Need to upgrade a few things; Any suggestions?

[SoulVision00]

Hello! A little over a year ago I built a new 'gaming' PC to experience the latest and greatest in games. I put in many hours per week playing video games and always like to experience the newest games. I've had no problems until recently. I can play everygame just fine, but a couple of games give me latency/fps issues if I try and play them on maximum quality. This is unacceptable to me

I've lurked these forums for some time now but never signed up or post, but I feel you guys can offer the best advice for me. What should I upgrade, and should I upgrade to? I just can't decide. If possible, please tell me which piece of hardware is in more dire need of an upgrade. Cost isn't a major issue, but if something is too expensive I will let you know.

Current Hardware
Motherboard: ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
Video Card: EVGA 01G-P3-N891-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1600C9DHX AND CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

A reward may be in order for whoever has the best advice Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Pantlegz]

well your video card is probably your weakest link, I would suggest a GTX 260/285(or ATi equivalent) or wait a few months for Fermi to be released and make a decision then. A quad core processor wouldn't hurt any either, I would suggest an i5 or i7 depending on when you want to replace your motherboard again.

I guess my suggestion would be to replace the video card, see if that's all you need if not look into a cpu upgrade which could be considerably more expensive depending on what you get.

What games are giving you issues? I've got an e8400 and a pair or GTX 260's and don't have any issues.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I also have a E8400, and a GTX 260 and everything plays fine..your next upgrade should be a SSD imo...MAYBE a GPU, when fermi gets some ground.

 

[MisterDonut]

Everything looks like it plays current games fine. There's not really any necessary upgrades, probably not even an SSD unless you have the money to shell out for it, in which case, I would spend it on a better GPU. If you're a big MMO player, load times are also dependent on the other person (e.g. DOTA, etc.). No point in shelling out almost $3/g. The F1 is blazing fast already anyways. If you DO plan on upgrading to an SSD, pick up the X25-M, not the V. Having only 40gb limits how much it can really read...unless your OS is small, but you like to experience new games mirite?

Some games utilize quad cores, e.g. GTA IV, but I mean there are only a handful of games. A strong dual core like the Wolfdale should have no problems running most mainstream games. If you have the money for it, pick up a 5850 and OC it (so easy, a caveman can do it). It's only a few % slower than the 5870 @ stock (or so it's been said). What HSF are you using? If you haven't OC'ed, spend money on a Scythe Mugen 2 or something from the CNPS10X first. If worst comes to worst, AMD would give you the best value for quad-core gaming. But, remember GPU bottlenecks before the CPU will almost every time.

If you plan on picking up the 5850, I would probably still hold off on the SSD and pick up some cheap, extra monitors and actually use that Eyefinity capability. IMHO, three monitors is better than 2 seconds faster in loading WoW (The difference is acutally a lot larger...>.> but nothing I'd give up three monitors over).

Oh, and, if you are really in dire need of a faster processor/quad-core, Microcenter re-upped on the 9550's for like 170, unless it's gone. I haven't checked recently. i5/i7 would future-proof, but it wouldn't improve your gaming experience too much (you'd probably be thinking more about your bank account, it's around +400 for the chip/mobo?0).

EDIT: Hm, I thought I mentioned it, but if the side fans get in the way of your heatsink, remove some. A faster processor is worth more than side case fans, that honsetly are unnecessary. A decent intake and a good exhaust should keep airflow sufficient. Fewer fans = less noise too. There should be no problems with VGA cooling for a 5850 if you decide to get one. The stock cooler are more than enough to keep the temps under control, though the noise ~35% may be bothersome (should never get there unless your card is under load).