Hi everyone, as you can see, this is my 1st post.
I've been reading news here on TPU for quite some time now and decided to finally join the forum.
Ok CDdude55, it looks like these guys are leading you astray. I had a 8600GT until Feb this year so sort of can tell how you're feeling graphics wise.
What all these guys are telling you about CPU is not really relevant at all, unless you're playing a game the is very heavy on CPU (even for World in Conflict, which is CPU heavy, yours is just fine).
I've never overclocked either, but so far as I can tell, the riskiest thing is increasing voltage, and otherwise it's just sometimes tedious and can be unstable until you set it just right. I've just ordered a new CPU, RAM, M/B, GPU & Monitor (the stuff in my specs), but only because I managed to sell my old stuff (Core 2 Duo E8500, A-DATA DDR2-800 2x2GB, MSI P45-8D, PowerColor 4850 PCS+, SAMSUNG 2333SW) at a price that covered the new. I too was/am reluctant to go to high end because of price, heat and noise.
I can tell you that the PowerColor 4850 PCS+ (
Homepage,
Newegg (only Open Box Left),
TPU-review) was the quietest card I ever owned.
Also, 48xx are know to run hot, but this card keeps at 46°C-66°C for a card whose stock are 80°C-90°C, so it's pretty good. The card gave me about 70+fps in GRID (ultra graphics level @1920x1080), 30fps in World in Conflict (high, same res), I forgot BioShock, but is was Good. Sure 4890 is the best from ATI (single GPU), but I sincerely don't think you need that much + I'm hearing reports of noise, power heaviness and heat all over
; same story on the nVidia side btw.
I think if you really want to see how insanely good games can get, and you have a budget and are generally realistic on getting good stuff at a good price, as opposed to simply cheap stuff, then buy the PowerColor 4850 PCS+ and the SAMSUNG 2333SW (
Homepage,
Amazon [cheaper than Newegg]). Why that monitor? Well I notice that graphics cards actually perform better for 1080p than lower resolutions in some case, ie the card actually performed better at 1920x1080 than on my prior 22" with 1680x1050 + this monitor has tonnes of good reviews, is HD for the price of 22" and is just excellent quality.
Before purchase I research a lot coz I'm on a very tight budget.
That'd be better than dumping all your cash into a 4890 + you'll be in HD with a great monitor. Not to mention that fact that ATI is releasing the 5xxx series soon, which will drop all prices, so it's no use going for more than you need now. It'll give you leeway to saving up for a 5xxx series card then having a good screen to use it on.
I hope this letter, lol, hits the nail on the head for you.