YA(What should I do)T

[chubbyfatazn]

Hi all,

I've been running my S939 setup for quite some time now, and while it's been great for me so far, I want to do a few relatively minor upgrades here and there.

I don't play a large number of games; most of what I play uses the Source engine (TF2, CS:S). I would, however, like to get into the scene again and check out some of the more recent titles (Crysis, COD4+, Fallout 3 to name a few). I recently switched from a 22" 16x10 monitor to a 26" TV at 1360x768, so I realize that a) I won't need a lot of horsepower and b) jaggies are more likely to show themselves.

I'll keep it short to save you time:

1) Since even an 8800GT can be bottlenecked by the K8s, is it even worth my time to upgrade?
2) Will the jaggies be highly noticeable on a 26" TV at 1360x768?
3) Is a 4830/9800GT enough?
4) Would it be better to just find another X1900 and Crossfire it?

I wouldn't mind heading over to the NV camp since I've never used one and rather dislike ATI's drivers (won't be getting into that one).

Thanks for your help; you guys do a great job at this forum.

Opty 165 @ 2.6GHz
DFI LP CFX3200
2GB Ballistix PC4000
Radeon X1900 CF Edition (as of now underclocked)
Corsair HX620 620W PSU
All in a CM690

 

[cusideabelincoln]

1) Yes, you would see better performance especially when you crank up AA to make up for the low resolution.

2) Depends on how far away you sit and what AA you'll be using. Without AA, jaggies would definitely be noticeable.

3) I'd say either of those cards would work perfectly. If you want to switch to Nvidia, then you can have peace in mind that in your system either the HD4830 or 9800GT will give you the same gameplay experience and will likely pull the same frames per second. So one card isn't going to be faster than the other in most circumstances.

4) I don't think it would be worth it, especially at that low resolution. Crossfire scales better as resolution increases, and you would most likely be CPU-limited with a Crossfire setup at 13x7. Also some games just don't work with Crossfire.

 

[Denithor]

8800GT/9800GT (same card, different name) should work well for you.

It will be a heck of an upgrade from the x1900. Plus should be quieter & cooler.