[deathrament]

Hi everyone not too long ago i built a system with these specs....c2d 4400 2ghz, 2gig ram with sata drive and 8800 gts 320. Now i play games with it,i find it performs ok, but i was wandering if it would be better if i had a better cpu,if maybe im being held back a bit by it or if this system wouldnt benefit much from an upgrade(in regards to playing games that is)

[Joeyboy]

i think if you have the cash for it a new graphics card could be an idea?

Either the 8800GT( becoming pretty **** cheap now) or 9600GT( little cheaper then the 8800GT but i've heard the 8800GT can outperform it by more then 10%, though that's just me reading loads of forums and stuff, maybe not be accurate) or maybe the 8800GTS could be an idea( around £40-50 more then the 8800GT for around a 10% performance boost i think), 2 more gigs of ram couldn't hurt either and ram is so cheap these days. I doubt the processor is holding you back that badly, maybe ask for overclocking advice, i can't help you there. Still i think if new games are struggling defo the graphics card would be the best upgrade.

[TheOtis]

C2D 4400?! What? You either missread the model number, or you're talking about an AMD 4400+?

Anyway, the 8800GTS 320MB G80 is defiently towards teh lower end of the spectrum. An 8800GT and 8800GTS 512MB G92 will perform mucho better. Both are great options.

I wouldn't recommend a 9600GT over both of those, but if you have an SLI capable motherboard and power supply, I would say go for 2x9600GT's. They'll perform a bit below a 9800GX2 for a lot less. But also better then an 8800GTX and 8800Ultra.

[vernong1992]

Theres a Core 2 Duo e4400

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

otherwise TheOtis is head on

[deathrament]

ok thks for advise, and it is the c2d e4400..i though the 8800 320 was a good card when i bought it but i guess its not the greatest.

also if i got a better card would it require more power im using a budget model enermax 530w power supply now...works fine with the 8800 i have now. What the heck do all the abreviations mean anyhow..gts,gt..what better.

[Puddle Jumper]

Here is a list of the graphics cards recommended in order from best to worst.

2x 9600gt
8800gts 512mb
8800gt 512mb
9600gt

Any single card on the list should not use more power than the one you already have.

You will also see an increase in performance if you overclock your cpu. If you do decide to overclock you will need good cooling.

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks