Budget build for gaming

[InventorOfEvil]

I've been thinking about building a new PC for months now and I think it might be time to buy. I'm hoping this would be a major upgrade, but would really love some input to see if I'm going in the right direction.

Current machine:
Gigabyte 965P-DS3
E6750 (Used to be OCed to 3.3Ghz, but it can't seem to sustain it anymore.)
4GB DDR2-800
GTX 260 Core 216

I'm skipping the video card for now to save some money and also see what AMD is offering in the future.

Here's what I'm thinking:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157251

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424

Strapped with the 260, I imagine this thing will game slightly better and actually be able to run The Witcher 2 at 1920x1200 (At least on low without any stuttering), am I correct? I'd really rather not have to get a new video card as well.

Thanks

 

[mfenn]

Yep, those parts are good, but the Witcher 2 is punishing as hell. The game benefits greatly from a quad core, so I'd imagine that you are CPU limited now. The i5 2500K will definitely remove that limitation.

Techspot did a nice review showing the game's scaling with various GPUs. The GTX 260 isn't on the list, but it should perform somewhere around the 6770. It looks like you'll be able to get ~30 FPS at 1920x1200.

 

[InventorOfEvil]

Thanks very much for the info.

Out of curiosity, with a new GPU, how well could I expect such a PC to scale over the next few years? I believe I've had my current machine for 4-5 years now and while it's been good to me, it's time to move on.

Moreover, is there a simple upgrade path for me, should I choose so? I feel like I remember reading that the newer Ivy Bridge chips will be using the same socket type, so I'll at least be able to upgrade down the line, should I need or want to.

 

[InventorOfEvil]

Now, I wonder, would it be worth it to upgrade the video card as well? Something cheap, like this 6850 to hold me over for maybe a year or more?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%206850

 

[mfenn]

I don't really have any predictions about how current PCs will fare in 5 years. They will probably be quite slow, but I don't know for sure. Ivy Bridge is probably not going to be worth upgrading to from Sandy Bridge, but that's not unusual. Generally you need to skip a generation to make an upgrade worthwhile.

Buying a 6850 would be a pretty bad idea IMHO. It's effectively the same thing as a 5850, which while faster than a GTX 260, is not that much faster. Certainly not enough of an upgrade to spend $140 AR on.

 

[InventorOfEvil]

I do suppose I can always pick-up a video card later. I'm simply wary that the 260 will seem anemic still.

I've been searching for some more information about any new GPU offerings, but I haven't seem to come across much. Given how PC hardware evolves, however, I'm assuming there will be some new hot, sub-$200 GPU in the near future.

 

[mfenn]

The best plan IMHO would be to take the $140 that you were planning to spend on the 6850 (after the CPU upgrade) and save up for another month or so. At that point, AMD's 7000 series will be out and you'll be able to get something like the 7870 or 7950.

 

[Ken g6]

Since you said "budget", let me save you some money. First of all, this Gigabyte board looks like the deal of the month! $100 AR, with SLI/Crossfire capability. Even if you don't live near a Micro Center, I think they'll ship to you. And if you do live near one, you can save even more buying it with the processor! About the only bad thing I've heard about that board is it may not have as many fan headers as the ASrock.

Should you prefer the ASrock and/or Newegg service anyway, save $5 with this combo.