This is my Suggestion..

EVGA GTX 460 1gb SSC+ with Backplate Just cuase 2/Mafia 2 game $199.99

jedikevin2

Is that version worth the extra $40 compared to thishttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133326. I've never owned a PNY product but they seem to be pretty reliable based on the reviews I've seen.

My 8800GTX died today (I was almost in tears :cry: ) and I'm in need of a new GPU. I would like to order as soon as possible since I'm currently running on an old 6600gt and it's almost painful. I am woefully out of date on my GPU knowledge but after an hour or two of research I came up with this list.

GTX460 1GB - $180 with $20 rebate

HD6850 - $180 with $15 rebate

HD6870 - $240 with $20 rebate

If you have other suggestions I'm happy to consider them. I don't have a set budget but I don't play games nearly as much as I used too. This means that spending $500 on a new GPU seems pointless, but if the extra money is well spent I wouldn't have a problem. I play on 1680 x 1050 with a E8400 CPU. I also have a 610w PC Power and Cooling silencer power supply so I would assume I can use any of these with no problem.

Not really sure what you mean by "classics". Oblivion and Morrowwind are great games but I wouldn't say classics as they are still relatively new. Try Baldur's Gate I and II, Icewind Dale I and II, Fallout 1 and 2, Diablo 1 and 2, Warcraft series, Age of Empires series, Civilization series, Homeworld, Mechwarrior series, Command and Conquer series, Daggerfall(The Elder Scrolls game before Morrowind), X-Com,Dark Forces I and II, and Total War series.

While it might be possible to buy all of that for under $400, you would be sacrificing a lot. The quality of parts you would have to buy to get under $400 would probably mean your new PC will break faster then your old one. I'm not saying you need to be spending $1000 but even just getting up to $600 will make a big difference. With that extra money your looking at a E8400 and a HD4870.

2.0GHz dual core + cheap MB + 2GB memory = $180

9800gt = $125

decent PSU + 250Gb Hard Drive = $100

To give you the simple answer: Yes the 9800gt will make a difference. My brother actually has the same processor as you do and he had a 6600gt. He got the 9800gt for christmas and it made a huge difference, way more then i thought it would.

To give you an idea, he was playing Far Cry 2 at all low settings before the 9800gt. After the upgrade, it went up to high settings on everything except physics and the realistic fire setting. I believe the CPU normally handles the physics in games, so it makes sense that the setting stayed at low. Now obviously you won't be able to use the card to its fullest but it will be a noticeable difference.

I am kind of ashamed to mention that I know next-to-nothing when it comes to monitors. I have been using the same 19" Viewsonic G90 since I built my first computer almost 6 years ago. I finally decided to look into buying an upgrade and became over-whelmed quickly. I am looking for a 22" that will take advantage of the new system I built earlier this year. At first I only wanted to spend around $200 but now I'm willing to spend a bit more as long as it's worth it. Here are a few I have looked at so far:

Acer X223Wbd

SAMSUNG 2232BW+

ViewSonic X Series VX2255wmb

The Viewsonic and Samsung will actually be almost the exact same price after shipping and rebates, while the Acer will be almost $70 cheaper. Anyone have any other suggestions? Would that extra $70 be a smart move?

I've gotten nothing against macs personally but they are always overpriced. Some people might say you get what you pay for and that the price is worth it, but all you have to do is a little research and you will find a PC laptop that is just as reliable and for quite a bit cheaper. Really, if you are a gamer you should be focused on getting a PC.

Here is an Asus one that I just got about a week ago, its able to play Crysis and Age of Conan with no problem, and like was said above Asus has really stepped up their game. I also looked at the gateway mentioned above, it is the best overall deal out there, but portablility was a factor for me and 17" was just too big, plus it felt like I was gonna break by just touching it.

Thanks ALOT for the help guys. anymore suggestions are welcome :)Immortal_Evil

Out of those three I would go with #2, it would most likely perform just a little better in most games. If you are on a budget, get rid of the ddr3 and stick with ddr2, you can probably save about $100. Put that extra money towards a 8800gts 512 and then get whichever CPU(Q6600 or E8400) is cheaper.