Soo...What should I upgrade first?

So yeah, i built this system last year because i wanted something simple, but now im ready to move on after trying to play stalker and with stalker completely destroying my system. I have a E6650, not overclocked, a p45 DS3R that i just recently got after having some cheap motherboard that came with the E6650. I also have a 7900gs and 2gigs of ram. Im tempted to upgrade my 7900gs first, like getting a gtx260 or what not. I play at 1280x1024. But i also realize id probably have to wait a little longer until i can get that, compared to getting a new cpu. Money is not an issue, just the more expensive it is, the longer id have to wait since im paying for school and working at Albertsons :) But im willing to wait... so what should i upgrade first? Oh, and forget about i7DrakeNOwns

[QUOTE="DrakeNOwns"]So yeah, i built this system last year because i wanted something simple, but now im ready to move on after trying to play stalker and with stalker completely destroying my system. I have a E6650, not overclocked, a p45 DS3R that i just recently got after having some cheap motherboard that came with the E6650. I also have a 7900gs and 2gigs of ram. Im tempted to upgrade my 7900gs first, like getting a gtx260 or what not. I play at 1280x1024. But i also realize id probably have to wait a little longer until i can get that, compared to getting a new cpu. Money is not an issue, just the more expensive it is, the longer id have to wait since im paying for school and working at Albertsons :) But im willing to wait... so what should i upgrade first? Oh, and forget about i7ferret-gamer

Thats true, maybe get a big monitor and a cheap, 8800gs or 9600gt. That should be under $300 if you look on tigerdirect for monitors.

Bigger monitor and a 9800gt.X360PS3AMD05

Not ATI, they sucks. .GaMeR_Willz

You should upgrade the graphics card first really, a NVIDIA GTX 280. Not ATI, they sucks. Or you can upgrade the RAM to 4GB.GaMeR_Willz

ATI, has the lead in GPU this generation... 4870x2 has no competition in single card.

or Sli 260GTX vs HD4870x2 for same performances if a nvidia fan 260GTX sli is in most of benchmark a little lower then 4870x2 in some game but not a huge advance they are mostly on pairs so if you single thing get a 4870 1GB / 260gTX max core / 280gTX
if want good perofrmances Sli Video card if nvidia fan / or 4870x2 We mostly all go to red recently it say that on new
the green turn out to be red the fan gave up on nvidia easy marcthpro

Not everyone has a SLI mobo... so it's that much more money to add if you don't have one.

well if you don't have a sli mobo right now but if we talk of a new pc from scratch you see what i mean you got too choice
P45 For not crossfire exelence at 120-150$ : NF 780i for same perofmrnaces for nvidia for 180-200$
280-320$ for 790i FTW of EVGA equivalenmt to X48 for overclocking & performances but we all know p45 / X48 are the best chipset for overclocking because the'y are too expensive to be incporated by true master of chipset and overclocking and enemy of intel so as in the end of asus they expensive but costy. or DFI OR Gigabyte why gigabyte don't touch yet nforce :D

asus is for all . but they sales the 790i ultra far too more expensive and amtched by is concurent EVGA for overclocking it different
it why i wen't red if nvidia ad same mobo just sli difference and ad good price in time for like i donno Two 260 GTx = 550$-600$ for amx core vs 599$ 4870x2 then id have maybe go Green it small detail that make a difference of buy or notmarcthpro

X48 chipset are not $300... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136047

i talk of enthusiast X48 are Around 300$ If it 250-300$ It around it when you add tax think a little bebi vegetta ;)
and i refferance to canada / usa sales not only america we get screwed sometime in canada there hardware we pay same price then in usa and some part of other company we pay 50-100 more they say oh it because we must have staff in canada and storage in canada.. and exportaiton cost. it bull crap they won't tell you why but it like it and since economy crisis in canada the canada cheer to one thing. thing are finaly Equal sales no more +35% more expensive then us / canada convert price of thing

like il do a example ? you have 500$ CAd. the part inusa cost 350-400US you go to usa you convert money you buy it there
and in canada that part would cost 35-40% more. = 669$-720$ vs 350-400US we all know it about Twice the price
it a overpricing. but those day are gone. and it happen just when crisis in usa came but i'm sadness to see it go down
while some cheer cause canada as now better deal on hardware and stuff my DFI X48 T3RS Is 320$ in usa 280$marcthpro

Like I said x48 mobo are not $300 before tax, like Nvidia 790i are $300 before tax. And if you wanna go by CAD price on newegg.ca, then X48 are $300 and 790i are $400.

Thoses high price are a directly caused by the rate change of $1US = $0.75CAD.

yet if you do the translator of money on google translaror of money value you see how you get screwed
if i sales you 50 orange 25 cent each ? Or Twenty orange 5$ each ? which would you buy ? the 50 orange. at 25 cent each of course
my mate was near the state of main of usa and is in canada he traveled her every time he wanted to buy someting to buy in usa because thing where much cheaper and product we can't find here.but the coast guard put a law. so then it ruin up the way to pay thing unless you have a mate to stay in the main of usa which he did il explain.

I'm canadian i got 700$. i go to usa. i want this thing that is 220% less expensive then in canada or 150% less expensive
to The Ratio of USA / CANADa money Transfer via The federal bank the only hic. is if i do im forced to stay 48 hour in usa
to buy (such value item) meaning if you try to leave usa in the same day you get a huge fine and confiscated ur goods
and probabely a banishemnt or keep on eye to not try to do that again In a big word a big pain
but if you don't need to sleep in a hotel for 48 hour which is around 50$ Every night? and it cost you like 3-5$ ur mate let you live there for 48 hour. then you travel back to canada ? OH! THEy LET you out of usa. with the Thing in question that you paid 450$ instaed of 750$ so ? If if i was gaven the same option ? To pay 400$ less then in canada for the same product with same Effifancy would i do it ? YES my sister bough her car in usa for 9.000$ in canada to usa money conversion and in canada it would costed her 17.000$ same model i mean ? WHERE IS THE FAIR TRADE ?! The Equivalent Exchange ? the thing you pay for ur money.
marcthpro

Euhh... I'm talking about hardware here...

Like said, if a motherboard cost $300 CAD, then it should cost $225 USD with the exchange rate of $1USD = $0.75CAD. And guess what, that's exactly how it does cost on both newegg.com and newegg.ca .

when i bough wow what is wrote on my thing ? BFG 8600 ultra 599$CAD then i looked on newegg.com back to that time it was 350$us there no way 599$CAd = 350$US in conversion or we would have more then 100,000 Increased population rate of american who migrate to canada to live like a rich such as europe does 1 pound = 2$CAD so a europen with 80,000$ just made is money to 160,000$ By move here it greed. and lust. we screw people for money i blame them but it won't change the fact
and i bet canada will be screwed more then ever when usa will be back to the top with the economy marcthpro

8600 ultra costing $599CAD? is that a joke?

look ncix.com canada to usa we have decent price ud see it not equivalent price :) all timemarcthpro

Just look as newegg, it's the same compagnie for USA and Canada... looking at another compagnie to compare is not as easy as price can different from one compagnie to another.

newegg.canada try to screw our economy american way before it opening 4870x2 as 599$ ncix.canada i have the bill and stuff of my pc build in the box with the price right in the big box iv got 1 motnh it now 670$ THE SAME CARD HAZARD NO!
but i'm not gonan start a economy war in this topic but i just tryed to explain you that thing aren't fair trade alway
don't fell bad for ur country for that bebi vegetta it how usa alway workedmarcthpro

You do know that our rate exchange to the USA as decline alot lately, right?

hmm you'r canadian right ? forgot to see ru sig. yeah but it maybe that... it just that 1 week ago ? the 4870x2 was 609$ and now 670$ it sad :(marcthpro

A few months ago, we almost had the same exchange rate... and yes I am canadian.

You also have to put the shipping in count.

I would suggest probably overclocking your CPU as close to 3Ghz as possible and purchasing something around the HD4850 or 9800GT/GTX level. I upgraded from a 7950GT to an 8800GT and the difference was amazing so either 4850 or 9800 offerings will be excellent. For the price of a GTX260 you can pick up a HD4870 for probably a little less, so that would be my suggestion although a GTX260 is still a good buy.

With anything about a 9800/4850 and above when you pair up cards you are going to want a full speed PCIe 1.0 slots at 16x or PCIe 2.0 slots at 16x and 8x. Otherwise you are going to be missing out some performance at 1600x1200 resolutions and above.

My recommendation would be to overclock your CPU to 3 Ghz and buy a HD4870 or GTX260, your CPU might limit your graphics card now a bit, but later on when you upgrade your board and CPU, presumably to i7, the GTX260 or HD4870 paired up should be pretty cheap and still offer really top notch performance. I imagine i7 will be way more cost effective nearing the end of 09 wherein I would expect a 9800 series card to be pretty dated, even in SLI, much like the 7900 series now. Compare that to people with an early series 8800GTS or GTX, in SLI now can still pull decent performance, in this regard I suggest a GTX260 or a HD4870 to stay a little ahead of the curve now, and in the future.