$200 Upgrade (GPU, CPU, RAM...)

[Guest c0reym]

I'm trying to decide between upgrading my video card or CPU - willing to spend up to $200.Currently running:Windows XP 32 bitASUS P5Q-EM MoboIntel E5200 overclocked @ 3.25 GHz4 GB RAM (2 x 2GB DDR2 800)PNY GeForce 7600 GS DDR2 256 MB PCIeConsidering:Windows 7 64 bit (Can get for free... I'm a student)Intel E8500EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16orEVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16What is the bottleneck in my current system??? I've seen lots of debate over importance of CPU vs GPU and am left very confused, so what would be the best thing to do considering my current hardware?Thanks alot!

[ryanbatc 12,857]

I'd say your video card is the bottleneck, even with your CPU at 3.2GHz - that 7600 is very old school.However, I'd probably try to save and get the E8500, OC that to around 4.0GHz, and buy a GTX275 if you can. That would yield a good boost in performance

[ppgstf 0]

If you are running FS9, I wouldn't bother with all the hassle of upgrading to Windows7. I know someone who went down that route and opened up a can of worms that still hasn't been resolved.I agree with the previous poster about your GPU.