Best single upgrade component?

[Merlin4458]

Ok guys, having bought COD5 and expecting it to run as smooth as COD4 on my Pc seeing its the same engine, im now struggling to get above 20fps at any time.

- I had to replace my x850xtpe (doesnt have SM3.0) with a much weeker 6800GS.

- Could someone tell me what the best cheapest upgrade i could make to be able to get even stable FPS at 40+ (im using a config which makes it look like space invaders atm, so i cant do anymore my end)

- Looking to spend no more than 30/40 quid. See a few 7800/7900GTO's going in the sale section and maybe that could be what i need.

- Ive got my 3700 @ 2.5ghz

Cheers all

[format]

I'm going to sell my 8800GT for £60 - it's a bit out of your budget but it'll COD4 super smooth on your 17"

[Merlin4458]

I'm going to sell my 8800GT for £60 - it's a bit out of your budget but it'll COD4 super smooth on your 17"

its gotta cod5 it super smooth on my 17" mate

[matty-hodgson]

an 8800GT is way more than powerful enough for absolutely max settings on a 17" monitor.
good buy at £60 too

[SiM]

my 9600gt is smooth in cod5 on my 24". I'm sure the 800gt will be fine on a 17"

I think your ram might be holding you back. 2gb -> 4gb improved loading times a lot... probably increased min frame rate too, but i didnt notice.

edit: matyy beat me. bit format's arm off. thats a good deal.

[Pob255]

Tough on that small an amount.

256mb min 512mb better
2nd hand top end geforce 7 series or ati x1900
you may be able to pick up a old 8800gts 320mb cheap . . . or 8800gt (harder as they are still good cards)
I'd not bother with anything lower than that from the geforce 8 series as they are pritty pants
the 8600gt performed around the level of the 7900gs
same goes for the ati hd2x00 series. You maybe able to pick up a cheap ati 3850 but like the 8800gt it's still a good card (it'll be fine on a 17") so there are not that many 2nd hand about

[Merlin4458]

Im running it on XP, so 4 gig would be a waste no? As it wouldnt recognise it? If i got this 8800GT, would anything be bottlenecking from what u can see in my system? Im not really a fan of this abit mobo as i struggle to clock the 3700 that well

[Merlin4458]

My m8 has basically said he will give me his 7800GTX if i can find him a decent 8 series card for a good price. And im sure the 7800GTX will be a good improvement from this 6800GS?

[SiM]

why buy dead technology... why not buy something that will mean you wont need to upgrade again next week...? its up to you

[Merlin4458]

I usually buy a system every 5 years m8, i like to ru nthem into the ground. This is an exception as im inbetween jobs and in my final year at uni, so just looking for soemthing to tide me over and allow me to play cod5 with my flat m8s when im not studying

[Pob255]

Your cpu (single core isn't it?) will probably bottle neck slightly the 8800gt is a stonker of a card.
that said, it's better to have your gpu held back by the cpu than the resolution/game being held back by the gpu.

I'm rather dubious about 4gb of memory, not many use that much.

keep you system clean and tight with a minimum of background crud.

[Merlin4458]

cheers boys, ill be using the 7800gtx and my m8 the 8800gt, so it should compliment nicely, with a clean format aswell

[tensim]

Gotta say, that's one mesmerising avatar you've got there Merlin... most... mesmerising...

[Merlin4458]

Thanks pal, depening on what explorer u use it goes faster orslower. Shes going nuts on mine right now

[tensim]

may I ask... who is she?