Mmm..Oblivion question

Hey all, I guess this question is getting somewhat tired now, but I really need to ask it to prevent myself from making a stupid mistake. It's a 'can I play Oblivion question'

My dilemma is that I have an aging system: Pentium 4 2.4 ghz, 1 GB, Radeon 9600. Yum. I've decided to upgrade my card to an x800 xl. The reason I don't want to go any higher is because I really don't want to spend much more money on 1.) My aging CPU and 2.) My aging AGP slot.

I've already read a bunch of video card reports on Oblivion performance. The thing that worries me is my P4 2.4 ghz CPU. Despite my video card upgrade, will my CPU still be too crappy to play Oblivion (I know its below the recommended specs of 3.0)? If the CPU is going to be a huge bottleneck either way, I'd rather not waste the money on upgrading my video card. I'm looking to run Oblivion on good/medium settings. Nothing too fancy, but I don't want to have to turn all the settings off either.

Does the CPU even make that much of a difference on Oblivion, or is it very GPU dependent?


In the end I guess my questions boils down to this:
Pentium 4 2.4 ghz, 1 GB, x800 XL: What will Oblivion play like on it?

Thanks a lot to anyone who can help me out (I'm definitely no expert on this stuff)!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thanks for the help so far!

Well yeah, I guess I'd be throwing money at an old system...but it wouldn't have been that much (it was the $120 x800 xl agp on clearance..the one suggested in a previously thread I saw actually).

I considered buying an Xbox 360..but right now its pretty pricey compared to what I thought might have been a decent and cheaper alternative.

Hmm..I'll have to think it over. I guess its basically $120 for a mediocre play experience or $400 for a good one.

There's nowhere I can't reach.