CPU or GPU upgrade?

[Stan]

I have an E4400 @ 3.3ghz and an 8800gt 512mb. I'm gaming at 1680 x 1050 res but I'm finding that my frame rate for many games such as Bioshock and CoD4 dipping below 40s with 4x AA and 16X FSAA on. I'll be having about $250 dollars to upgrade. So which should I invest in? CPU or GPU. Oh, and NCIX has the 4870 for 250 after MIR. So that will prolly be the card I'm going to get. But for the CPU, I'm not too familiar. Is the Q6600 still the CPU to buy nowadays?

Your input is much appreciated.

 

[HardwareGuru]

At 1680 x 1050, an HD4870 video card upgrade is gonna haul ass on Bioshock and COD4. Especially with AA and FSAA enabled. GPU upgrade over CPU.

 

[Dangman]

No need for a CPU upgrade. At that high of a resolution, you're more GPU limited than CPU limited. In fact, for COD 4, it doesn't matter what CPU you have, it isGPU limited:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/cpu-scaling-in-games-with-quad-core-processors/3

So I concur with HardwareGuru: Get the HD4870

 

[xenotype]

No need for a CPU upgrade. At that high of a resolution, you're more GPU limited than CPU limited. So I concur with HardwareGuru: Get the HD4870

Listen to this man (Danny Bui). If you still have the :100bux: to burn, get the Q6600 after the GPU upgrade, and get your feet wet with the world of quadcore.

 

[Pnanasnoic]

I say the 4870 will give you the best boost/$$

 

[Mccaula718]

If you have a sli motherboard, i would personally just get another 8800gt to save some money. If not, the 4870 is perfect.

 

[lamboman]

I agree with Mccaula on this one. One of those rare situations where I would recommend SLI. Otherwise, 4870.

 

[Stan]

Hey guys, thanks for your replies!. I have an Asus p5w motherboard so I can't SLI. It seems like GPU is the way to go. But I'm curious though, cause in a lot of [H]'s reviews, their QX6850 with an 8800GT 512 can run at 1920 x 1200 with all the settings on max for CoD4. So I was thinking it could be my CPU that is bottlenecking.

 

[tiraides]

If you're concerned about your processor's performance, sell your old card and use the funds to get a new processor.

But listen to everyone -- get the video card first.

 

[w@termelon]

+1 on the vigebo card. Although the 8800gt is a pretty decent card, have you tried overclocking it?

the 8800gt gets some pretty good gains with a 100mhz bump in core and a lil boost in the memory clocks as well.

 

[Stan]

I haven't actually. I'll try fiddling with that.

 

[Stan]

Guys, I listened to your advice and picked up the 4870 = ] This card is hauling ass big time! I'm seeing 30-40 FPS improvements across the board!