my craigslist ad.

More about : upgrade option ram gpu

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Homebuilt system Expert

You have plenty of ram. So you don't really need more.

Your best option is to just save at least $220 and get a GTX 460 1GB. Currently you can get the 768mb version of it but with the rest of your set up, the 1GB version would match much better.

Well I definitely do want to get 12GB eventually because the AFX rendering really eats it up; it will hit 6GB in 30 seconds.

The GTX 460 looks great but I'm wondering if I should switch to ATI. Crossfire 5750's or 5700's could be in the $230-$280 range and would perform well.

I'm just worried about SLI and Crossfire; I heard not all games use it correctly.

Would it be stupid to just grab another GTS 250 for $80 and do SLI? I considered that but I really kind of want DX11 support if I'm going to spend any money on a new card since the GTS250 seems pretty good (high settings on the games I play anyway).
 
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