Zippy476

First let me start off by apologizing if this is in the wrong area. I wasn't 100% sure where to put this but since my problem is centered around my GPU I thought it fits here better then anywhere else.

I have $600 to upgrade my PC. At the bottom of my sig is all stuff I still need. What I am basically asking is for people to tell me what they think are the most important upgrades.

I need a new monitor bad, The one I am using right now is a 19" CRT SyncMaster 997DF. The problem is I bought a 260 216 this summer and thought I would get another one this fall and SLI them so I could game at 1080p with the new monitor. But I also want a new PSU, I know people run 260's SLI on 650w but I don't want to run one card on molex and one on 8-pin or both on one four pin and 1 molex . I also want a modular PSU because my case (Antec 900) isn't the best for cable management plus I want a nice PSU for the future that will last a while and I won't have to worry about having enough power or connections (like now).

I also need a storage drive. I want to get off XP and into windows 7 (I am sick of only using 3.5GB of mem, I am sick of DX9. And I am sick of 32-bit). So I thought I would put the OS on the 300GB Veloci with my games installed on that then use something like the 640GB WD Black for storage. And I have no clue what I would do with the 74GB raptor.

Then comes the extra stuff like a new keyboard, mouse, speakers, and disc drive (I am using a white faced IDE right now).

Any impute would be appreciated. Also I watch for deals and have an idea of how low the parts I want have been in the past and would generally buy close to that price.

Again sorry if this is the wrong section and thanks.

No Particular order.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130434
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...orsiar%20850hx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%20black%20640
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827249054
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104079
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...itech%20z-2300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116716

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TehStone

You don't need to run gtx 260's in SLI to get game in HD resolutions. One 260 is fine for the vast majority of newer games running in HD resolutions. It think you may be over thinking this. If anything you're simply not using all the power at your disposal with the current setup.

I strongly support the larger monitor and the upgrade to DX10/win7. You may consider just backing up your current data and upgrading to 2 WD caviar blacks running RAID 0, but getting even one would still be a good upgrade. You've got $600 to spend, I say get a good $450 monitor (lenovo l2440x, dell ultrasharp), and spend the rest on a new HD and Win 7. A good monitor will last several hardware generations.

epitek

That Power supply is over kill (750 or 650) you could still go with the second 216 (Angry Face) but check these speakers out. I wouldn't go to overboard for a mouse and keyboard, I find that my mx 518 and Logitech Wave serve me just fine through all current games. Great monitor choice although if I had the $600 extra I'd go with this monitor and either the speakers or the second video card but that's just me so GOOD LUCK !

Edit: either run xp pro x64 or upgrade to vista/win7 ASAP ! xp 32 will hold your card back

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Wildcard36qs

I got my sig rig for around $700 (minus the Soundcard and Screen)

Zippy476

Well I was thinking that if I could come close to running Crysis in 1080p then I would be set for future games. The only problem is they still couldn't do DX11. So really I still have to get a DX11 card in the future anyway.

I don't have anything important on my computer to back up it would be a fresh install. I don't see the need for 2 WD CB's in Raid 0 when I have a veloci. Plus I am going to go SDD next year once the prices go down and sizes come up.

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Zippy476

Yeah but like I said I honestly don't want to do that, And the reasoning behind the PSU is both modular and it would give me a lot of head room for upgrading ( when I move into i7 DX11 area). I am trying to think of the future this time. Though if I don't get another 260 then I don't need it at this time.

As for the speakers....my fault. I live in an apartment so really I can only getaway with a 2.1 setup with the bass turned to about 4. I have bose triports for headphones but sometimes I just cannot stand wearing headphones.

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Christmas Buy List
WD Caviar Black 640GB[Asus VW246H 24"]z-2300[W7 HP]

StormX2

Keep in mind, Keybaord and Mouse are ALWAYS LEAST IMPOTRANT haha

I still have a 18 year old Keyboard and untill I destroy it I dun care

Corsair 750 watt Modular has more than enough power for 2 260's
and I am sure 2 x of whatever cards you replace them with in the future
the 850 is pretty sick..

Or 1 supreme being of a Video card a few years down + a Physx Card or somethin

monitor, Get one with a nice and low Pixel pitch =)

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JorgyBaby

If i was you, i would personally get...
ASUS Moniter - $219.99
WD 640GB - $74.99
Windows 7 - $188.99
G9 - $89.99
G15 - $71.99

Total - 645.95

Maybe hold off for a decent keyboard until you get the cash. Firstly, a nice monter is key, the thing which shows all your hardware in its full glory

Also, i feel a good keyboard and mouse aare also good. Gives you advantages in games and makes gaming a more enjoyable experience. You said you need more space, so the 640GB WD wil be fine. And then of course windows 7. You may not feel like you have had a hardware upgrade for the price your paying, but trust me it will make it much more enjoyable with all the extra stuff Also, all of this stuff you wont have to upgrade for a ages anyway like moniter will last you a while, windows 7 will be your OS for ages, mouse and keyboard of this standard will last you ages and HDD which you may need to upgrade in the future, but HDD's are pretty cheap anyways.

Good luck

If you already have a decent keyboard/mouse you are happy with you could take those , and either get another 260 or sell your 260 and get a dx11 card.

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Zippy476

Actually if you watch the deals:

ASUS Moniter - $190-200
WD 640GB - $50
Windows 7 - $188.99
G9 - $50
G15 - $40-50

My Keyboard and Mouse are horrible. They are old and falling apart.

__________________
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Christmas Buy List
WD Caviar Black 640GB[Asus VW246H 24"]z-2300[W7 HP]

brettjv

I would use the 74gb raptor for your OS drive, put your games/apps (and your page file) on the velociraptor, and get something big for general storage.

IMO, there's no need for a big OS drive. Personally, I don't put ANYthing on my C:\ drive that I care about. My 'My Documents' and my Desktop folders are moved to my F:\ (storage) drive. I want to not care about re-installing windows or if my OS drive fails. Anything large, or any thing that I care about ... goes on another drive, and as such, I never use >20GB on my OS drive. This also leaves plenty of free space for defragging

You can get some very decent 1080p monitors nowadays for $200, and the 260 216 runs that resolution quite well. I mean, you can't max out crysis or clear sky, but they'll run fine on 'high' ... and most other games you can max out at 1080p on a single 260.

If it were me, I'd get the monitor, the storage HD, Windows 7 64-bit, configure your drives as I suggested, and save the rest for the next gen of gfx cards and psu (if you actually need it).

If you *must* upgrade your gfx card, I'd think about selling the 260 and grabbing a 5850, you should have enough $ to pull that off with your budget...

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