Upgrading gaming rig for the holiday, need some geek help

[Moffman]

I was thinking of buying this
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1286-AR GeForce GTX 280 FTW Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Model
Brand EVGA
Model 01G-P3-1286-AR
Interface
Interface PCI Express 2.0 x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU GeForce GTX 280
Core clock 670MHz
Stream Processors 240 processing cores
Memory
Memory Clock 2430MHz (effective)
Memory Size 1GB
Memory Interface 512-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.1
Ports
DVI 2
TV-Out HDTV / S-Video Out
General
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
SLI Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
Power Connector 6 pin / 8 pin
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
HDCP Ready Yes

 

[Druid]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

:vernong1992
lol so is this ok, Or should I upgrade? I know the GTX 280 is like 450-500 bucks

I've seen it as low as $375: Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCE GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

260 is a better deal though: Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[zedman3d]

Agreed... 260GTX 216....

 

[philbar71]

if you have the cash to spend on the gtx 280 then go for it. but the gtx 260 core 216 is a better "bang for your buck" and only uses 2 6pin power connectors as opposed to the 280 that needs a 6pin and a 8pin

 

[Evolv]

With a GTX 260 core 216, you can overclock it and will be as fast as a GTX 280.

 

[veg1992]

Get the cheapest GTX 260 Core 216 or the Black Edition GTX 260 (which is a 216)

 

[Moffman]

With a GTX 260 core 216, you can overclock it and will be as fast as a GTX 280.

but if i wanna overclock i'll definatly need a new fan and water cooling prob

 

[1337_JohnN]

You just need airflow in your case, it already has a nice fan on it. But if doesn't have a back vent, you'll need fans in your case to blow the hot air.

 

[philbar71]

but if i wanna overclock i'll definatly need a new fan and water cooling prob

not exactly i have my 9800gtx on stock cooling and i hit 860mhz core clock while idling at 40-45c and load never gets above 50-55c