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matthewmw64

25 posts

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#30183 31-Jan-2009 17:35
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Hi all,

I'm looking at upgrading my PC somewhat. The main thing to change is the Graphics card, but the Mobo and RAM could probably be replaced as well. I want to play games like The Witcher, Assassins Creed, GTA 4, Fallout 3 and other newer titles. Here's what I currently have:

AOC2216Vw (1680 x 1050)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3Ghz
4GB DDR2 @ 800mhz
Asus Silent 8600GT
Seagate 500GB HDD (Will likely buy a second)
Silverstone ST50F 500w PSU
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L

My budget is around $700. Any help at all is much, much appreciated :D

Thanks,
Matthew

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Ragnor
8223 posts

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  #193159 1-Feb-2009 03:45
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No point changing the motherboard imo since your budget isn't high enough to move to core i7 and get a new video card.  Your current video card is definately a weak point, all the other components are fine for modern gaming.

Have a look at this guide:  Best Cards For The Money: December Review/January Updates
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2118.html

Remember though it's in USD so double the price of each bracket and sometimes prices don't match up to local prices for parts.

If you are using Vista and not using ReadyBoost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReadyBoost), then spend ~$30-40 dollars on a 4GB USB flash disk, plug it in the back and enable ReadyBoost for a cheap performance gain.

I would recommend you get 4GB more ram (same make and model as what you have already) then spend the rest on the video card. 

Probably a GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) or Radeon HD 4870 1 GB would suit your budget after you've bought extra ram.  Note the first or original version of the GTX 260 is NOT the same as the GTX 260 (Core 216), the second revision is much better so be careful when buying.

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