upgrading. need suggestions.

[shatterstar]

First off, I'd like to say hello to everyone as I am new here, and I'd also like to thank anyone who post in this thread in advance for taking the time to read this.

So thank you.... Now then on to the post

So I upgrade my PC every couple of years or so for high end gaming or atleast for something that will let me play games without a problem that are released 2-3 years from now. At the moment this is what I have. (try not to laugh too much as how outdated it may be... it can still pack a kick... )

CPU: Intel Xeon Yorkfield X3350 (Newegg.com - Intel Xeon X3350 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80569X3350)
MoBo: Gigabyte EX38 - DS4 (Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard)
Memory: 8 Gb PC2-6400 (cant find a link for specs but the 4 sticks of memory I have are model number: OCZ2RPR10662G)
Video Card: Zoatac Geforce 9800 GTX (cant find link to the one that I have. though it was their first model of this card.)
SoundCard: Creative Sound Blaster Xi-Fi extreme gamer sound card (no link sorry)
PSU: dont really remember but I know its a 700 watt....

The information above was taken from CPU-Z (with the exception of the power supply.) What I want to do is upgrade my to be able to play games like Final Fantasy XIV and other stuff that pushes PC's to their limit. I want to upgrade my video card and have $530 to spend atm . while I know its enough for a high end card, I wanted to get you guys opinion on weather or not if I need to upgrade anything else? and as to how much should I spend on what part?

FYI: I have ran the benchmark test for final fantasy XIV with my current setup on high and got a 1257 for my score (very bad )

Once again Thanks in advance to those that reply.

 

[Muffin Man]

there's really nothing to laugh at in your rig, it should still be very capable .

with your budget, you could go with a 5870
Newegg.com - XFX HD-587X-ZNFV Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

and buy a nice heatsink and OC that cpu.
Newegg.com - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler

 

[shatterstar]

thank you very much for the suggestion. I feel as though my rig is a bit outdated but still do not want to buy a new PC yet as I still to this day havnt had a problem any games yet. As for the videocard you've mentioned is there any reason why you have chose a 5870 over a Nvidia 480 card? As I went through Newegg's cards I saw that the 480 cards had better reviews. I was leaning more towards a 480 card because of the review ratings. Though that option to always crossfire would be nice.

I do have a heatsink in my PC but I can't remember the namebrand of it. Unfortunately my PC is all at stock values due to the fact I dont know anything about overclocking and more importantly I dont think my PC is cool enough to Overclock. I was interested in water cooling though I am not even sure on where to begin on that.

Very noobish question. I do remember my motherboard was PCI-express 2.0. Will my motherboard be able to support video cards that are PCI-E "2.1" ?

 

[Fat.Clown]

I do remember my motherboard was PCI-express 2.0. Will my motherboard be able to support video cards that are PCI-E "2.1" ?

yes, they are backward compatible.

I am guessing Muffin dude chose the Hd 5870 because...
the Nvidia GTX 480 produce more heat and uses more energy.
and it costs more I guess.

 

[Yerfdog]

thank you very much for the suggestion. I feel as though my rig is a bit outdated but still do not want to buy a new PC yet as I still to this day havnt had a problem any games yet. As for the videocard you've mentioned is there any reason why you have chose a 5870 over a Nvidia 480 card? As I went through Newegg's cards I saw that the 480 cards had better reviews. I was leaning more towards a 480 card because of the review ratings. Though that option to always crossfire would be nice.

I do have a heatsink in my PC but I can't remember the namebrand of it. Unfortunately my PC is all at stock values due to the fact I dont know anything about overclocking and more importantly I dont think my PC is cool enough to Overclock. I was interested in water cooling though I am not even sure on where to begin on that.

Very noobish question. I do remember my motherboard was PCI-express 2.0. Will my motherboard be able to support video cards that are PCI-E "2.1" ?

If the motherboard can use PCI-e 2.0 cards, it can use PCI-e 2.1 cards.
The GTX 480 is $100 more than the HD 5870, that's why he said it instead of the GTX 480. The GTX 480 also uses a lot more energy and makes a lot more heat, even though it performs just a tiny bit better, it's not worth the extra $100.

 

[syn_sic]

thank you very much for the suggestion. I feel as though my rig is a bit outdated but still do not want to buy a new PC yet as I still to this day havnt had a problem any games yet. As for the videocard you've mentioned is there any reason why you have chose a 5870 over a Nvidia 480 card? As I went through Newegg's cards I saw that the 480 cards had better reviews. I was leaning more towards a 480 card because of the review ratings. Though that option to always crossfire would be nice.

I do have a heatsink in my PC but I can't remember the namebrand of it. Unfortunately my PC is all at stock values due to the fact I dont know anything about overclocking and more importantly I dont think my PC is cool enough to Overclock. I was interested in water cooling though I am not even sure on where to begin on that.

Very noobish question. I do remember my motherboard was PCI-express 2.0. Will my motherboard be able to support video cards that are PCI-E "2.1" ?

Watercooling is a very broad topic. You can watercool CPUs, chipsets, bridges, video cards, harddrives (not worth it) and even RAM. A descent watercooling setup for the CPU ONLY will cost you ~$200. I don't recommend buying kits. Just like building a computer, watercooling is better custom built.

If you really want to learn about overclocking, I HIGHLY suggest checking out overclock.net. I already knew how to overclock before I ended up there, but I learned all of my watercooling stuff there. Very good help and tuts there.

If you didn't buy an aftermarket heatsink/fan for your CPU, then I don't recommend overclocking at all if your PC airflow isn't even descent.

Honestly, I don't see the point in spending unreal amounts on a video card, when it'll be less than half in 1-2 yrs. I have 2 5770s xfire'd and it will run whatever I want.