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The Bi-Annual computer upgrade!
Farout Foolio
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well, it's time to upgrade Foolio-bot, and as I'm not terribly savvy myself, I could use some advice.
My old graphics card no longer cuts it, so a new one is in order.
I'm looking to find a nice break point between cost and performance, but there are a couple mitigating
factors. Firstly, I have a good friend who works at best buy, so I can probably get really good prices on whatever, so I'm not *too* worried about cost.
But on the other hand, I'm fairly unwilling to get vista anytime soon, so I don't know if I'm going to need it for many future games, I.E. Bioshock, which is a no go for me.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. I heard about a great site that compares the most recent cards
with data and stats cleaned from current new games, but for the life of me I can't find it.
My old graphics card no longer cuts it, so a new one is in order.
I'm looking to find a nice break point between cost and performance, but there are a couple mitigating
factors. Firstly, I have a good friend who works at best buy, so I can probably get really good prices on whatever, so I'm not *too* worried about cost.
But on the other hand, I'm fairly unwilling to get vista anytime soon, so I don't know if I'm going to need it for many future games, I.E. Bioshock, which is a no go for me.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. I heard about a great site that compares the most recent cards
with data and stats cleaned from current new games, but for the life of me I can't find it.
Farout Foolio on
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As far as comparisons go, here ya go:
CPU: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html
Video Card: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
Best deals on things (computers and otherwise) are posted almost instantaneously on this awesome site: http://www.slickdeals.net/
I'm not an expert at upgrading. I've only installed AGP and PCI stuff, and RAM, but I think my computer is overheating. It becomes slow during the day to the point where simple 2D games like DEFCON and math software cause the crash. (The computer will go slow for a minute or three before becoming fast again.)
(I'm in Florida here, and this started happening in March, system wipe, new hard drive, driver upgrades, etc. and it still kept happening.)
A long time ago I purchased a 400 W power supply and had it installed for me so that I could get better cards. I then ran out of money.
I now have a cheap ATI x1050 Catalyst so that I could play simple, 2D games. It "says" it recommends a 300 W power supply, but there is no socket for connecting a spare power supply cord. Does it really need that 400W power supply? Would putting in the original 200 W power supply be sufficient while generating less heat?
Carry on. ;(
my last upgrade was my x800 pro...
when it was new....
Bioshock does not require Vista, it also runs on XP. Also, what kind of video card slot do you have? If you've got a PCI-Express Slot, I suggest an Nvidia 8600, if you've got AGP, well, I don't really know what to suggest.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
Also, don't go for a quad core. Games don't really utilize them, you'll get more bang for your buck with a dual core.
3ds friend code: 2981-6032-4118
Now that you mention these games, I'm in a pickle. Not wanting to hijack the thread but I need some advice. Both my 360 and my pc are dead and done. I'm posting on my mother-in-laws pc *cringe*. Anyway, I'm at a crossroads. I need something to game on. From what it looks like, both the pc and 360 are getting the same titles around the same time. So I was thinking either going with a top end pc or a 360/ps3 combo since I can browse the web with the ps3. I cannot afford both the pc and a 360 atm. Which do you all think is the better choice?
Not to burst your bubble, but Enemy Territory was shown off for 360 at E3, and World in Conflict is coming to 360 this November.
Still, I think the PC has a solid fall lineup.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
Lol, Age of Conan is a 360 title as well, and Crysis is probably going to end up in some form on the consoles.
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/787/787100p1.html
sorry
If he's got an AGP slot, the best card to go for is the X1950 Pro. Seriously powerful DX9 performance.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
That's okay, I've never been a big fan of Petroglyph, especially after the totally screwed up Empire at War. I just mention it because all the game previewers seem to have gigantic boners for the 3 different races which are apparently the nicest thing since Starcraft or something.
Heh, I hadn't upgraded since 2004 right before HL2 and Doom3 was released. My machine was KING with its 3200XP, 1Gb RAM, and 6800GT.
I'm currently waiting on the Geforce 9 series before I upgrade. The Geforce 8 series seems somewhat lacking and buggy.
You can get vista now or later, I say get the oem while your at it. you won't have to have it for newer games but after seeing world in conflict with DX10, I'm happy to have mine.
you're talking crazy.
PSN: super_emu
Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
AMD Athlon X2 6000+ At $185, that processor is wickedly awesome bang for the buck.
4GB Mushkin XP DDR2 6400 RAM - I went with Mushkin's fastest RAM, with 4-4-3-10 timings (Best I've seen on retail RAM), but the much cheaper HP RAM has 5-5-4-12 or something like that, so it's still bloody fast.
3 x 80GB Hard drives in Striped RAID - Space on my 120GB drive in my previous desktop was never an issue so I went with the smallest SATA drives I could find for a 3 drive array - wanted the performance. Not necessary by any means, but it reduces load times significantly.
eVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB Superclocked - I went with the overclocked one and fuck me but it's fast. The city Shattrath in World of Warcraft brings many computers to their knees, but mines rocks at 55 FPS+ in Shat when it's crowded. This card is seriously a good buy, especially for someone like me who has an LCD with 1440 x 900 res. Makes the 640MB superflous.
Asus M2N-E Motherboard - I never buy anything but Asus Motherboards. They make the most reliable stuff out there and the M2N-E is a fantastic performance board for the AM2 platform.
The rest isn't a big deal other than the OS. I'm running Vista 64 bit and have had almost no issue with WoW, Half Life 2, FEAR and Command & Conquer 3. I see no reason not to upgrade. Vista is very, very nice.
Sorry, don't understand. If you can get a 360 and a PS3, you should also be able to get a 360 OR PS3, and a cheap PC (you know, that can surf the web, and also do ... PC-type stuff). Cheap PC's (ie not for games) can be had for significantly less than 400.
That would be my suggestion. I usually don't participate in console vs pc debates, but the general consensus must be that, for the price conscious, consoles are superior. A 3-4 year life cycle for $3-500 console is far more than you'd get from a similarly priced video card (if you already had a computer with sufficient cpu/hd/ram).
Honestly I think I'm going to go the computer route and play catch up later with the 360. I miss playing WoW and I really really want to play crysis and hellgate. Thanks for the help though!
Further details!
I have a pci-e slot, I believe.
Also the thought of having to change my mobo, as has been mentioned, is foreign and frightening to me.
Also, this talk of power supplies and cooling is WHEEOOOM *waves hand over head*
I just *reallly* want to be able to play HL episode 2 and portal without EVERY graphical option set to off/low. : /
I have a really nice processor, (2.8 pentium dual core) could probably use a second gig of ram, though.
Oh, and what's this talk about DX 10? Is it vista exclusive or something?
Yeah, but don't worry about it. It's gonna be at least a year, probably longer, before games come out that require DX10. However, all the coolest graphical features in new games are gonna end up being DX10 stuff.
You might need to get a new power supply. If you do, Corsair makes a 450w unit that should power any single-GPU computer nicely.
Your processor should do fine for now, but it probably will hold you back in upcoming games. If you do decide to change it, you might not need a new motherboard, since Intel's new processors still use the same socket. Check the manufacturer's website. A BIOS upgrade might be all you need.
RAM is cheap right now, and games are using more and more of it, so absolutely get more. Kingston, Corsair, OCZ, Crucial, and g.skill, are good brands off the top of my head.
A couple tidbits about Unreal Tournament 3 (since that's the only game besides WAR I've been keeping up with). I know that UT3 will need DX10 to do any anti-aliasing. Also, it will take full advantage of quad-core processors.
For the record, I have a uhm...*cracks case* x550? I think?
Anyway, I found what appears to be a really good deal on an ATI All in wonder x600 (256) for 150.
Is this any good?
And what's the truth with certain brands of cards working better or worse with different games/processors?
i want to buy a macbook but my friend reminded me that leopard is coming out in october
does anyone have confirmation of apple's 30-day upgrade policy?
it sucks cause there isn't a solid date set in october and the free ipod deal is running out on the 16th.
edit: oh look, there is a mac thread...
: D