What to upgrade

[tm07015]

Hello,
I was recently debating what to upgrade in my pc in order to play games better, medal of honor more specifically. My current specs are:
GeForce 9400 GT
3gb of ram
amd athlon 64 x2 3600 1.9ghz
windows xp

also, if you think i should upgrade something, it would be awesome if you could give me possible options, thanks.

 

[Herr_Koos]

If you are referring to the latest Medal of Honor, you would probably need to upgrade the entire system; as in new CPU, motherboard, and graphics.

 

[namelessonez]

First off, I think you'll be better off putting this thread in the Graphics Card section of TH.

Back on the topic, the 9400GT is not a gaming card. I used to have one until I upgraded to a GTS250 (MSI). The difference in performance was overwhelming! Now I'm using a GTX 470 and the difference is the same as when I upgraded to the GTS250.

So, on the GPU front, you need to upgrade to a better card. Depending on your gaming resolution and budget, we can recommend our suggestions. We'll need to know the details of your PSU (Power Supply Unit - brand, power, etc).

Next, your CPU! Unless you can overclock it to 2.4 GHZ, you may want to consider an upgrade (preferably to a quad core if possible). Upgrading your GPU may not be the solutionif your CPU is gonna bottleneck the GPU.

Give it a thought and let us know...

 

[Kef]

I recently replaced my X2 3800,

it was sucessfully running MW2 and crysis at 1200x1024 resolutions, (albeit frame rate was collapsing during crysis exodus scene and the final section)

a better graphics card in the £130 quid range would be worthwhile - but if you want to go up a resolution level then a new system is probably on the cards. I upgraded to a core i7 to run MW2 at 1080p, with a single ATI5770, I have another still in a box for crossfire but screwed up the PSU spec, but it's running so well I haven't bothered replacing the psu yet.

 

[tm07015]

First off, I think you'll be better off putting this thread in the Graphics Card section of TH.

Back on the topic, the 9400GT is not a gaming card. I used to have one until I upgraded to a GTS250 (MSI). The difference in performance was overwhelming! Now I'm using a GTX 470 and the difference is the same as when I upgraded to the GTS250.

So, on the GPU front, you need to upgrade to a better card. Depending on your gaming resolution and budget, we can recommend our suggestions. We'll need to know the details of your PSU (Power Supply Unit - brand, power, etc).

Next, your CPU! Unless you can overclock it to 2.4 GHZ, you may want to consider an upgrade (preferably to a quad core if possible). Upgrading your GPU may not be the solutionif your CPU is gonna bottleneck the GPU.

Give it a thought and let us know...

hi, thanks for answering, how can i find out the details of my PSU?
also, i would definitely upgrade to the gts250 like you said, i was reading up on it and it seems like it would make a huge difference

 

[waydiddy]

You might want to check out an application called Speccy by Piriform (Google it)

It's a very small application that actively gathers all of your computer specs so you're able to get the details without perusing (sp) around the Control Panel.

For the power supply itself, take a peek on the outside for any sort of model number / serial number and Google it get your specs. Just throwing it out there, if it's a company-built PC (Dell, Gateway, HP, etc.), it doesn't always come with a beefy PSU

 

[namelessonez]

The GTS250 would definitely be a great improvement from the 9400GT. It's a good and powerful enough card for you as of the moment.

As for the PSU, try taking off the side panel of your cabinet and check the PSU (I'm guessing it will be on the top of your cabinet). Check the brand. Check the wattage. And if possible, check the volts as well. Once done, let us have the details and we'll take it further.

Is it possible for you to upgrade the CPU as well? That might be a bottleneck for the GTS250.

 

[tm07015]

Ok I found my PSU info. H305N-00 Dell Power Supply 305W E521 M8055 L305P-00.
And as for the CPU, I would upgrade it but I have no idea which CPUs are and are not compatible with my motherboard.

 

[jgiron]

Unfortunately you need a completely new computer.

Your motherboard I believe is 939 architecture which is completely obsolete and the highest cpu you can get is a 4200 (or 4800) which is very expensive if you can find one. I was trying to do this to my old 3800. It's not worth it.

You need to get an AM2/AM3 motherboard with DDR2/DRR3 memory respectively.

This is the cheapest route than getting a Core i5.
Your PSU will also need an upgrade. Spend no less than $50 on a PSU, get a name brand with great reviews with @least 500w.

Wait until Black Friday to buy your stuff...and look for rebates and discounts.

 

[victordilorenzo]

I recommend at least 750watt corsair or equivalent PSU. Just so you don't have to buy a new PSU every time you need to upgrade the graphics card, or whole system.

 

[AfterImage]

A new computer would be the best option. You would need a better cpu and gpu. For a better gpu, you would need a new psu. A ram upgrade may help but not so much with windows xp.

I would go with what jgiron said. You will end up with greater performance, longevity, and it will be cheaper than upgrading in the long run. If you can build it yourself, then go to the new build section of the forums. I recently made a computer, someone will get you a good deal with compatible parts.

I am not sure of the recommended specs of MoH but if you have a small budget ($400~700) you are probably looking at a computer similar to these specs:
-3 core processor (AMD x3 rana something. 4 cores would be better. 2 cores may work but don't sell yourself too short.)
-Radeon 5770 (prefer radeon 6850)
-4 gb ram is perfect for anything gaming for a long time.
-600W psu? (not sure how low you can go here)
-of course, you will need to choose a motherboard and probably a case as well.

If you can't build it yourself, I don't know what you can look into getting. I didn't like the prebuild options and costs. (dell and ibuypower is what i considered and didn't like)