My current system:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
ASUS P5LD2 SE/C 945P
NVIDIA 7600GS 256MB
3072MB Corsair DDR2 667MHz
Western Digital 250GB SATA II
LITE-ON DVDRW LH-18A1H
Acer AL2016W (20") + Samsung SyncMaster 152v (15")
Windows XP Home SP3
This was back in December 2006 when I had no plans for any real gaming, as this was meant to be a temporary machine until I my "true" build. It's lasted longer than I had anticipated, so I'm deciding on whether to upgrade now (graphics card and an extra hard drive) and have it last until perhaps 2010, or wait until early next year to go all out.
My current card, as old and weak as it as, has served me relatively well when I game on my 15" due to the small 1024 x 768 resolution, and the most demanding game I currently own is KOTOR2, although framerates can dip below 10 during the more intensive battles scenes and environments.
I will be purchasing Jade Empire and Mass Effect, and other games in the near future (Starcraft II, Dragon Age: Origins, Diablo 3), and I'll want to play them at 1680 x 1050 with at least moderate framerates (I'd be happy with a fairly consistent 30 FPS). I do not play FPS games.
If I am to upgrade now, I plan to buy a 320 GB hard drive and a graphics card. I'd prefer the graphics card to be cool and quiet, and power efficient, although I'm sure my 500W should be enough. Now I don't have a specific budget, but I'm looking to see which scenario would be more worth my money. I'd rather not be impulsive and buy too much, and if these upgrades can least me a good while then it would be wiser choice than building a whole new computer next year.
I know there's the newly released ATI cards, but I've never bought a card with a dual slot cooler before (though I'm sure they're quieter and cooler). However, I have heard about their rather loud noise operation and high heat levels, and I'm not even sure I'll need that much power.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
ASUS P5LD2 SE/C 945P
NVIDIA 7600GS 256MB
3072MB Corsair DDR2 667MHz
Western Digital 250GB SATA II
LITE-ON DVDRW LH-18A1H
Acer AL2016W (20") + Samsung SyncMaster 152v (15")
Windows XP Home SP3
This was back in December 2006 when I had no plans for any real gaming, as this was meant to be a temporary machine until I my "true" build. It's lasted longer than I had anticipated, so I'm deciding on whether to upgrade now (graphics card and an extra hard drive) and have it last until perhaps 2010, or wait until early next year to go all out.
My current card, as old and weak as it as, has served me relatively well when I game on my 15" due to the small 1024 x 768 resolution, and the most demanding game I currently own is KOTOR2, although framerates can dip below 10 during the more intensive battles scenes and environments.
I will be purchasing Jade Empire and Mass Effect, and other games in the near future (Starcraft II, Dragon Age: Origins, Diablo 3), and I'll want to play them at 1680 x 1050 with at least moderate framerates (I'd be happy with a fairly consistent 30 FPS). I do not play FPS games.
If I am to upgrade now, I plan to buy a 320 GB hard drive and a graphics card. I'd prefer the graphics card to be cool and quiet, and power efficient, although I'm sure my 500W should be enough. Now I don't have a specific budget, but I'm looking to see which scenario would be more worth my money. I'd rather not be impulsive and buy too much, and if these upgrades can least me a good while then it would be wiser choice than building a whole new computer next year.
I know there's the newly released ATI cards, but I've never bought a card with a dual slot cooler before (though I'm sure they're quieter and cooler). However, I have heard about their rather loud noise operation and high heat levels, and I'm not even sure I'll need that much power.
