Upgrade cpu/vid to match 24" monitor?

[DarkMadMax]

So I have 3 yr old system which I was pretty content with so far, it was a huge bargain back then (got good deal on cpu and vid ) and it lasted quite a while :

C2D E4300 OCed to 3.15 GHz - the cheapest C2D back then ,with lowest cache and first stepping
2 Gb ram
8800 GTS 640 Mb (no oc)

Performance is good enough for all games I play (SC:FA, X3 , Oblivion/Fallout3, MTW2) but that was on 19" @ 1280x1024 . Not I got bigger monitor on newegg sale (24" Benq) and have some doubts about whether my current setup will be enough

Upgrading cpu seems like pointless -I will need new mobo and will only get maybe 3.8 Ghz out of ,say E7200 overclocked, - granted its wolfdale stepping and more cache, but I still doubt ~$270 investment is worthwhile

Video on the other hand seem like a better investment - 4870 or gtx 260 seems are at least twice as fast.

But my dilemma is whether video upgrade and/or CPU will be enough to run full resolution on 24"? I am very picky about framerate and generally consider anything under 50 fps unplayable . If not I will probably just not upgrade at all and run games at 1200x960 resolutions or such. - Investing in sli or CF is not an option

Thoughts? Opinions?

 

[mpilchfamily]

Your current setup is more then enough for your monitor upgrade.

 

[TidusZ]

wow, our setups are really similar. I have an E4300 @3.15, 8800 GT overclocked to 678 core and somethin/something on rest, 4 gb ddr2-800, and BenQ FP241W monitor. I also play Supcom/FA, fallout3, and also some others such as L4D. I play at 1920x1200 high settings in all of these game with great performance. FA of course with 8 player games on larger than 20x20 can get into the negatives, but playing with those settings doesnt really happen. I get 60+ fps in l4d, and I haven't checked others but its similar. Overclock your videocard a bit, buy a custom cooler for it if you need to, and enjoy.

oh, and it might be of interest for you, I played through crysis at 1680x1050 high settings, pretty solid fps, high 20's on average probably which is fine for crysis, with some dips into unplayableness at some points. But for a game like gears of war at 1920x1200 and everything maxed and a bit of aa its 60+fps always.