Help me upgrade my computer!

[Sir Big Jugs]

First, a note to moderators.
I thought of posting this in the General forum, but since there's mostly politics there, and this forum is far more visited and has more computer-related topics, I posted it here. Move it if You think it still should be there...

Now then...
I got SHIV yesterday, and since it doesn't run too well at all on my current computer, I decided to follow the advice posted HERE and upgrade.
I have ~200€ (maybe, if I try real hard, 250€). It isn't too much, but I hope to get at least something, so I could play SHIV until the summer; when I'll be moving and getting a completely new computer.

My current rig: (Acer's prebuilt, I *think* an Aspire E-something)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.01GHz processor
1GB RAM
ATI Radeon X700SE 256mb video card
NVIDIA nForce Audio (all the info I could find)
and Windows XP Home Edition (Finnish)

IMO the thing(s) to upgrade is/are the video card (crucial), and if any $$ remains, some more RAM. Of course, if you have any other opinions, I'd be delighted to hear.

My question in short is: so what should I get then? I'm completely lost in this vast jungle of video cards etc. A friend has promised to help out with the installation, but without knowing what to get, it can be hard to install anything!

Thanks for helping out a n00b, looking forward to hearing suggestions!

-Sir Big Jugs

[Grothesj2]

Do you have PCI-e slots? AGP? Makes a big difference on what card to get. Also when upgrading your vid card, be sure your power supply is strong enough for your card. Most of the modern cards seem to need 400-450w power supplies. I had to upgrade that when I put in my new vid card. You can usually see what sort of power supply you have if you open up your caes. It should be printed on the side somewhere.

[MONOLITH]

If you have AGP, I just went through this scenario, last week. And it's hard today to find a good AGP card anymore, everything has gone PCI.

But, luckily the fastest AGP card available is at NewEgg for $224.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102071


I bought it last week and it's great. Plus you can check out reviews at Tom's Hardware, it's the best AGP card you can buy.


Only problem with it is you will definately need a new power supply, at least a 650 watt. I bought a 550 and it wasn't enough. I had to make a frankenstein monster out of my rig, and i currently have both my 550 watt power supply (connected to the MOBO and the VPU) and my old 300 watt connected to all my drives.


I'm on a P4 2.4 ghz with 1 gig ram. Although I run fine with that Ram, that's definately the next thing to upgrade if your MOBO will take more.

Your 2 GHZ CPU is always going to be a bottleneck for you at this point though.

You might consider holding out for some more cash and buying a new PC before too long. You can get a nice AMD 2.6 ghz PCI with 2 gigs ram for about $850.

[Chock]

If you are not well up on computers, one of the big problems when it comes to upgrading is knowing exactly what you can stick in there and have it work properly.
A useful tool to have in these circumstances is this, a little utility called CPU-Z:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

You can download it for free from the above link (although naturally, they appreciate donations). It analyzes your system and reports on exactly what you've got in there, (motherboard type, RAM speeds etc etc) Which is particularly useful when it comes to upgrading your RAM, as you'll need to get the same type of RAM again if you want your old and newly-purchased RAM to work compatibly alongside one another. Different RAM brands can sometimes prove incompatible even with all the same specifications, so choose the best match you possibly can (look for an identity sticker or name printed on your currently installed RAM (unplug your computer before poking around inside it, you don't want to electrocute yourself, do you? And earth yourself before touching any sensitive components inside your PC to prevent damaging them with static electricity - you can earth yourself by touching something metal like a radiator in your house for example).

When it comes to graphics cards, it can get confusing to know which is which and what one does what, and since most people tend to either strenuously defend either NVidia, or ATI (depending on their personal experiences rather than vast technical expertise), a lot of opinions can be somewhat partisan. While advice is okay from a forum, you're far better off setting aside an hour or so and doing a little research, like this:

Armed with your info gained from CPU-Z, you will know exactly what your motherboard is, with that info you can do a search on it and get an exact spec sheet on what it can handle. With this info you can then search for compatible products with the certainty that what you are looking at buying will work okay. A good time-saving way to do this is by going to a site such as the one linked below (or any other one you prefer for that matter). In addition to listing lots of products in either price order, or name or whatever, each product gets a little spec description, so you can search for stuff in your preferred price range, and then check out that it tallies spec-wise with your motherboard:

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/

It's not rocket science, just requires a little methodical research. Good luck with it

[Sir Big Jugs]

G'Day again. Just checked out my computer from the inside (man, it was dusty) and indeed, the power supply was only 300W. After some more research I'll just drop all thoughts on more RAM (new computer will have ~4GB I hope ), and concentrate on a video card. As I am on a tight budget, the X1950PRO is a bit out of bounds, but would something like a Sapphire Radeon X1600PRO AGP8X 256MB DDR2 DVI + TV-out
be fine? And how powerful would a new power supply have to be? Any chance of fitting those two in the same budget of 200-250€?

Thanks again,
Sir Big Jugs

[Chock]

I would certainly recommend a heavy-duty power supply in the 500-650 watt range at least, as it has to provide the juice for not just your graphics card, but all the other bits and pieces too. One thing to bear in mind is adequate cooling and ventilation, as you've discovered, it gets dusty in there and that does nothing to help performance, and can, in extreme circumstnces cause your components to fry when the heat can't get away past all that dust!
Most motherboards have plenty of pins spare, from which you can power an auxilluary fan, and these are very inexpensive, so if your PC case has a spare vent grille with no fan using it, you might want to start doing so.

[livewire68]

Just looking over at newegg (just one of the many places I shop for parts), there are many options available in your range. One was His or Sapphire AGP x1650 for about 115$. Next were power supplies. Now I never recommend the "cheapies" in the 30-50$ range. Had too many problems with them. But several good one (like Antec truepower trio 650w) for around 100$. Withoout saying this one or that one is the best, I just wanted to give you some ideas on prices and brands. Hope this helps!

[AVGWarhawk]

I have the same system as you SBJ. I dropped my Nvidia 6200 256mb for the Visiontek Radeon X1300 XGE 512mb videocard. I picked this card because it was much faster than my 6200 and like you I had a 300w power supply. The X1300 runs just fine on 300W power supply. Any card higher than this required a better power supply. Being I was not spending another $80.00 on top of the $150.00 videocard, this was the best choice for me. I run the game with all sliders to the max with exception of the sliders for the land objects and density(i do not hangout in port anyway). These set at half. The checkable options are all checked except the volumetric fog, sun glare, 3D water(seen no difference anyway). I get at the lowest 20 FPS and the highest 50 FPS. I'm very pleased with the card. Plus, I have the AA at X4 and PPF on as well. I have become a ATI fan.

[Sir Big Jugs]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I have the same system as you SBJ. I dropped my Nvidia 6200 256mb for the Visiontek Radeon X1300 XGE 512mb video card. I picked this card because it was much faster than my 6200 and like you I had a 300w power supply. The X1300 runs just fine on 300W power supply. Any card higher than this required a better power supply. Being I was not spending another $80.00 on top of the $150.00 video card, this was the best choice for me. I run the game with all sliders to the max with exception of the sliders for the land objects and density(i do not hangout in port anyway). These set at half. The checkable options are all checked except the volumetric fog, sun glare, 3D water(seen no difference anyway). I get at the lowest 20 FPS and the highest 50 FPS. I'm very pleased with the card. Plus, I have the AA at X4 and PPF on as well. I have become a ATI fan.

That sounds like a really good option then!After all, I'm not looking for something to get me the best FPS in the world, just something to hold the ground until I get a chance to make the bigger upgrade this summer/fall. I could install an for example an extra fan for the savings.:hmm: And maybe reuse the card in my new rig later.

I'll call around and see if I can get a good deal on the X1300.
Thanks!

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Sir Big Jugs

That sounds like a really good option then!After all, I'm not looking for something to get me the best FPS in the world, just something to hold the ground until I get a chance to make the bigger upgrade this summer/fall. I could install an for example an extra fan for the savings.:hmm: And maybe reuse the card in my new rig later.

I'll call around and see if I can get a good deal on the X1300.
Thanks!

I installed the card only. No fans or anything. I plugged it in the MB and plugged in the power cord off the power supply. Got the new 7.3 catalyst. Tweeked for about 15 minutes. All option on the card set to quality and AA set at X4. The card is very stable. Like you, I have the 3200+/1 gig of RAM/onboard sound. It was the simpliest, best, least expensive way to go for me. It turned out to be a good choice in my case.

Remember to look for the X1300 XGE(xtreme gamer edition) 512mb it is overclocked for us knuckleheads

Once in game and all screens cached, hard drive has settled down. Game runs great. Might want to get some more RAM if you can afford it. I'm going to up mine as soon as I can get some cash for it.

It is not a kick butt card but it will pull you through. As far as IL2 and my other games...all maxed now and run better than ever.

[XanderF]

Something to consider - nVidia just released a bevy of new cards yesterday.

Their "GeForce 8600GT" is aimed at less-than-US$149, which should fit in your budget. It noticeably better than the Radeon X1650XT and GeForce 7600GT, not quite up with the Radeon X1950Pro. EDIT: Oops, if you have AGP, this advice won't help you. No GeForce 8-series for AGP. Ignore this part, rest of the advice is good.

Oh, and find a place to buy online wherever you are. "Brick and mortar" retail prices can get as high as twice the online price of parts to cover the shelf space.

I'm an ATI fan, myself, but they seem to have at least some issues with this game that nVidia cards don't.

[AVGWarhawk]

Seems all the cards are having an issue or two which would indicate it the game engine itself:hmm:.

Anyway, what turned me on with ATI, the Catalyst interface is very easy to use.

[bert8for3]

Originally Posted by MONOLITH

... Only problem with it is you will definately need a new power supply, at least a 650 watt. I bought a 550 and it wasn't enough. I had to make a frankenstein monster out of my rig, and i currently have both my 550 watt power supply (connected to the MOBO and the VPU) and my old 300 watt connected to all my drives...

I hope I'm not taking this OT or hijacking from the original inquiry, if so plse ignore, but the mention of power supplies was interesting. I picked up a new vid card a couple of weeks ago, only to realize that it needs a more powerful psu. The ATX psu size has changed since I got my comp and they won't fit in my case. So I'm curious about what you said here. Did you rig up the new psu externally? Were the wires long enough to get inside and reach, or is it possible to get extender cables?

[Grothesj2]

ATX should fit in an ATX slot. A stronger power supply may be longer but width and hieght should be the same. I got a 600w to replace my 300w and it was over an inch longer but still fit quite comfortably in my case. Maybe you can reposition some things in your case?

[bert8for3]

Originally Posted by Grothesj2

ATX should fit in an ATX slot. A stronger power supply may be longer but width and hieght should be the same. I got a 600w to replace my 300w and it was over an inch longer but still fit quite comfortably in my case. Maybe you can reposition some things in your case?

Tks, but that won't fly 'cause the (new) psu would butt up so close to the DVD drive that it would be impossible to plug in the cables.