I have 600 dollars (US), and would like to upgrade what seems to be my archaic (ironic, 2 yr old) system xD. I shop at Newegg ONLY ! haha and Tigerdirect sometimes
Main goals, to play the games listed below in full settings 1080p, with Skyrim being the main game I will play for the next year when it gets released, along with newer titles related to the games I have mentions below. Keep in mind I am not a crysis junkie, and have no intentions of running it maxx'd out, but it would be cool to try if I can afford to get playable fps with the upgrades you guys might have in mind for me
My current rig:
- Phenom II x2 550 BE OC'd to 3.7GHz (w/ arctic cooling, nice temps)
- 9800 GTX+ (stock settings)
- Gigabyte GA-MA790x-UD4P mobo
- 4 GB G.SKill ddr2 (PC2-6400)
- 150 GB HDD 7200 RPM
- 450W PSU
-23" ASUS 1080p monitor (1920 x 1080)
- Windows 7 32Bit (would and will upgrade to 64 bit when I get upgrades, I have the 64 bit disk)
would like to future proof my system with the best price/performance ratio that you guys might have in mind. I've been doing a lot of research, and the more I do...the harder it is for me to determine what I should upgrade. I know my mobo is 2 years old, my GPU is not the best by far... and my ram could be running at DDR3 (but that would also require a new mobo).
I like to game on max settings. Some games I play are as follows: TES IV Oblivion, Skyrim (new rig must max this out !! my main goal ), Dragon Age I+2, Dead Space, Metro 2033, Starcraft 2, Mass Effect series, and I'd love to try out the Witcher 2 if I can afford it after some crucial upgrades, that is...if it seems apparent to you all that the games I play and would like to play in the future need some hardware upgrades in order to max out. I know my rig has a very hard time playing even High settings in Dragon age 2 on DX9, which runs at around 25fps and isnt even that aesthetically pleasing of a game
In regards to the research I've done, I've come to the conclusion that the best price/performance gain I can afford for a new GPU is to crossfire some 6850's, granted, you guys see that as a viable option; however, If you think I can use a new CPU/mobo/PSU / RAM then i probably wont be able to afford to Crossfire the 6850's
Anyways, I'll stop rambling! Any information would be awesome. I'm not too sure about the mobo situation because I've read that x16/x16 PCI slots get about 10% extra performance gain in fps, which certainly counts. And I cannot find a mobo that has 2 of those :/
Also, would it be better to wait to upgrade CPU ( if I even need to, in case it might bottleneck my 6850 if anyone thinks that's a good solid card to run these games on max settings) for a few months until the Bulldozer's come out????
Main goals, to play the games listed below in full settings 1080p, with Skyrim being the main game I will play for the next year when it gets released, along with newer titles related to the games I have mentions below. Keep in mind I am not a crysis junkie, and have no intentions of running it maxx'd out, but it would be cool to try if I can afford to get playable fps with the upgrades you guys might have in mind for me
My current rig:
- Phenom II x2 550 BE OC'd to 3.7GHz (w/ arctic cooling, nice temps)
- 9800 GTX+ (stock settings)
- Gigabyte GA-MA790x-UD4P mobo
- 4 GB G.SKill ddr2 (PC2-6400)
- 150 GB HDD 7200 RPM
- 450W PSU
-23" ASUS 1080p monitor (1920 x 1080)
- Windows 7 32Bit (would and will upgrade to 64 bit when I get upgrades, I have the 64 bit disk)
would like to future proof my system with the best price/performance ratio that you guys might have in mind. I've been doing a lot of research, and the more I do...the harder it is for me to determine what I should upgrade. I know my mobo is 2 years old, my GPU is not the best by far... and my ram could be running at DDR3 (but that would also require a new mobo).
I like to game on max settings. Some games I play are as follows: TES IV Oblivion, Skyrim (new rig must max this out !! my main goal ), Dragon Age I+2, Dead Space, Metro 2033, Starcraft 2, Mass Effect series, and I'd love to try out the Witcher 2 if I can afford it after some crucial upgrades, that is...if it seems apparent to you all that the games I play and would like to play in the future need some hardware upgrades in order to max out. I know my rig has a very hard time playing even High settings in Dragon age 2 on DX9, which runs at around 25fps and isnt even that aesthetically pleasing of a game
In regards to the research I've done, I've come to the conclusion that the best price/performance gain I can afford for a new GPU is to crossfire some 6850's, granted, you guys see that as a viable option; however, If you think I can use a new CPU/mobo/PSU / RAM then i probably wont be able to afford to Crossfire the 6850's
Anyways, I'll stop rambling! Any information would be awesome. I'm not too sure about the mobo situation because I've read that x16/x16 PCI slots get about 10% extra performance gain in fps, which certainly counts. And I cannot find a mobo that has 2 of those :/
Also, would it be better to wait to upgrade CPU ( if I even need to, in case it might bottleneck my 6850 if anyone thinks that's a good solid card to run these games on max settings) for a few months until the Bulldozer's come out????