Getting back into PC gaming

[Pj·uK]

I haven't touched a PC game for about 2-3 years (last one was BF2) and have recently had the urge to jump back in to some serious gaming!

My current set-up is probably a bit dated, but I wondered if I could get by with a decent gfx card without the rest of the system being a bottleneck. My specs are:

C2D E6600 @ 2.4GHz, 2GB and on-board gfx

I don't want to spend vast amounts on a new rig (maybe some more RAM, but don't want to do the whole mobo+cpu route) so I've set a limit of £250.

I'm looking to play a back catalogue of 2 years worth of games e.g. FEAR, Bioshock, Fallout3, MW2… and wondered if it would be wiser to get a decent gfx card or just settle with an xbox or ps3 (neither which I have owned or ever played on!)

(note - I would like to also be looking to play at high res e.g. 1080p or 1920x1200)

Thanks for the input.

 

[Pj·uK]

Mobo ASRock Conroe 945G (dual core is the limit)
2x1GB DDR 533
Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU
Silverstone Sugo SB01 Micro-ATX Case (not sure how flexible the space is for cooling)

I originally bought the system for gaming in mind but was going to wait for the gfx card (hence the pretty decent PSU) but in the end never had the time to do so.

The reason why I suggested the console route was the ease to sit down on the sofa in front of the TV, maybe play some co-op with the gf etc... It's a tough one since I have never really seriously upped the resolution on games (1280x720 on BF2 at med/low detail was the limit!).

 

[Pj·uK]

I don't think the mobo you suggested will fit into the Sugo - I'm limited to micro-ATX!

reiyushin: I had an ATI x800 128mb when I played BF2 and come to think of it, it was in my old shuttle rig (P4 2.4Ghz, 1GB).