Upgrading Advice ( Its for gaming, CPU GPU)

[heatthegreat]

I know this post probably belongs in another forum, but It's mainly gaming related and you guys seem the most knowledgable on the subject. Here's my situation. I return from the desert ( afghanistan ) in June. I'll have a decent amount of cash to spend on upgrades but first heres my current specs :

core2duo e6750 oc'd to 3.3 ( far as i could get it )
4870 512mb
4gb PC 6400 DDR800 ( oc'd to 1066)
vista ult 64 bit
abit p-35e mobo
24in samsung 245T (1920x1200)

Now, I understand that my current setup can pretty much every game out maxed ( cept crysis, clear sky ) with a lil AA and 16xaf. But upgrading is fun and Ill have the money to do it. I want to be able to run games with 4xAA and if I can, 8xAA in some games. I want to replay crysis at 30fps avg with very high settings , no aa of course ( dont plan on spending $1000 on 2 295s) and warhead, and I want to go back to nvidia .( control panel) . Also, ive never had the money to have a rig that can run everything because Ive never had the $$$ to do it ( besides crysis clear sky warhead ) with 4xAA and max settings beMy current upgrade plans are this :

phenom II X4 940 ( and oc it as much as I can )
2x 260 core 216 SLI
ill keep the ram
and I need help with a good mobo.

Im asking for suggestions and help on my upgrade plans and what you all think would be best for the goals Im trying to reach. I chose the SLI 260 because it keeps up with the 295 and 4870x2 and I can get 2 after rebates for around $340-360.

Note : I understand the new ATI card may be out July and I understand nvidia is coming out with one as well after that. At that time, ill will probably upgrade again (just the vid card) so please, no posts that say I should wait for those cards etc.Also, when I do return, I'll be selling my replaced parts ( e6750,4870,abit p35e) so if you are interested , PM Me.

thx for the help

 

[crazyassazian]

Simplest way to get there is probably either GTX295 or the 4870x2, probably with the 4870x2 you aren't that far over your budget for those SLIed 260s. Spend the rest on a new PS if you need one. You should be able to play everything at max except the aforementioned games in your post.

If you were to get a new board(seeing that you want SLIed 260s), you're going to end up with an Nvidia chipset, probably the 750a, 780a, or 980a. Look at an Asus board maybe. If you have your heart set on the 940, go ahead and get it(if you can find one), if not, 945 and 955 are out, with about ~$20 difference in them.

Cheapest way out is probably the 4870x2 and if you need beefier PS for it.

Or you could futureproof yourself a little with a new setup.

 

[heatthegreat]

bump

 

[Valset]

bump

your plans imply a Nvidia chipset and right now there is NO reason to use them. I your going AMD then got with a pair of 4890, as fast as the GTX280 and 200 dollars. Two GTX260 are good bang for the buck but not worth an Nvidia chipset. If you go i7 then yeah but with the radons as competitive as they are there is no reason to go with a buggy chipset. (though to be fair a 780a board isn't as bad as the intel version, or so I have been told)

to be honest though you could just upgrade your CPU and video card and be happy. an e8600 or a Q9550 with a 4870 would do wonders AMD is a good choice right now (boy its gratifying to be able to say that again) and crossfire just rocks. and the 955 is looking good, the price of DDR3 is making it an attractive option.

and just for reference I run the same res and with my GTX280 (same as a 4890) and can max out most games, DMC4 at 16QXAA and others. crysis is of course the exception and it still looks great even with settings on high only. (really the game isn't that good to make it worth all the fuss, its pretty but game play is meh).