Should I upgrade my Graphics Card or everything?

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:21 pm

Currently the specs relevant to playing games of my pc are:
2gb ram
AMD Anthlon 64 X2 Dual core 2.6GHz processor
NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE (Integrated and terrible)
I am thinking the only thing that needs upgrading is my Graphics card. I have 2 PCI express slots, 2 PCI slots, 1 PCI X1 slot, and 1 PCI X16 slot avaible to me. Right now I am looking at this which is the BFG 9800gt.

Post by **bicostp** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:31 pm

Processor's not too bad. Pop a 9800 in that thing and you'll be set for a while. (Also, max out your RAM. It's a cheap upgrade that makes a big difference.)

Ben Cebhrem · Post by **Ben Cebhrem** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:54 pm

If you're running a 32 bit OS, go for 3 GB of RAM (might as well; I noticed 4 GB total in a 32 bit OS was unstable for me). For a 64 bit, 4 GB has a good amount of pull, and more wouldn't be bad.

But mainly... yeah, upgrade that video card, first and foremost. What socket is your X2 by the way?

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:03 pm

Graphics card is for sure the weakest part of your system. Since PCI x16 doesn't have any replacements in the works, if you get that card, you'll be able to move it to a new system if you upgrade the rest.

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:10 pm

About the ram currently I have 2 1gb sticks and have 2 slots left it can handle up to 4gb. Also I am running a 32 bit. I think I'll get 1 or 2 1gb sticks. This is terribly nooby but what is the difference between say DDR2 (which is what I have) and DDR3?

Ben Cebhrem · Post by **Ben Cebhrem** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:40 pm

So far as I can tell, just the speed (and maybe a voltage difference).

32 bit OSes can't use 4GB of RAM by the way. When I was on XP, with 4 GB installed, I could only access 3.25 GB. I doubt the "extra" 256 MB helped any above 3 GB.

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 4:51 pm

With my current system with the 9800gt and an extra gb of ram. Would I be able to play crysis and if so how well?

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 5:44 pm

Depends on how fancy you want the graphics.

Under XP, my media PC can run the demo on low at 1024x768 at around 25 FPS.

Specs:
3.2 ghz Celeron (crap)
1 GB DDR1 (crap)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro AGP 256 MB (also crap)

You'll definitely do far better than this.

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:48 pm

How do I find the fan size of my pc?
Edit: Apparently I have 1 80mm fan. Would this be enough for cooling? Also would a 300wat power supply cut it or should I upgrade to something else?

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:00 pm

You'll probably need a better PSU; I suggest around 550 watts, just to be safe. Make sure it has the good Japanese capacitors.

An additional fan would be great, as long as you have a place to mount it. Remember, bigger fans push more air with less noise, so if your case has a spot for a 120mm fan, by all means put one in there.

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:52 am

You're using a similar set-up to what my father has. I can't really tell if it's good, though. He uses vista, and it's REALLY slow.

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:43 pm

I'm having a hard time deciding what to pick for my power supply. Is there one someone could recommend me?

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:55 am

it's a power supply, pick a strong one, and if it really bothers you, pick a silent one

Nonsense Man · Post by **Nonsense Man** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 6:48 pm

Well I have decided on this power supply and another gb of ram. But the card I was going to buy isn't in stock any more apparently. This is what I'm thinking of getting now it's more but seems to be much better. Is that card worth the extra money should I look for other cards?

Jongamer · Post by **Jongamer** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 8:26 pm

Nvidia? ewwwwww!

jk