What should I upgrade?

[kopite]

Hey people.

I am thinking about doing an upgrade but not sure what is gonna be best to upgrade atm

Current system is

Asus a8n sli deluxe
amd x2 4200
2 gb ddr corsair ram
ati x1900xtx



WOuld I notice more of an improvement buying a new cpu, mobo and ram or buying a new graphics?

[MSIC]

In order that we can help you better, can you clarify what the purpose of the upgrade is? What specifically about your current setup is not good enough?
Also, inherent in that is asking what programs and/or games do you want to use the machine for?
Edit: And also - what monitor and resolution do you use?

[kopite]

I use 2 dell 2005fpw monitors on the computer


ITs my main rig and is used for everything from gaming to programming and messing about with graphics.

[MSIC]

Do you want to run games over both monitors eg 2100 x 1680 resolution?

[kopite]

Do many games take advantage of dual monitors?

Usually I only game on one monitor and the other is used for browsing, Wouldnt mind being able to game over both but I doubt the games I like would work very well over 2 (fps`s would be a bit annoying with the split I reckon)

[MSIC]

True, i think it would be weird, it's just with you mentioning both.
Nice monitors BTW
Do you have a budget?
Your core system is the same as mine, which i feel is still decent for gaming. A better graphics card wouldn't do any harm though - have you considered the new Radeon 3870? Great value for money starting from around £130 and will power 1680 x 1050 with no worries, all modern games on high quality, AA and AF etc etc.
A Geforce 8800GT 512MB is the other obvious card, starts at about £30 - £40 more, but is noisier and sucks more power too.

[Lucio]

Ask yourself this question, Are there any games/applications that aren't performing well? Anything I can't play/run ??

If you answer yes to either question, personally I'd say you are more interested in getting a new system and should save up for that.

If no, then you can get a small boost with a new graphics card or even something as simple as reinstalling the OS.

[kopite]

I`d like to be able to play things like crysis on pretty high settings.

Oblivion was a bit jerky at times as well.

I`ve been looking at the 3870`s. My question is though is would spending the extra cash on the nvidia card give a worthwhile improvement.

Also if I was going to upgrade the other components whats the best way to go?

[kalniel]

Graphics card is the only drop in upgrade worth considering. But even then you will not notice much difference except in one gaming title. Just to try and feel a difference I would go for nothing less than a 8800GT.

Otherwise you are talking about a CPU upgrade to an Intel chip, which means new chip, new motherboard, new ram and new OS (if on OEM license).