Wait to upgrade?

[RBA]

I'm on the verge of doing a complete system upgrade. Current system very dated. It appears that some new video cards will be announced later this month. I am currently looking at the Ati 5870 and Intel i750 platform. Gaming BFBC2 and Metro 2033 will be primary focus. Other uses secondary. Is it worth waiting a couple more weeks to get a video card with more memory and to see what Nvidia offers? Would appreciate some objective opinions. 1920 x 1080 max gaming resolution and would like to enjoy eyecandy of these games. I'm not partial to brands, just looking for best performance and gaming for my $$$.

[_dangtx_]

wait yes. once the nvidia are out it should drive prices on the ati down. also you may consider am3, way cheaper if you chose right. that would mean more money towards said video card, or lcd..or so :)

[belgolas]

I say wait as you will only set yourself up for possible regret. If nvidia releases a succesful product at a competitive price than ATI will drop prices shortly after.

[jcmaz]

If it were me, i would get the AMD 955 or 965 C3 (if you like to OC). And a new graphics card.

[RBA]

I'm curious as to why you suggest the AMD cpu? What MB do you recommend for the AMD cpu? Are there more future upgrade opportunities with an AM3 platform vs Intel? Does Ati offer better performance with an AMD platform vc Intel/Ati? Could you please provide some more information? I read a review by MAC here Intel Lynnfield Core i5-750 & Core i7-870 Processor Review that suggested this was a good platform, thats is why I mentioned the i5 750. I was going to pull the pin on an upgrade this week but will hold off as recommended by dangtx, belgolas, jcmaz. It will be CPU MB power supply and Video card as well as Memory upgrade. I'm just not up on all the technical aspects of the hardware and want to make a good choice on hardware for enjoyable gaming. Thanks for your replies and looking forward to more input from you.

[belgolas]

Both platforms are good but I would go with the i5 personally as it is faster for not much more and can overclock more. The AMD 965 is cheaper and still pretty good. With a good overclock you wont see the difference of the 965 vs 750. The choice is yours if you want to save a bit of money.

As far as compatibility the AM3 socket may not be supported for too much longer while the 1156 will be supported for a few more years.

[Raserei408]

If you do decide to take the AMD route, I'd go with a M4A89GTD Pro motherboard (USB 3.0 if you want). It's got the benefits of the 890GX chipset (most notably native SATA III).

As for a GPU, you don't really need more than a 5850 at that resolution. You could get a 5870 if you really wanted, but in all likelihood it'd just put you over 60FPS and be wasted. Hell, I'm using a 5770 at 1080p and everything runs just fine (occasional problems in Crysis, but few GPU setups don't have trouble there). Regardless of what card you settle on, though, wait at least until Nvidia drops Fermi and we get some performance numbers / the expected ATI price drop.

[belgolas]

Well I would go for the fastest GPU you can afford in your budget as a slower GPU may be adequate today but not tomorrow.

[RBA]

Well I guess waiting to see what Nvidia releases is the best bet, and a potential price drop from ATI. I was focusing on the 5870 for the same reason belgolas stated to ensure I can get a little more use out of the GPU as I'm not in a 12 month upgrade cycle. Games will get only more demanding. Looks like the 965 and i750 are close I'll have to do more reading. I want the system to be stable, so there will be more research into overclocking either platform. I have no overclocking knowledge. I really appreciate the input guys. Thank you.

[jcmaz]

Your motherboard supports it so why save some cash when upgrading to PII 965 is cheaper than a whole complete i5 setup. I know that the new 6 core processors will definitely work in AM3 systems.