Which GPU is best for my PC??

[Evolv]

+1 agreed

 

[NightSurge]

You are probably right that you wouldn't see too much of a gaming bottleneck. I guess I was thinking of my experience with the 9800GX2 in terms of the 3dMark06 scores and the cpu bottleneck I had.

 

[Nagasama]

yeah you would for sure see a difference in 3dmark with a more powerful cpu.

 

[AzN]

hello? you dont have to upgrade anything, just overclock a little. i really dont think you will have to do much of that to run the gx2. certainly not for an 8800gs. gtx is questionable. i vote not.
i'd drop another gb or two of ram in before i went off buying a new mobo and cpu.
i suggest option 3:
get the best graphics card you can afford and 1-2gb of ram and see how you like it. even if it is severly bottlenecked (it wont be), you will see a massive improvement over your current set up.

I'm going to go with the 9800GX2 since my MOBO is already SLI compatible and for the future I might SLI. Another question is my PC is already running 2gigs of ram will I notice any difference if I buy 2gig more like you recommended? I heard most PC don't even require that much.

Need help deciding which to get and what's the difference between these 2 cards? or if anyone know where I can get a 9800GX2 for even cheaper? since Newegg only listed 2 of these type of cards.
Newegg.com - 9800 GX2, $200 - $300

 

[veg1992]

Hmmmmm.... You may want to rethink this plan. That Athlon 4600+ may bottleneck the new cards you are looking into. Not sure how much it would affect your overall FPS on max settings, but it may be wise to upgrade your CPU as well.

I agree, but I say quit caring about bottlenecks, in my opinion, you just need a decent dual-core and a decent GPU and you're set for games and no bottlenecking

 

[Nagasama]

more ram will help, how much depends on the game.

 

[ricanflow]

I have 2gb right now, but when i had 3gb overall my system felt much smoother.

I think ill be moving to 3gb again, once finances permit it.

 

[AzN]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to go with the 9800GX2 and 2gigs of ram. Now I just need to find a good one that's cheap.

 

[Hussein19891]

Nagasama said it best. Keep your X2 4600+ its a great CPU. Before you are forced into buying a new Intel Motherboard and CPU. Just realize that if you get JUST like a gig more of ram and a better video card. That will improve your gaming performance dramatically. AMD CPU's are still great when it comes to gaming. So don't let others fool you.

 

[AzN]

Bad news I just noticed my PSU only got 2x 6pin connectors.
Newegg.com - Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V 550W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies
It looks like the GPU has 1 6pin and 1 8pin connectors, does this mean I'd have to buy a new PSU??
Newegg.com - 9800 GX2, $200 - $300