Is the GTX 260 216 Core overkill for me?

Hey guys, I've been away from the PC scene for a while and have recently thought of coming back. I've actually been totally away from the scene that I'm close to computer illiterate on all of today's new parts. The machine I have now was built almost three years ago, and I haven't really upgraded since. Well, needless to say I think it's time. I recently ordered this new monitor which has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, so I need to upgrade to something that can actually handle that res on decent settings in games like WoW, Fallout 3, COD4, Far Cry 2, and Left 4 Dead.

I think the weakest part of my system is definitely my GPU, so I'd like to start there first. I've been looking at either a single 9800GT or this beast. Yes, with the price of the GTX 260, I could buy two 9800GTs, but I'm trying to decide whether I need something that powerful. My question is, is the GTX 260 somewhat of an overkill considering the rest of my system specs? Heck, can my case even fit a GTX 260? My main worry is a bottleneck because of the relatively old CPU that I have. I would upgrade my CPU as well, but my mobo is very old and I don't know what CPUs today support it. If I wanted to switch that out as well, then I'd have quite a lot of work to do on my hands. Here's a link to my old mobo if you care to look: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138272

Thanks in advance.

Hello and to OC Forums!

i would go for the 260 since i have one and once you get it you will not want to go back... my 22' widescreen has a resolution if 1680x1050 and on all high settings in cod4 i get about 70 fps with no video lag... plus with the EVGA step-up when they come out with the 200b (or w/e the new card is) you will probably be able to step-up pretty nicely to a newer card for not a lot of extra money.

OK, so my plan is to eventually build a whole new computer since I need a new mobo, new ram, and new CPU. Would it be smart to buy the GTX 260 now and use it on my current system and then when I have enough money for the other parts to build a new computer, I just stick the GTX 260 (or with whatever step up card I get) in the new build?

Again, though, I'm worried the GTX 260 won't be too good on my current comp because of my CPU. Should I be worried about this?

Yeah that CPU will definitely hold you back a bit. I don't think you'd have a tremendous problem with it but if you upgraded I'm sure you would notice a difference. As for the GTX 260, you wont be disapointed but it may be a bit more than you need. I currently play max settings on Bioshock, Assassin's Creed, CoD4, CoD5, and decent settings on Crysis with a 9800GTX (~$150). Up to you though, there's nothing wrong with having something that will be future ready.

i would go with the 260 just cause then you can still get the setup or you can just wait and get $90 off if you get the 260 and a evga mobo which i just found http://www.evga.com/articles/00440/

Alright, prepare for a hardcore noob question but... what exactly does the CPU help with when playing demanding games? I was under the impression that I'd notice some better framerates and just overall smoother gameplay, but is the GPU completely in charge of that? Is the CPU only good for multitasking and such?

Man, I've been away from the computer scene for too long.

Well the GPU certainly does a good deal on the graphics end but all of the game logic is done with the CPU. The way I understand it is that the game that you see is just the GUI. It simply handles interaction with you, the user. What you don't see is the method calls, calculations, TCP/UDP packet activity (multiplayer), etc going on under the GUI. While the graphics card has it's own substancial memory, it still has to periodically call for additional data to display as the graphical enviroment changes which can certainly be affected by processor speed. My point essentially is that a lot more is going on in the background than you are aware of and there is a good portion that falls on the shoulders of the CPU.

I may be going a little off-topic here but... what exactly makes a more expensive mobo better than a cheaper one if they both support the same CPUs? I don't believe mobos help at all with performance other than with OC features, right? Also, should I hold out for that EVGA end of year deal here http://www.evga.com/articles/00440/ ?

I'm still trying to figure out if a 216 Core will fit in my case, as I've heard a lot of talk about it being too big. I have a Cooler Master Centurion 5.