Current specs:

Motherboard: MSI P6N Diamond PCI-E
Firmware: nVidia nForce 680i
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP3
Memory: 3GB DDR2 RAM @800MHz
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40 gHz
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800GT
>512MB GDDR3 VRAM @900MHz
>Shader Model 3.0
Audio: Creative SB X-FI Titanium
>Turtle Beach EarForce X41 Digital Surround headset

In about a month, I can expect a new GPU for my machine. I have decided on the GTX 460, as it is reasonably priced and offers double the VRAM I currently have (I will be ditching SLI at the same time, too much trouble and not enough benefit for my tastes).

Now my question is: given the current config of my system (which cannot be changed without gutting the PC), what can I expect from this new GPU aside from it being able to simply render more at one time?

A single GTX 460 would be about on par with 8800GT's in SLI, but of course more stable being just a single card. I'd be surprised if you couldn't max the game out with all the bells and whistles...that's still a powerful card.

Get a fan, because your room is going to get hot. :tongue:

This upgrade is more in-line with preparing my PC for Skyrim than anything else. I feel the extra VRAM will be much appreciated when the game arrives. Everything else should be above par, so the GPU upgrade should get me set to go on the 11-11-11.

Performance in Oblivion is great (at this point, I am certain the only FPS dips I get are due to engine inefficiencies), but, of course, the limitation of running of an 8800GT is that I can't really delve into high-res textures all that much (still, tremendously good card, even for its age). The GTX 460 will address this, and as you said, allow my PC to perform as it was originally intended out of the shop without needing to fiddle around with any touchy SLI settings.

@nuBee: I live in New Mexico. Trust me, I can deal with the heat.