Upgrade: SSD or 5850?
 

I have spare $300 to upgrade either SSD or 5850

currently I have 320gb 7200rpm 16mb cache HD and 9600GT
and I am a heavy user both in file managing and gaming.

which one should I buy first?

both. get a 60GB SSD for $150 first, then get a 5770 for another $150. not worth double the price to get the 5850 imo. especially if your main intent is to keep games playable for the lowest cost per annum; you'll end up paying more in the long run.

i didn't notice a huge difference upgrading to an SSD btw. going from my 10krpm Raptor to the SSD was like going from the 7200rpm to the Raptor. things definitely got faster but it wasn't night and day, like a video card upgrade always is.

SSD can make a huge difference, but so can a video card if you play a lot of games. I don't hear much from you regarding games, so I would recommend the HDD.

For the SSD make sure your mobo supports AHCI. Without it you won't see the full speed potential.

yes I have AHCI...

I am not sure if I should wait or not. Talked to a hardcore PC guy few days ago, he said don't get a SSD unless it's a sandforce, and there should be replacement for 5XXX soon.

I know computer tech doesn't last a long time, but is this the right time though?

It's because computer tech doesn't last a long time, that there is never a "right" time. Upgrade when you need to.

You'd probably do more "catching up" in tech by upgrading the video card since the 9600gt is olddddd
Posted via RS Mobile

not necessarily true
when a new standard is coming out it's not the best idea to be getting the current products

usb 2.0 -> usb 3.0
agp -> pci-e
sata 3.0gb/s -> sata 6gb/s

HDD for surf, work related stuff
Vid card for gamiing..

Correct me if I'm wrong here but I don't think SSD effects gaming perfomance once you're actually in the game playing

Sure it will ... It will help with loading maps ... However, it's not like it'll allow for better image quality like a better graphics card would ...

As for the HD 5850 not being worth double what the HD 5770 is ... As someone who went from an HD 4870 (which is slightly faster than the 5770) to a 5850, it's worth every penny. The 5850 owns the crap out of the 5770 and 4870.

It would really depend on how much space you need, though. For example, I'm waiting until I can actually get all my applications on an SSD at a reasonable cost before I make the jump. My Steam folder by itself is nearly 120 GB and, when you factor in Windows and all my other applications, I need nearly 200 GB worth of space.

If you do a lot of gaming, I highly doubt a 60 GB drive is going to be useful.

graphics card is the way to go
i still think SSD are overpriced

What res do you play at and what games did it make a difference?
I'm still on the fence between the 5770 and the 5850 due to price...

1920x1200

This is not true.. for example, you probably wouldn't want to buy a iPhone 3GS right now..

not necessary true.. a lot of ppl still buy the iphone 3g even though the 3gs is out. it all have to do with cost. personally i'd go for the SSD, i'm using one and i enjoy my 13 sec from start to full bootup. and 1/4 the load time for games. but like some ppl suggested. u can probably grab a smaller SSD and a lower model video card or even a used one ~

I missed the what games part ...

It made the largest difference in Grand Theft Auto IV where I went from mostly playable at Medium settings @ 1920x1200 (technically, I could set most things to high, but I'd experience missing textures, random slowdowns/freezes, etc.) to everything maxed @ 1920x1200.

Pretty much every other game I've played since the upgrade saw a 25-50% increase in FPS w/ the same settings.

Game library...

Steam:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Counter-Strike: Source
Far Cry 2
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Manhunt
Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Portal
Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon: Desert Siege
Ghost Recon 2
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Wild Metal Country
Bully: Scholarship Edition
DiRT
DiRT 2
Grid
Midnight Club II
Civilization IV
Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword
Civilization IV: Colonization
Civilization IV: Warlords
Tropico 3

Disc:
Need For Speed: Undercover
Need For Speed: Underground
Need For Speed: Underground 2
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Battlefield 2142
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 1942

I probably have a bunch of other disc games I'm forgetting.

Specs:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.9 GHz
8GB DDR3 1600 MHz
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB (OCed to 790/4400)/ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB (OCed to 770/4460)
1TB Western Digital Black
Windows 7 Ultimate

i would recommend the 5850, I'm running one myself and it's great, runs every game out there at max settings beautifully

SSD's are cool but overpriced for their capabilities... sure they're a lot faster than regular HDD's but you're paying so much per gig storage it's not really worth it

5850, got one for myself and it's awesome. 5770 has the similar performance as 4890.

^ 4870