New rig?

[PhilleH]

Hey guys,

after four long years with my 2600+ im finally on the verge of upgrading to a new pc. Only trouble is, quite a lot has changed since I built my last one and I cant really say I've kept up with it at all. These forums have been a massive help for me to catch up with plenty of the new toys, but theres still a couple of things im unsure about.

Im already at my budget but if there are things I really need to improve on I can spend a few more

[p4blo32]

The GTS 320 should perform almost as well as (better than if overclocked) the HD2900XT at 1680x1050, so personally I'd go with that.

 

There'll be no problem mixing SATA and IDE :thumbs-up:

 

I can't really advise you on the PSU though as I don't know much about brands etc.

[PhilleH]

Thanks for the reply

 

Its an interesting one - by getting an 8800GTS 320 I could keep the motherboard with a potential SLi upgrade, no worry on the PSU till that upgrade, and the card itself would be cheaper. Could save alot of cash.

 

However, while most of the reviews have the oc'd version above the 2900XT at release, what i've read lately seems to suggest the new catalyst drivers have pushed the XT around or above the GTX. This combined with the extra memory in view of DX10 games coming up (rather keen on bioshock for one) was what made me think of the 2900 instead.

Id guess id just like to know if I need to replace the mobo and PSU and if any of the other components need a desperate upgrade before I make a decision. If I can spare the cash Id be certainly tempted to stick with the 2900 for the extra memory, but the 8800 isnt out the question at all.