Old fx-62+crosshair rig, want new GPU, suggestions?

[gumbology]

So i have an aging AM2 build, and no budget for a new build...

Fx-62
Crosshair (v1.04)
4gb (2x2gb) ddr2@800mhz
PCP&C 750w "Silencer" (60 amps on +12v rail)
8800gt (512mb)<---

I intended to eventually go SLI when i built this, years ago, but never did...

Now, 8800gt are hard to find and too expensive, compared to newer cards.

I would like to know how much "GPU" can this system push, without wasting money on excessive GPU power that would be bottlenecked anyway.

My options are:

older/lower SLI card x2... (ie: pair of gtx260-core 216, or perhaps a pair of 460's)

Newer, more powerful single card, to carry over into new SLI/Xfire build, several months from now. (planning an AMD/ATI build... trying to wait for the octo-cores... and no, i will not consider intel, at this time, as for me, their products are prohibitively expensive, and unnecessarily powerful. I'm just not willing or able to pay for intel products.)


Apparently, my board can both accept and support a 9950 (125w tdp), but i'm not sure how much benefit i'd gain from that, if i'm still on AM2, and still using the single 8800gt.

From what i can see, a new gpu is my best, and probably only reasonable upgrade path.

Due to my plans to build an AMD/ATI rig, "soon," i am trying not to go the Nvidia route... although i do have 2 older boards, (939-GA-K8N-Pro-SLI, and AM2-Crosshair v1) both of which are SLI-capable.

So, the real question is:

If i only change the GPU, what's the best/cheapest GPU solution i can use, considering the bottleneck of the fx-62 and pci-e v1?

I don't want to go Nvidia, unless i can utilize SLI... which means finding a pair of cheap cards.
I don't want to spend too much on a GPU, if the bottleneck will make it useless. Will it? Or is there still an advantage, despite the bottleneck?

I have been eye-ing the 6950, and the 4-500gtx series.

I once read, somewhere, a while back, that a pair of gtx260's is "about all" an FX-62 can "push."

Any GPU-related suggestions/advice, would be much appreciated... but please keep the intel stuff quiet. I already know it's better, but it's out of my range, and irrelevant to me.

I'm just trying to get the most GPU these other components can benefit from, at the lowest possible price.

 

[Tamz_msc]

No point is Crossfiring or SLIing newer cards. Those FX 62s are about as fast as first gen Core 2 Duos. Overclock it and get a HD 6850 or GTX 460.

 

[gumbology]

Thank you for your quick reply. I read it about an hour after you posted, but decided to do some research of my own, and investigate your advice, since i don't know you.

And you're right. 6850 or gtx460 seem like great single card solutions to my question.
However... since neither were available at my intended price point, i opted for a 2nd 8800gt. I will spend as little as possible on this aging build, and let it exist as-is, as a tribute to an era when things "changed." I will finally "go SLI" with it, just so i can say "i did." And, if i start kicking myself for buying another 8800gt for $50, instead of spending 3x as much, or more, on a newer, better, single card... i DO have an old GA-K8N-Pro-SLI (s939), which i'm sure would absolutely LOVE to have a pair of 8800gt's in it. (and an opteron 165-185, to replace it's ancient 3000+ Venice.)

I just don't know what i'd do with my 3k+, or the 8600gts, in that rig.

Meanwhile... Bulldozer due out soon! WTB Crosshair *V *Extreme 990FX + Zambezi and Xf-6950's! >

I have a new Question about the same old board and hardware. Should i make a new "question" thread, for this question?:

AM2: FX-62 vs. 125w 9950BE?

If i could find a 9950 BE (125w) for "cheap," would it be worth doing, until i finally build my *Dozer-rig, as soon as the crosshair V *Extreme 990FX release?

Will the 9950 push my 8800gt SLI any better than my fx-62?
I bet it will run cooler... and if it does, i bet i can save the WC setup for my planned *Dozer build, and just go all-out on that one.

 

[gumbology]

Best answer selected by gumbology.