Dude... He was looking at spending $200 Not $1200. From S2K's list, the ATI cards are the ones to get at the moment.S2000_Skyline12 wrote:What you really need to do is get a 8800GT, 9600GT or 8800GTS G92 from evga b-stock. 8600GT isn't that good, considering if you play in resolutions higher than 1280, and even then, it's not that good (I already had one for 4 months and I quickly changed to a 9600GT which is a HUGE step from the 8600GT. I recently changed to a 8800GTS G92 but you get what i'm saying). Lower reses are fine but otherwise, go for a more powerful card. And getting a E2180 wouldn't be smart either. E5200s are out, but even then I wouldn't suggest it. Core 2 Duo is right on for gaming, where then I would suggest a E7200. Gets to 4GHz and is a 45nm cpu giving it a higher thermal maximum. And never get a OEM processor. You'd never know if it was used, abused and it has a shotty warranty.
I would suggest a system like this.
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200
2GB G.Skill or Corsair XMS DDR2 800 (A member here, Carcrazy recently had some OCZ ram crap out on him, so I wouldn't suggest it.)
nVidia choices: eVga 8800GT AKIMBO (Because of the dual slot cooling) or eVga 8800GTS G92
ATi choices: HD4850 or HD4870 XOC Edition
OCZ Vendetta 2 (very good cooler)
eVga 780i Ultra ATX mobo
if going for XFire then: DFI X48 LanParty Dark mobo
OS: Vista Ultimate x64 (So you can upgrade to 4GB if you'd like)
This system would be set for gaming, for a while. And you would have 4GB as a option to upgade to. It isn't overkill for vista mainly cause vista properly allocates the ram, and you would have pretty much the smoothest experience possible on Vista. Also, games like Crysis Warhead "say" 2GB is recommended, but it will eat that 2GB like a light snack. So 4GB would be good to use, especially if you're a high res gamer, going into reses 1650 and higher.
Though. if you're 1920 res gaming, a 4870, GTX280 or 4870X2 would be highly suggested.
Your Radeon that maxxes Halo 2, is nothing that amazing...I ran halo on high on a FX5600, it's not a demanding game. You probably vouldn't run both cards at once, and it's be cheaper and better to get a PCI-E mobo and PCI-E card I think.
If you can't stretch the budget much, 8600GT for $200 will do, and although won't be able to max everything, will still look decent and serve you fairly well. If you run a high res 22" monitor or whatever, maybe look at stretching the budget. About my CPU choice, it's a bit outdated, look at newer ones around the price range.
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