have i got enough juice??

[emu]

hi im currently running a nvidia 6200 and have decided to get back into pc gaming

current set up is

antec nsk 4400 - 380w psu
socket 939 x24400
1 gig of geil ddr400
dfi rs482 infity matx board
1 x pioneer 111 dvdrw
1 x seagte 300 gig sata drive
1 x maxtor 300 gig sata drive

this week i have been looking at the ati x1950 card that is on offer and have also been offered a 7600gt oc evga card

my biggest worries are the power required by the x1950 and the size of the card

will this fit into my case and will the psu be juicy enough?

my current monitor is a samsung 205bw that runs at 1600 res

any suggestions welcome

 

[melbourne720]

Depending on how much you want to spend...

Option 1: Minimum

Get a 7600 GT, and you should be able to play most games well, though obviously not at full settings. Should be medium at 1600.

Option 2: Reasonable

Get a x1950 Pro, another 1GB of RAM and a new PSU. Probably about £250 spent, but the RAM will reduce stuttering, and the x1950 Pro will allow high settings and push things along nicely. The new PSU will ensure this all runs trouble free, and a good one can be taken with you to future builds...

Option 3: Expensive and hassle, but worth it

Sell your current 939 kit (as it is still going for a premium) and upgrade to a 6300, DS3/P5B-E motherboard, 2GB of 6400 RAM and an 8800 GTS. Stick a decent cooler on the 6300, clock it up and get 8-10k in 06, and 50+fps in everything.

 

[emu]

i think my main concern at the moment is am i going to have to upgrade my psu to put a x1950 in

what also worries me is the size of the card and my antec case

i think i might go for the 7600 gt oc as a stop gap until i go the whole hog and upgrade to conroe

would a 7600gt have a cat in hells chance of running crysis? , as i thought far cry was the best game on the pc

 

[melbourne720]

i think my main concern at the moment is am i going to have to upgrade my psu to put a x1950 in

what also worries me is the size of the card and my antec case

i think i might go for the 7600 gt oc as a stop gap until i go the whole hog and upgrade to conroe

fair enough, that makes sense. You can spend as much upgrading a rig as building a new one sometimes!

would a 7600gt have a cat in hells chance of running crysis? , as i thought far cry was the best game on the pc

I guess it would, but with some of the detail turned down. As much as we'd all like 8800 GTX SLi, the volume of gfx cards sales must be (correct me if I'm wrong) in the 7600 GT / x1950 Pro and the new 8 series mid range cards (when they come out in a couple of months). These cards cover the mid range, and any game is going to have to be playable there.

I agree with you about Far Cry - I'm playing it again on my new rig, as with the 6800 I couldn't get the grass to sway properly

 

[emu]

thanks for the replies melbourne after sleeping on it i think im going to go for conroe gear

and keep the 6200 until directx 10 cards are available

all i got to do now is head over to the motherbaord section and decide what board to get

i did read somewhere about a asrock board that would let me keep my ram

 

[melbourne720]

thanks for the replies melbourne after sleeping on it i think im going to go for conroe gear

and keep the 6200 until directx 10 cards are available

all i got to do now is head over to the motherbaord section and decide what board to get

i did read somewhere about a asrock board that would let me keep my ram

The VSTA or something, year I heard about that.

Personally I'd sell that kit (people still need it to upgrade older rigs) and start afresh, but it is up to you. Certainly there are some amazing boards for conroe out there. At the high end, 680i and RD600, and DS3, P5B, etc in the midrange but all with excellent overclocks.

I can recommend the 680i and the GTS though

 

[the_champ_101]

To be honest if you want decent gaming performance then anything less than a 8800GTS mated to an Conroe would be a mistake, especially with all the DX10 games coming out e.g. Crysis, UT2007.