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[Ste7enPK]

Dear Readers

I recently took the plunge and bought MC18 after quite extensive tests to make it work on my (dated) PC build, but I realise that if I am to fulfil my preferred goal of replacing my Oppo BDP 93 then I need to upgrade my components. However I'm relatively limited by my setup (see below) and available funds. I've searched around these and other fora and will post elsewhere about optimum settings etc. but first I need to decide if I should upgrade one or two PC components now or just sit tight and do more extensive upgrades later (TV, receiver, completely upgraded PC build etc).

Current Components:

Sony KLD-V40XBR1 television (720p/1080i)

Denon 7.1 Receiver (no HDMI inputs)

Oppo BDP-93 (w/ last ISO playback firmware)

ASUS PA248 Monitor (1920x1200)

PC:
- Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 OC'd @ 3.2ghz
- Asus P5Q Pro Turbo motherboard
- 4gb DDR2 PC5300 Kingston value RAM (667 running at 800)
- AMD Radeon HD5750 GPU OC'd to run at 830mhz (GPU clock) and 1150mhz (memory clock)
- Auzen X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect sound card
- 4 x 2tb disc drives full of 1:1 BR and DVD iso rips connected to Oppo via Probox

I've hung on to the Oppo for its BR ISO playback ability (despite it having a particularly ugly interface) but I would prefer to have all my media in one place and sell the Oppo and Probox. BUT in doing that I would lose HD Audio and full menu interactivity with the Blu Rays (and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that).

At the moment I cannot afford to upgrade the whole PC (or build a second one) but I want to get the absolute best possible A/V quality I can afford that will rival the Oppo. The hardware I buy to help achieve this should also be (relatively) future-proof so that when I upgrade other components (or build a second PC) they will not have become redundant.

As much as I'd like to I cannot buy a new receiver (with multiple HDMI inputs and decent video processor) or a new TV. To do so would get me in a lot of trouble with my wife!

However I figure I can upgrade my Video and Sound cards.

So, long story short, would I be better off doing this or should I stick with my current cards or should I upgrade the motherboard, CPU and RAM?

The cards I'm considering are an ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti GDDR5 PCI-E video card (GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5), and the Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card. I can also pick up 2 more 2gb sticks of RAM but I believe that's as much as my motherboard will take.

Any and all feedback or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading and apologies for the long-winded (first) post.

pk

[bulldogger]

You really need a new receiver and GPU that can run madVR. Keep the TV. If you sell the Oppo that can help fund a new GPU and receiver.

[Ste7enPK]

A very belated thank you for the suggestions.

Coincidentally I should be taking delivery of a new GPU tomorrow. However I am going to pass on the sound card for now since I agree with your other suggestion and will next focus on a new AVR.

Thanks again.

:-)