Computer Upgrade Help

Hey guys! Right now, my computer runs fairly well with just normal stuff but when it comes to running games it isn't where I would like it to be. Most of the time, I end up buying games for the 360 just because it has better graphics than my PC can run smoothly. I have a 24 inch monitor that I use for both my 360 and my tower.
What I think is holding the graphics back on my computer is the videocard which is a little old I guess. I want something that will allow my computer to look the same as my 360 if not better.

My currents GPU:  ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
Motherboard:   ASUSTeK  M2A-VM
My CPU is a dual core AMD athlon 2.6 Ghz
I have 2 Gigs of RAM which I plan on upgrading to 4 soon

What card would you guys recommend? :)

"Agnogenic said:

"Hey guys! Right now, my computer runs fairly well with just normal stuff but when it comes to running games it isn't where I would like it to be. Most of the time, I end up buying games for the 360 just because it has better graphics than my PC can run smoothly. I have a 24 inch monitor that I use for both my 360 and my tower.What I think is holding the graphics back on my computer is the videocard which is a little old I guess. I want something that will allow my computer to look the same as my 360 if not better.My currents GPU:  ATI Radeon HD 2600 ProMy CPU is a dual core AMD athlon 2.6 GhzI have 2 Gigs of RAM which I plan on upgrading to 4 soonWhat card would you guys recommend? :)"

Your CPU is a little old too by the sounds of things, my CPU was cheap as chips and it's a dual core AMD 6000 @3.0 ghz. Also, I recently picked up a bargain graphics card, a Radeon 4670. It's kind of a budget card, but man does it do the job. I can run Crysis on High settings at my native resolution with good FPS. I have 2GB of RAM, too. Your rig seems fine but just a little behind the times, I'd definitely go for the GPU upgrade first."

Yeah, I looked one up and you can get one for about 70 bucks. That seems very reasonable to me. Do you think I think play games at medium on a higher resolution?

Another question... Is it better to get a high clock speed dual core processor or a lower four core? :/

Just bought this:
Left 4 Dead looks AWESOME in 1080p

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Not sure what OS you are running but 32bit Windows and Vista will only see a total of 4gigs of RAM that includes RAM from the Graphics card. If you are running 64bit XP or Vista you'll be fine. If you are running a 32 just buy another gig, either 2x512 or 1gb dimm thats up to you do your best to match it up or just replace all your RAM at once with the same brand, same timings, etc.

Graphic Card wise, since you are already on the AMD Boat i'd stick there for $100 you can get a Radeon 4850.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824
Your CPU is quite limited. However a Dual 2.6 should be sufficent; the best you are going to get is a Dual 3.2 on that motherboard. And I think your graphics card is the bottle neck as you are playing at a high resolution. However below is a link to the Dual 3.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103228