Upgrading, want to not think about it for a year or more

[jnischan]

Hi everyone,

I currently have
- MSI GTS 250 Twin Frozr 1 GB (running at 760 core and 2150 memory clock)
- GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX ATX board
- AMD Athlon II x3 440, unlocked to quad, @ 3.42ghz
- 4 gigs GSkill DDR3 1333
- Corsair CH50 CPU cooler
- OCZ StealthXstream 600 watt PSU
- 20" 1600x900 res monitor

I play Dragon Age and DA2, Rift and New Vegas. I can play Dragon age on high, but it slows down when there is a lot of stuff on screen or I'm in a bigger area so I usually stay on medium. Rift I can play on high with no shadows running in DX9 mode with around 40-45 fps, and New Vegas I can play on high with slowing when a lot is going on.

I've had my GPU for over a year and in my opinion is starting to show it's age. For that res, I know I don't need a super powerful GPU, but would it be better for me to get a better CPU? I was thinking of either getting a 5770 and maybe Xfire later, or switching out for a 955 BE and keeping the gts 250 until it craps out.

I'm not looking to spend more than $150. I found a guy in the area selling a used 5850 for $90, but I'm reluctant because I have no idea what he's done to it.

Any opinions would be much appreciated.

 

[jnischan]

If I quit smoking and use my alloted cigarette money for June I could go up to $200 for the gpu. Maybe that will create more options.