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What would be my best upgrade option for GRAW?


Poita

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My PC is getting on a bit. I can't afford a new full rig so looking at my specs what would you recomend. I guess i could spend $400 large.

I don't really wanna be playing GRAW on the minimum settings. I get nausious if i have to play on anything below 1280 res. ;)

AMD Athlon 2 gig processor

1 Gig ram

Nvidia Gforce 5950 ultra 256meg ram.

Sound blaster live sound card.

Creative 5.1 speakers.

My mother board might go up to a 2.8 ghz processor but that hardly seems worth the bump. Any suggestions lads.

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My PC is getting on a bit. I can't afford  a new full rig so looking at my specs what would you recomend. I guess i could spend $400 large.

  I don't really wanna be playing GRAW on the minimum settings. I get nausious if i have to play on anything below 1280 res.  ;)

AMD Athlon 2 gig processor

1 Gig ram

Nvidia Gforce 5950 ultra 256meg ram.

Sound blaster live sound card.

Creative 5.1 speakers.

  My mother board might go up to a 2.8 ghz processor but that hardly seems worth the bump. Any suggestions lads.

7800GS and another Gig of ram.

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I would do this if I was using 400 bucks.

Asus A8N-SLI mobo: 90$

400 Watt psu: 40$

AMD64 3000+: 120$

1GB Ram: 65$(Can use your slower existing ram if needed)

7600GT: 160$

______________

Total w\o Ram = 410$ (all prices taken from newegg)

Total w Ram = 475$

Re-use your Harddrive,opticaldrives and case.

Edited by VeLocityChaos
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Yea I would def. suggest a new Ageia card and atleast another 512 GB of ram if not 1 GB. Ram is cheap so go buck wild on that if you want.

I think hes looking for a performance upgrade, not eye candy, as said before the pci version of the physx card will hog performance instead of provide more :shifty:

I recommend a better graphics card :yes:

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I worried about getting an uber graphics card and having it held back by my processor.

Some good info there lads. I'll be thinking long and hard about the options, then scrambling like hell to get it done in the week before GRAW comes out.

Maybe i'll make do with my current system for the demo then upgrade for the big show. It'll be a really interesting contrast.

The ageia thing does look pretty but if it's gonna chug the game i'd do without.

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Definitly get rid of the video card, even a 6200 will probably pwn it in GRAW.  1GB is fine if you don´t go all crazy with the texture settings, but of course if you can afford another GB, go for it.

A 6200 is not gonna pwn it in GRAW. :rofl: He wants to play the game in 1280 rez medium quality. A 6200 would be slow on 800x600 in med quality. It scores under 40fps in Doom 3 on 800x600 med. Matter of fact the card he has now would outperform a 6200. For 400 bucks he could have a whole new system, that would be a better investment for his money. That mobo can hold an FX processor, 4gb ram and SLI ready. He will then have an upgrade path for the future. The only AGP card that would be capable of running the game the way he wants would probably be the 7800GS. Which is 270$. For 130 bucks more he could have a faster card (pci-e version is cheaper) and a new mobo, faster ram.

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Hey, uh velocity, thats $475 mate, not $410 :). But he could easily skip the processor upgrade (depending on what socket his current processor is), and keep it under 400.

Basically, the most important thing is the graphics card, as your current processor should far exceed recomended processor specs if its a 2ghz AMD (2ghz or 2000+? Theres a difference).

7600GT is definetly at the best price point where gaming cards are concerned, it will totally blow away any of the 6 series cards, and it costs less than some of them. You will just have to have a PCI-E slot (unless it comes in an AGP?). If you dont want to upgrade to a PCI-E motherboard a 7800GS is one sweet card, and AGP only.

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:)

Hey, uh velocity, thats $475 mate, not $410 :). But he could easily skip the processor upgrade (depending on what socket his current processor is), and keep it under 400.

Basically, the most important thing is the graphics card, as your current processor should far exceed recomended processor specs if its a 2ghz AMD (2ghz or 2000+? Theres a difference).

7600GT is definetly at the best price point where gaming cards are concerned, it will totally blow away any of the 6 series cards, and it costs less than some of them. You will just have to have a PCI-E slot (unless it comes in an AGP?). If you dont want to upgrade to a PCI-E motherboard a 7800GS is one sweet card, and AGP only.

Ya, when making the post I was going to tell him that he could keep his slower ram and use it for awhile. Forgot to put that in there. Edited my post to reflect that. Thx. :)

Edited by VeLocityChaos
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Someone knows if GRAW is more 'processor' or more 'videocard' kind of game?

I currently have a:

AMD64 3000+

Radeon 9800 Pro (128 mb)

MSI K8T Neo

1 gb PC3200 ram

I think the best thing i can do is upgrading my videocard. But.. i think i'm gonna wait till GRAW is out and wait for some tests and/or comments to find out which videocard gives me the best performance :)

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Someone knows if GRAW is more 'processor' or more 'videocard' kind of game?

I currently have a:

AMD64 3000+

Radeon 9800 Pro (128 mb)

MSI K8T Neo

1 gb PC3200 ram

I think the best thing i can do is upgrading my videocard. But.. i think i'm gonna wait till GRAW is out and wait for some tests and/or comments to find out which videocard gives me the best performance :)

Considering the 'minimum' requirement is a P4 2.0ghz or the equivalent. You have a AMD3000+ which is equivalent to a p4 3.0ghz. I would agree with ya, the video card upgrade would give you a bigger boost.

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GFX card upgrade is a must. If you have some money left buy some extra memory ;) There are acturly really nice deals on Nvidia Gefore 6800 cards now since the 7800 is out. I've got myself a 6800GS OC edition (overclocked edition) for under 200 euro's :)

Edited by Reb
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Just to throw in my 2 cents, i just upgraded my computer:

I'd keep the ram, the cpu, (I asume its an amd somthing), keep it all really, but change out the mobo, and video card, . You can prob keep the PSU, but it really depends. Hardest thing to figure out properly is the PSU, if its a 350W or above, my guess is its ok....(yes I know amps are more important)

in order:

1_video card (Id get a mid range card for 200-300 prob a 1800gto for 250)

2_mobo (Id get a non sli or crossfire board with a Nvidia Nforce 4 ultra NB chipset or the new ati NB chipsets are good too.)

3_psu (optional)

3_ram (optional) Not sure what you have, but there is value 2 gig sticks around at pc3200

4_cpu (optional) eh

Edited by smokin
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How much work do you want to do?

All upgrades will help but it's easiest to just do the video card first. However, your system may be old enough that a new Psu will be needed to run the new graphics card along with everything else.

Cooling is a big factor with newer components as well. Two summers ago I fried a geforce 4400ti playing FarCry. Thought the card was just old until I fried the 5700xt I put in a few weeks later. Ended up getting a 6800, a pair of new fans(blowing in the correct direction), and a new PSU.

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Definitly get rid of the video card, even a 6200 will probably pwn it in GRAW.  1GB is fine if you don´t go all crazy with the texture settings, but of course if you can afford another GB, go for it.

A 6200 is not gonna pwn it in GRAW. :rofl: He wants to play the game in 1280 rez medium quality. A 6200 would be slow on 800x600 in med quality. It scores under 40fps in Doom 3 on 800x600 med. Matter of fact the card he has now would outperform a 6200. For 400 bucks he could have a whole new system, that would be a better investment for his money. That mobo can hold an FX processor, 4gb ram and SLI ready. He will then have an upgrade path for the future. The only AGP card that would be capable of running the game the way he wants would probably be the 7800GS. Which is 270$. For 130 bucks more he could have a faster card (pci-e version is cheaper) and a new mobo, faster ram.

A 6200 WILL pwn his 5950. As much as I love Nvidia, the 5 series cards suck so much at PS2.0 performance (unless many many tricks are used, then it still sucks) and this games min. specs are PS2.0! Its pretty sad when you think about it, and when you consider what a 6200 costs and how much he probably paid for the 5950. Anyway, thats the reason why I brought up the 6200: so that Poita understand how BADLY he needs a new video card, the CPU and memory are PERFECT in comparision to the video card (5950).

For playing in 1280 rez and medium settings, you´ll need of course something better than a 6200 (DOH!), you´ll probably need a 6800GT and better.

Other than that, I do recommend for anyone who is upgrading right now, to make the switch to PCIe, especially if you can find a deal where you get a mobo for free (newegg).

The recommended specs for CPU and mem are 3Ghz (Intel rating) and 1GB (Poita, you have an AMD XP2400, right? Which means a 2,4Ghz Intel rating). This means that you are not that far from the recommended specs when it comes to the CPU and memory. You can either get a fair priced 6800GS which can be unlocked and overclocked to 6800GT/Ultra performance, so most likely enough for 1280rez and med details and a HUGE improvement from the 5950. That upgrade should cost $200.

Or you make the bigger upgrade to PCIe, 7600GT with a new 939 mobo (nothing fancy, cheap Nforce4 mobo is good enough), make sure you can re-use your 1GB ram, and if you don´t mind overclocking, an AMD 64 3000+ (venice core) is quite impressive! It sells under $100, runs stock at 1.8Ghz, but over 95% reach 2.4Ghz on air! (thats similar to a 4000+ or an Intel P4 with 4Ghz. That upgrade should cost around $350.

Edited by agentkay
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I had a similar problem where my old card just wasn't going to cut it, and it was only a year old! I have just replaced my old 6600GT (128M) with a 7800GS (256M) 7800 GS

I did stop and consider going to PCI-E platform, but I could'nt be hassled to swap out my Mobo and CPU.

I must say, so far its a very nice card, probably the fastest on AGP other than the extreme editions of the GS. It will also overclock very well too...... :ph34r:

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Guest co1615

So...

I need a new comp and have about $700 to spend. What do you guys recommend? I want dual core amd and pci-e, other than that I don't care. I don't need monitor , keyboard, mouse or speakers.

I don't want to build it myself, (I'm a virgin!!)

Thanks,

Trent

Edited by co1615
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Building a PC, is alot easier than you think. But, if you prefer to have one built for you. I know from word of mouth that cyberpower systems are a pretty good company to go through. Their prices are very reasonable. You should be able to get a decent computer from them with 700$. CyberPower Systems Link

*Edit* Thought I would add, just so you know. No matter where you go to buy a computer and no matter what you do. It will always be alot cheaper to build it yourself. You will always get more power for your money.

Edited by VeLocityChaos
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I want dual core amd and pci-e, other than that I don't care.

Trent, by the time games make use of multiple cores, quad-cores will be on the market. You'd be FAR better off spending the money on extra GHz, more memory, or a better vidcard than a second core.

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Guest co1615
I want dual core amd and pci-e, other than that I don't care.

Trent, by the time games make use of multiple cores, quad-cores will be on the market. You'd be FAR better off spending the money on extra GHz, more memory, or a better vidcard than a second core.

This pc isn't only for gaming, it's a "family" pc. That's why I want dual core.

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Guest co1615
This pc isn't only for gaming, it's a "family" pc. That's why I want dual core.

What is your family going to be doing that you think you need dual-core for?

Office work, 4 kids, music/video etc... I realize dual core is no advatage for gaming right now, I don't have the "free" money to upgrade/buy new often. I bought my last new comp in 2000!!! Since then I've salvaged from the dump or a school that closed down!!

Thanks

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Office work, 4 kids, music/video etc... 

I'll tell you, the only thing dual-core is currently good for with normal users is multi-tasking when one of those tasks is video-encoding.

If you need to do mpg encoding and use the PC for other things while it's doing its encoding job, then dual-core is useful. Otherwise, it's marketware. Good luck. :thumbsup:

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Uh... not necessarily... dual core is an advantage to amd... for intel's not as much... here is what it will do for him. When playing... if he alt tabs to TS or opens a website while he is dead, he can surf and such. You see... before dual core... amd was Very slow at this. Dual core will give him that advantage that P4 users have known since hyperthreading. His choice for dual core is a good one although it will up his system price, especially since he looking not to upgrade for over 2 years (when multiprocessing might help him out in the games themselves.

Kids also will benifit. They are the ones running multiple messengers, burning cds, surfing and doing there homework on word and such at the same time.

Just because some of you don't use the computer to that extent does not mean he or his kids won't

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