upgrading my computer
By Corvin
@Corvin (417)
Philippines
March 12, 2007 11:16pm CST
My computer rig is running with P4 2.0Gh hertz with 1G of RAM and 256mb GPU. Which should I upgrade first to optimize my gaming performance? Should I upgrade first my CPU to 3.0G hertz or buy 1G more of RAM? I'm low at budget right now so I need to know with you guys on what will I go first with this two options that I should upgrade first.
5 responses
@im2good4u (567)
• Philippines
14 Mar 07
with your setup im allso assuming that your card is AGP, if you were to upgrade your VC then you would get stuck to AGP which is not good since current tech is with PCIe. its pretty complicated, if you ask me, i would rather get a complete new setup with a motherboard with built in graphics like nvidia 6100/6150 nforce chipset coz it can outperform your fx5500. so basically sell your old computer parts (video card, motherboard, processor, memory) then get the new ones. if you dont like that then i suggest to get something like a 7600gt agp card overclock your processor to compensate for it.
@im2good4u (567)
• Philippines
14 Mar 07
in your case i believe it would be more beneficial to upgrade your memory since you only have 256mb which is the limit these days, u[grading it to 512 or 1gb should let you play more games with better experience but like i said just sell your parts and get a new system is the best choice. if you can give me more specific info on your system (like motherboard name, cpu socket, memory type etc.) then i could give you a better advice.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
14 Mar 07
He's giving some pretty good advice. I'm not positive on whether or not the integrated graphics would outperform your current card, but they might. Since games use your GPU on the video card, upgrading your system's CPU will not improve performance very much.
The type of motherboard he's describing would cost $50 to $80. The processor to go with it would be up to you. I'm not sure what type of memory you have, but it's possible your RAM might be transferable to a new motherboard.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Mar 07
Well with your rig you should be getting decent performance. Your P4 is just fine since games rely on your graphics card more than your processor. 1GB is plenty for even the most demanding games out there. That leaves your graphics card...
What graphics card do you have now? 256MB is kind of meaningless since everything from GeForce 5200 to GeForce 7900 comes in a 256MB design. Having a card with 512MB won't make you run games any better. You need a faster more powerful card. Right now, the best bang for your buck would be the Geforce 7600GT or 7600GS which can be found for under $100. If you prefer ATI then you can get an ATI 1600 or 1650 for around the same price.
What exactly is your budget and what card specifically do you have right now?
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
14 Mar 07
That clarifies it then. One thing I forgot to ask is if you have an AGP or PCI Express slot. If you only have a basic PCI slot then there is little you can do to upgrade. My recommendations:
ATI X1650PRO 256MB $110 if AGP, $95 if PCI Express
Nvidia GeForce 7600GS 256MB $110 AGP, 7600GT 256MB $110 PCI Express
I know some people will claim that 512MB is great, but trust me, extra RAM is meaningless on a low end card. These two cards are mid to high end for a good price. If your budget is a little higher or lower, let me know and I'll give other suggestions.
@amitavroy (4819)
• India
13 Mar 07
I'd think it would be better if you upgrade your RAM instead of grading your processor. I think you have enough speed to run the latest games and not to forget the 256 Mbit graphics card. But with the advancement and gaming technology might think for a better gaming experience it would be a wise choice to go for an adult GB of RAM. It will make your gameplay smoother and faster. Also I think if you can upgrade your graphics card 512 as the latest Microsoft OS may eat up a lot of graphic memory if you plan to install that.
@blindedfox (3315)
• Philippines
14 Mar 07
I think your setup is a decent one for games. But if you really want to upgrade, I'd recommend you buy a 512MB GFX card. But don't get me wrong, your current GFX card can handle most (if not all) games out there. =)
@AlexMasters (247)
• Philippines
14 Mar 07
I suggest keeping atleast 1GB of ram is the first thing you should upgrade since 2GHz cpu and 256 MB of video is still above most of the recommended games requirements.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
14 Mar 07
That is not true. Oblivion for example requires a minimum of a 2GHz P4, 512MB RAM, and a GeForce 6600 video card. It has been tested and will run on slower hardware, but it would be her video card that is below the requirements, not her processor or RAM.
Neverwinter Nights 2 requires a minimum of a 6600GT video card. He wouldn't even be able to run the game at it's lowest settings with his video card. The GeForce FX series aren't even supported.
1GB of RAM is more than enough for even the most demanding games. Your P4 is adequate, but may be obsolete in a year or two. Your video card became obsolete about a year ago. New games will barely run on it, if at all.
