Buying a 3D Stereo system in Feb 23 based on a Dell XPS 8300

[n00lesscluebie]

OK, so here's what I've got so far:

Dell XPS 8300
Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 CPU@3.10 GHz
8 GB Ram
Windows 7 64-bit

with an ATI Radeon HD 5670 Graphics Card

and a DVD/BluRay drive I can only seem to identify as "PLDS DVDRWBD DH-6E2S"

I have a 20" HP-2009m monitor

I'd like to be able to play such games as Skyrim and Fallout in 3D, and watch Movies.

I can spend $500, and may be up to $1000 if I'm willing to squirm a bit....

So my questions are as follows:

1. Is my existing Graphics Card helpful at all in some sort of dual-card use, or do I need to start from scratch there?

2. Is it better to get a 3D monitor, or a 3D TV to use for my 3D gaming and keep my regular monitor for when I need to access text....

3. Given a budget of $500-$1000, and the limits of my machine what setup of Monitor/Graphics Card/Driver Technology (Nvidia 3D-vision, AMD 3DHD, DDD, etc.) is my best bet to play the above games, and still give me the best shot for any future games?

Thanks for helping a n00less cluebie out!

[cybereality]

Keep in mind that using 3D usually cuts framerates down by as much as 50%, so if you want to play the same games you either need to drop the settings down to medium/low or get a better video card. I use a GTX 470 and find that mostly all games are playable in 3D on medium to high settings. I would recommend getting a 3D monitor and seeing how you like it, and then investing further. Your video card will still run a lot of older games in 3D no problem (like Half-Life 2, Left4Dead, etc.) or some newer games on low settings. This will at least let you see if its something you like (which you most likely will). Then you can upgrade the GPU for better performance. Or if you just have upgraditis, just buy everything all at once. Your choice.

There are a bunch of 3D monitors out there, a lot of them are Nvidia only, but some are for AMD. Most active monitors are for Nvidia 3D Vision, and are usually more expensive. The passive ones usually work with AMD. This seems like a good passive monitor at a cheap price (though I've never seen it so I can't confirm the quality):
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-V3D231- ... B005LFQVUC

If you want to go with an Nvidia GPU and spend a little more you can get something like this (which is what I'm using currently and happy with):
http://www.amazon.com/VG236H-23-Inch-Mo ... B003V4AK2K

There are of course other options, like larger monitors, HDTVs, projectors, etc. but it seems like you are on a budget so I listed the cheaper options.

Hope that helps.

[n00lesscluebie]

TYVM Cyberreality!

That's a great start, and more help then I've received on other sites.

So if I get what you're suggesting, either I buy a $300 monitor and test it out with my current card, though if I stick with that monitor I'm pretty much stuck with the AMD route, (and from what I've read BluRay disks WON'T work with AMD passive (?) or I can reinvest somewhere on the order of $200-$300 on a GEForce card (and there seems to be multiple GTX 470 cards from Zotac and PNY, and some are superclocked etc. and then get an active monitor like the ASUS. If I go the GEForce line do I need to invest the ~$150 route for the NVidia 3D Vision 2 glasses set as well, or is that bundled with the monitor?

Still unanswered are if I upgrade the GPU, is my old card still valuable with the system? I've read of some systems using multiple cards? Would it be useful in a multiple AMD system, in which case if I get the passive monitor, I can get away with buying another low-end AMD card and using both of them, instead of buying a high end one?

Thank you again for your time!

[cybereality]

Blu-Ray 3D can work with AMD, but not on that card you have. Only select cards work with Blu-Ray (in general the 6850 or better see here: http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/TECHNOLO ... ics.aspx#2 ). You can also check the websites for popular Blu-Ray playback software like PowerDVD: http://www.cyberlink.com/products/power ... en_US.html . Passive displays are supported. Passive will probably be the cheaper option, but you will still need to upgrade the GPU to get the most benefit. You can also use passive monitors with Nvidia cards, though just not with the Nvidia drivers (DDD and iz3D should still work, as do PowerDVD and others).

If you want to go the Nvidia route, then you can get the full setup (monitor + glasses) for under $500. The ASUS I linked to includes the glasses. If you want the 3D Vision 2, which is supposed to be a lot better, you will need to get one of the newer monitors that are more expensive. But if you have the money this is probably the best quality you can get right now (in terms of monitors).

You only need one GPU for 3D, and in a lot of cases SLI/Crossfire may introduce compatibility issues. You can usually sell old video cards on eBay and recoup some of the cost.

[n00lesscluebie]

Thank you for your help!

I got some additional support from the forums @ http://www.tomshardware.com

and it seems like the best I can get with my XPS 8300 without having to mess with the power supply is the GeForce GTX 550 TI, and to hook that up to an Asus VG278H which has the nvidia 3dvision 2 already bundled with it, for a grand total of ~$750 which will require me to squirm a LITTLE bit for the wifey, but I can probably get away with it as I have a $1000 Gift Card that I won for coming in 1st place in our community's Texas Hold 'Em Tournament last year (how I did this is anybody's guess, but that's for another discussion. . . .)

And with the monitor, if I someday upgrade the PSU and the GPU I'll be able to really enjoy some eye-popping stuff (I hope)

I wonder if anyone has experience running Skyrim off the 550 TI.... Time to surf the forums. . . .