Right chaps, I've been well out of the loop for a good while regarding the latest tech stuff - as I'm sure my current setup will betray.
Here is what I have now:
ASUS P5NE-SLi mobo
E3110 @ 4ghz with a tuniq tower plonked on top.
4gb generic DDR2
512mb 8800GT
74gb Raptor, 200GB 5400rpm storage drive
OCZ Powerstream 650w PSU
Some ancient massive Antec server case that weighs more than my house.
I'm wanting to get back into gaming, specifically the latest Battlefield games and trying to squeeze as much out of GTAIV as possible, but not go mental with the outlay. I realise that I'm probably not going to get anywhere with trying to upgrade my CPU/GPU on the current motherboard so a fresh start is going to be the best option (please correct me if I'm wrong!)
So I need a machine that will comfortably handle something like BFBC2 with decent eye candy on, give me good performance in GTAIV and just really be a solid all-round performer.
Two things to note, I'm limited to resolution, my PC is tucked away behind the main TV (hence I won't need a fancy case, it's hidden) which is a 42" LCD with max resolution of 1360x768.
Secondly, I'm an avid flight simmer, specifically FS9/FS2004 which just loves clocks, it'll only use a single core but it munches clock speed for breakfast, as well as cache. My E3110 @ 4ghz plays it well, really well generally - but still occasionally gets bogged down into the mid to low teens FPS in certain situations.
Budget... well I don't have thousands to spend, and depending on what you guys come up with I have two choices, below a certain price point I can outlay it all in one go, above another price and I'll be buying it bit by bit over a few months.
So do your worst, keep the performance up and the price down - bang for buck required please.
Here is what I have now:
ASUS P5NE-SLi mobo
E3110 @ 4ghz with a tuniq tower plonked on top.
4gb generic DDR2
512mb 8800GT
74gb Raptor, 200GB 5400rpm storage drive
OCZ Powerstream 650w PSU
Some ancient massive Antec server case that weighs more than my house.
I'm wanting to get back into gaming, specifically the latest Battlefield games and trying to squeeze as much out of GTAIV as possible, but not go mental with the outlay. I realise that I'm probably not going to get anywhere with trying to upgrade my CPU/GPU on the current motherboard so a fresh start is going to be the best option (please correct me if I'm wrong!)
So I need a machine that will comfortably handle something like BFBC2 with decent eye candy on, give me good performance in GTAIV and just really be a solid all-round performer.
Two things to note, I'm limited to resolution, my PC is tucked away behind the main TV (hence I won't need a fancy case, it's hidden) which is a 42" LCD with max resolution of 1360x768.
Secondly, I'm an avid flight simmer, specifically FS9/FS2004 which just loves clocks, it'll only use a single core but it munches clock speed for breakfast, as well as cache. My E3110 @ 4ghz plays it well, really well generally - but still occasionally gets bogged down into the mid to low teens FPS in certain situations.
Budget... well I don't have thousands to spend, and depending on what you guys come up with I have two choices, below a certain price point I can outlay it all in one go, above another price and I'll be buying it bit by bit over a few months.
So do your worst, keep the performance up and the price down - bang for buck required please.
