To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade

[CurryMan]

Hey guys i need some help
I was wondering whether i need to upgrade my computer and what to to play the latest games coming out at the end of this year, eg. Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, and FIFA 2010
My specs are kind of bad,
Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz
2.5Gb of RAM
and Nvidia GeForce 7600 512mb
Anything else you need to know just aks, and also i want to keep it to as cheap ass possible, i also want to be able to run GTA4, with a good frame rate, my current one can run it around at 10 FPS with lowest graphics and resoulution
Thanks

 

[jw12345]

That system is pretty old, your best bet is to strip out the MB/CPU/RAM/GPU and replace them. Of course, that's not exactly cheap. But if your MB will support core 2 duo, then swapping just the GPU/CPU and adding a bit of memory would work.

 

[CurryMan]

Well im thinking of getting the following -
Gigabyte G31M-ES2L s(775)Motherboard - $AUD 77


Kingston 4GB KIT DDR2 800MHz - $AUD 74

Q8200 Intel Core 2 Quad - AUD $250

However I am not sure about my graphics card and whether i should upgrade it and thank you for the quick reply

 

[zigzag3143]

Hey guys i need some help
I was wondering whether i need to upgrade my computer and what to to play the latest games coming out at the end of this year, eg. Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, and FIFA 2010
My specs are kind of bad,
Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz
2.5Gb of RAM
and Nvidia GeForce 7600 512mb
Anything else you need to know just aks, and also i want to keep it to as cheap ass possible, i also want to be able to run GTA4, with a good frame rate, my current one can run it around at 10 FPS with lowest graphics and resoulution
Thanks

If you want the highest FPS, and res and game play yes. If you can live with a litlle less no. but we all know you are going to probably right?

Ken

 

[CurryMan]

But are the prices above worth it to upgrade my computer, ill prbably upgrade my graphics card later<br>

 

[holo88]

Personally, I'd never buy the latest Gfx card. they are always saying that you need the newest one, but games are built on cards 2 generations back (usually). So if i was you i'd go for this: Newegg.com - PNY VCG951024GXEB GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
It's modern, inexpensive, and a good brand. plus with the money you save with Geico, you can get 2 of them. My card (8500GT) still plays most newer games. It's only now that im noticing less performance, but thats after 3+ years of use.

As far as processors are concerend, a duel core w/ at least 2.8Ghz is about average "recommended" requirement for today's games. but if your willing to cash out go for the quad core.

 

[CurryMan]

thanks for the prompt reply, but the reason i am getting quad core is because it is currently good value for money, 2.33 Ghz Quad core for $233 or 2.8Ghz for dual core for $233

 

[CurryMan]

and also, any australian site to buy from

 

[exo]

Since you're looking to play games that sound mostly GPU dependent, I'd probably lean towards upgrading that first, assuming your current mobo can accomodate them. You can get some very capable cards in the 150-200$ range on sale right now, and if you find after installing it that the rest of your system is bottlenecking it, you move that card to a new mobo/cpu/ram if necessary. It's hard to say though.. some games tend to chew up CPU and RAM as well as GPU, and it's always a balance. The P4 will probably hold back any recent GPU, but that GPU will probably last you a while if you find out you need to do the whole mobo/cpu/ram refresh thing, which is always more of a hassle.

 

[CurryMan]

Also wondering, what type is better to play games 64 bit or 32 bit operating systems, and how do i know whether my computer is 32 bit enabled before i buy it, you know before i buy the parts, and what determines whether it can handle 64 bit, these may be stupid questions, but i am still new to the computing world compared to you guys, but i am getting my self there

 

[holo88]

Also wondering, what type is better to play games 64 bit or 32 bit operating systems, and how do i know whether my computer is 32 bit enabled before i buy it, you know before i buy the parts, and what determines whether it can handle 64 bit, these may be stupid questions, but i am still new to the computing world compared to you guys, but i am getting my self there

depends really. some newer games are optimized for 64bit, while others do fine on both. 64bit has a wider data stream, and can handle a lot more ram. 32 bit can only use up to 3GB of ram, including ram on the Gfx card. so you would be maxed out with memory with 2 gigs of ram, and a 1 gig graphics card. I'd go for the 64bit machine, personally.

also, 64bit OS needed for 64bit processor support, fyi, if you didnt already know.

 

[CurryMan]

thanks, feel like a complete idiot...

 

[CurryMan]

any reccomendations for intel dual core proccessor with 64 bit support?

 

[holo88]

any reccomendations for intel dual core proccessor with 64 bit support?

Most current duel cores have 64bit support. anything in the core2 duo family with at least 2.8 Ghz would suffice. you just have to make sure that your MoBo supports it.
basic stuff like fbs speed, socket type. which boar were you looking at getting?

-edit-
i found it in your post. i'll have a look around for compatible processors.

-edit 2-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115059
im not totally sure if they ship worldwide, but if you can find an oline retailer for your area, i'd go with this prcessor.

 

[CurryMan]

thank you very much

 

[CurryMan]

which mother board is it i cant tell

 

[holo88]

which mother board is it i cant tell

i did a search for the Gigabyte board that you said you were looking to buy.
so if you do buy that board, the processor I posted will be 100% compatible.
it also supports quad cores, as well, so if you want to go that route, you have the option to do so.

heck, i might pick up those 2 for myself It's about time i did an upgrade

 

[CurryMan]

good to know i helped you out =)

 

[CurryMan]

If anyone else need help whether they need to upgrade or not post ahead

 

[akash3656]

I tell you what: Get a ATi HD 4770 OR HD 4850 (if you can't find stock for 4770) or Nvidia 9800 GT (If you like Nvidia) .....
After that I recommend an AMD build instead of Intel:
A Phenom II x3 710
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
[Should be on-par with the Intel E7600 with dual-threaded apps... Multiple-thread apps this CPU will beat the E7600 (assuming the E7600 will be around the E8400 performance)]
2*2=4 GB RAM DDR 2 800 (or 4*2=8 GB or whatever)

Mobo: An AMD 770 Chipset mobo
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM OS for sure... (If windows 7 releases when your buying this machine)

Hard Disk: Anything other than Seagate hard disks. And 160 GB hard disks are not worth it for their price per gigabyte ratio...

PS: IF YOU STILL WANT INTEL: get a different motherboard (the one you choose is terrible for future-proofing)
This one will be excellent: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards