Also, didn't mention the size of the cache on the HDD?

I voted GPU as well, but I'd recommend to do a Raid 0 setup after you upgrade your GPU, loading times FTW!

Direct X is a built in program thingy for graphics in the operating system. I can't explain it properly, but there's really not much about it you need to know. Direct X has different versions coming out every few years, every new version aloows for better graphics effects. Not all GPUs support the latest version which is 11 and came out less than a year ago.

Your graphics card 5770 supports DX11 effects. But you also need to run Vista or Windows 7 (which I assume you have). Windows XP only supports Dx 9 or less.

Apparently Vindictus uses the Source engine, meaning a 5770 can run it on max but not with a huge margin (well, probably quite huge). So, you got a perfect card for the game.

I just thought, what OS are you using, assuming Windows 7, but what version? the 32 bit or the 64 bit... just wondering as you said you have 8 GB of RAM?

mhm windows 7 home premz.

So basiclly this DX11 thing is really good since only few cards support it huh? thats pretty awesome!

@bolded- so does that mean it really should run everything on max or what? heard shadows effect lag many games for some reason so if that needs to be turned off no big deal. lol perfect card for this game huh? nice to know thanks, was going to pick a 4850 but i heard about that DX11 thing and the specs to compare were overall 5770 > 4850 so...

They are all equally important.

If your CPU sucks you won't have too may flashy animations.
If your RAM blows, your textures will blow hard and you won't be able to multitask
if your GPU sucks you won't get flashy effects.
If your cooling or power supply blow your computer will just turn off or break.
If your HDD sucks then you won't be able to fit as many games and it will take a while to load.

So yeah, they are all just as important.

Getting an SSD would be better.

I think people are ignoring a very important aspect of PC gaming; cooling and power. There's no point having an amzing rig if your PSU can't provide them all with the necessary power (and stability becomes an issue otherwise), and theres no point playing games if your chips overheat as your PC will be resetting itself every 2 seconds when in-game. Everyone's saying GPU, but there's no point having a great GPU to play your games if your PC isn't stable with said GPU.

IMO:

1. Power/cooling- Make sure you've got this sorted for the components you plan on buying
2. GPU- Games rely heavily on GPU over CPU. A lot of stuff is now moving from CPU to GPU and you'd be amazed at the amount of games that still only use 2 cores on max settings.
3. RAM- The moment you start thinking you've got enough, you suddenly need more. Lucky it's the cheapest component.
4. CPU- Important, but not as much as Intel and AMD would have you believe. Perhaps when developers have caught up with chip manufacturers. As I mentioned earlier, most games still only utilise 2 cores, some 3 and rarely 4.
5. HDD- If you can setup a Raid array or buy a SSD then great.

@Scoobes

Surely the stock GPU and CPU cooling is fine if you don't plan to OC? And any normal ATX case will have good enough case fans?

Not really, no. Even without OCing a PC I recommend a third-party cooler. The stock coolers with any CPU suck hard. PC cases, find one with at least one front fan, a side panel fan, and a rear fan. Or be like me who has 2 front panel, 1 side, 1 back, and 2 top. The more airflow through the system the better it will run no matter what. Otherwise water cool the entire system.

I honestly think that setup of yours would play new games for years.

The obsolescent rate is way overblown if you ask me. My PC is 6 years old with a 3 year old GPU and runs everything fine up to this day. The AA is where it starts to take a dip.