I think its time to upgrade

[zozie]

Hello all;

First post. I used to be a total computer fanatic but over the past hmmmmm let's see, about 10-12 years it kinda wore off. so I'm not really sure what to get.
Anyway I want to upgrade my machine because I really need to try GTA 4
My current configuration is
2.33 GHZ Core to duo over clocked to 3.0GHZ
4 GB ram
Nvidia 8800 GTS 640MB VGA card
Win 7 64bit

To be honest I haven't tried GTA 4 yet but I hear very bad things about the hardware requirements.

I think I do want a at least a 2.5 GHZ Quad core CPU, but I don't want to change my mo-board (EVGA 680i which takes the core 2 quad, but not sure about the i7)
I'll stick with the 4 gb-ram I think.
The issue is the video card. I got that card 3 years ago now when it cost a LOT of money but I'm sure it's now useless.
What's a good upgrade without going bankrupt?
I think the VGA card is the part that confuses me most. So many choices.....


thanx in advance for you recommendation

 

[joelm3103]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that GFX card sufficient? Comparing the card you gave to the card recommended, seems yours passes the recommended requirements.

Card specs GeForce 8 Series (scroll down to Specification & Performance).
GTA 4 requirements GTA 4 System Requirements.

Also welcome to Tech Forums .

 

[RichM499]

If you want a nice upgrade for an affordable price, check in to a Radeon 5770.

The Radeon 5770 is faster than the GTX 250, and slightly slower than the GTX 260, and it's only around $150 on newegg right now.

 

[Hefemeister]

Looks like you are running a conroe E6540.

Could have some issues with GTA4.

Are you having issues with any games you are currently running?

No i7 on a 775 socket mb. I would lean towards saving cash versus buying a new 775 cpu. (best you could get would be E8600 or Q6600. No Yorkfileds according to Evga)

The 5770 would be nice as you could use it on a later build.