GPU Replacement

[RumlyD]

Just looking for a few words of advice, if anyone has them, about what would be the best option for me currently. I've been running with an NVIDIA GTX 280 throughout WotLK, though just recently it started acting up (screen locks on loading the game or running anything video related, giving a messy rgb image that can only be solved by resetting the machine - though it runs fine after that until the next boot up) and I'm told this is due to heat damage to the memory on the card or some such. Anyway, looks like I'll be needing a new GPU (and possibly some additional cooling I guess). Here's some general specs:

Board: MSI 680i SLi (Socket 775) DDR2
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.00GHz
RAM: 8GB DDR2
PSU: 850w

It's all housed in a large coolermaster case with lots of fans etc.

Now as I'm going to be spending some money on a replacement card, I guess I may as well upgrade. Considering getting hold of a GTX 480 as a single GPU solution. I know they run hot (though apparently designed to cope with it) and power hungry, but in my mind that's better than trying to run two ATI cards in SLi?

As I'm replacing stuff atm, I'd like to be able to use the opportunity to get my system set up to be capable of playing Cata smoothly at full whack, come expansion time (for instance is it really worth shelling out for a top of the line card for that, or would money be better spent on switching out the board for DDR3 or CPU etc?). So any tips or general advices with that in mind also appreciated.

Thanks.

[nwo]

You should consider upgrading your motherboard and CPU first and try to contact the manufacturer and RMA your current graphics card.
CPU: Intel i5 750
mobo: Gigabyte or Asus
GPU (if you can't get your current one to be replaced/repaired by the mfr): ATI 5850 or 5870. Odds are that you won't need anything higher than a 5850 to run WoW maxed for the next couple of years, but you will need a good and fast CPU. I wouldn't recommend getting a dual core card or 2 cards because WoW will probably never utilize SLI/crossfire.

[RumlyD]

Yea I tbh thought as much. With that in mind, I'm considering going with the following choices:

cpu http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=CP-299-IN
mobo http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MB-226-GI
and some http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=8&subcat=1517 ram

Thoughts/suggestions? I'm not really a super wiz at this, so feel free to point and laugh if the choices seem daft.

[Cilraaz]

Look like solid choices to me!

[RumlyD]

Ok. Thanks a lot for the helpful insights with this.

[nwo]

Yeah, those are definitely good choices. I would also consider reading up a few guides on overclocking. You're already getting a CPU, mobo, and RAM that are very OC friendly so it would be a shame if you didn't do it. Especially since OCing your CPU can drastically improve your fps in 25 man raids and I assume that's your primary concern.

If you do decide that you want to give overclocking a try, then make sure you invest in a good HSF to keep your CPU cool. They don't really cost that much and are worth every penny considering the potential performance boost they provide.

[Cilraaz]

Yeah, those are definitely good choices. I would also consider reading up a few guides on overclocking. You're already getting a CPU, mobo, and RAM that are very OC friendly so it would be a shame if you didn't do it. Especially since OCing your CPU can drastically improve your fps in 25 man raids and I assume that's your primary concern.

If you do decide that you want to give overclocking a try, then make sure you invest in a good HSF to keep your CPU cool. They don't really cost that much and are worth every penny considering the potential performance boost they provide.

I agree 100%. Those components are great for overclocking. Also, overclocking is easier today than ever. If you pick up on things quick, it only takes a few hours researching the different voltages, how they relate to each other, and their maximums. Other than that, fiddling with base clock and multiplier could be done by a monkey.

[RumlyD]

Yea with the rebuild I'm interested in doing some overclocking, though it's not something I've really delved into before. Thanks for the tips.

I'll let you know how I get on.