for techie pros out there

[dotamastaa]

after i found out sc2 and ra3 was coming out on Oct i did hours and more hours of research to how to improve my comp
my current computer is "hp 7360n"
which has:

PentiumD 920 (P) dual core 2.8 GHz
Memory Installed 2 GB (2 x 1 GB)
300 GB SATA with 7200 rpm
Video Graphics: GeForce 6200SE

if this info isnt enough theres a lot more here
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00585760&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=1818344

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these are the items i want to buy for my system

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26415&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=CORSAIR
Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
Reg. Price: $124.99 After Mail In Rebate: $104.99 CAD

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30480&vpn=BFGEGTX2801024OCE&manufacture=BFG%20Technologies
BFG GeForce GTX 280 OC 615MHZ 1024MB 2.214GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card
Reg. Price: $468.99 After Mail In Rebate: $438.99 CAD

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and i will buy these items on december because i have limited budget right now

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18581&vpn=TWIN2X2048-6400&manufacture=CORSAIR
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
Reg. Price: $59.99 After Mail In Rebate: $46.99 CAD

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10100850&catid=#
Samsung SyncMaster 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor (T220)
Our price: $339.99

im digging myself a hole for these upgrades
because i want the best quality images and still have very fast stable performance
my question is will everything work to its full potential?
will the items i want to buy work with my current system?
if i am getting the best i woudnt mind being broke for a long time

 

[geofelt]

The GTX280 is 10.5" long, and may have trouble fitting in your case. Check that out first. Other high end cards are that length also.

 

[dotamastaa]

i already checked length available on my comp is 28cm and width is 15cm it should fit

 

[aznguy0028]

sorry to break your joy buddy

but sc2 isn't coming out in oct. the previous "tentative" date posted by game companies such as gamestop...etc was dec 3, 2008 although this date was never confirmed by blizzard

but now...............it's TBA 2009 i'm just as sad as you, check pc.ign.com to keep up to date on sc2 news and such

also. red alert 3 is a good game, i'm in the beta for it, and it's pretty fun from what i've experienced

 

[bobbknight]

I would start with a new case with more front to back room.
Then I would build from there.

 

[V3NOM]

i didn't think you could get a pentium D over 2.2GHz...

 

[dotamastaa]

sorry to break your joy buddy

but sc2 isn't coming out in oct. the previous "tentative" date posted by game companies such as gamestop...etc was dec 3, 2008 although this date was never confirmed by blizzard

but now...............it's TBA 2009 i'm just as sad as you, check pc.ign.com to keep up to date on sc2 news and such

also. red alert 3 is a good game, i'm in the beta for it, and it's pretty fun from what i've experienced

i dont think that is true because i went to EBgames not to long ago and they told me that sc2 is coming out on oct 1 so i already paid $5 deposit to make sure i get the game i will be coming back on Oct1 to pay full i dont think EBgames would let me do that if they are not 100% sure that game will come out at this time

 

[dotamastaa]

I would start with a new case with more front to back room.
Then I would build from there.

i dont think i need to do that because i did my measurements already and it should fit and plus i like my case better than anything else has all the plugs i need in the front so i dont have to crawl down under my computer table

 

[Guest]

Venom, where have you been? As far as i know, ALL PENTIUM D'S are over 2.2 ghz... the lowest model is like 2.8, second is 3, third is like 3.2 and the highest is like 3.4

thats what I saw when i had a pentium D, and i had the 3 ghz one


as far as the gtx 280 OC

if your willing to dish out that much cash for a GPU, then get a 4870 X2, its better by a fair margin in most games than the gtx 280.

If you don't want to spend that much then I recommend the 4870, especially for 1680 by 1050, that looks like prime real estate for the 48-50/70 series.

your processor WILL limit any of that graphics cards above. I frankly recommend revamping your entire system if you want to keep for a lot longer...

get a good p45 mobo (asus p5q's work well) and a quad such as the q9550 and then overclock it, if your not willing to dish quite that much out for a processor, get a e8500 and then overclock with the xigametek s1283 cpu cooler


and then get 2 X 2 GB ram modules because the fewer dimms of ram you have, the easier it is to achieve stability at higher overclocks

Although you currently have a pre-built system, i'd recommend next time you build just building from scratch, its more fun (a lot more), cheaper, and more satisfying, and there are many more ways to customize ones computer

 

[zenmaster]

Sell your old working system on CraigsList and Build a New System.

The Case does not have good Cooling for High End Parts.
The HDD will be slower than new ones.
Clearly your are replacing the video card.
The RAM will not be able to hit high OCs.
The Mobo does not even support OCs.
The CPU even if OC'd which you can't will not match current systems.

Your system is still fine for some folks so sell the working system to somebody who can use it.

Then build one to meet your needs.
If you try to piece-meal upgrades together, your new parts will not reach their potential and you will be wasting money.

 

[mi1ez]

That's a fairly good system to be selling by the look of it, over and above many standard new PCs (except the processor of course), should be able to get £100 for it, which would get you a nice start on a new system.

 

[Onus]

Going from a 6200SE to a GTX280 sounds insane, especially when you say you have a limited budget. Get a single HD4850 at most. You might consider a 4670, but I haven't seen benchmarks on it yet.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I would follow the suggestion of building a new system. That CPU will not be able to feed any current GPU. A GTX 280, especially an OC version, with that CPU is a waste of money.

 

[dotamastaa]

Venom, where have you been? As far as i know, ALL PENTIUM D'S are over 2.2 ghz... the lowest model is like 2.8, second is 3, third is like 3.2 and the highest is like 3.4

thats what I saw when i had a pentium D, and i had the 3 ghz one


as far as the gtx 280 OC

if your willing to dish out that much cash for a GPU, then get a 4870 X2, its better by a fair margin in most games than the gtx 280.

If you don't want to spend that much then I recommend the 4870, especially for 1680 by 1050, that looks like prime real estate for the 48-50/70 series.

your processor WILL limit any of that graphics cards above. I frankly recommend revamping your entire system if you want to keep for a lot longer...

get a good p45 mobo (asus p5q's work well) and a quad such as the q9550 and then overclock it, if your not willing to dish quite that much out for a processor, get a e8500 and then overclock with the xigametek s1283 cpu cooler


and then get 2 X 2 GB ram modules because the fewer dimms of ram you have, the easier it is to achieve stability at higher overclocks

Although you currently have a pre-built system, i'd recommend next time you build just building from scratch, its more fun (a lot more), cheaper, and more satisfying, and there are many more ways to customize ones computer

but i thought 4870 X2 was more exp and people said they have heating problems and have some prob with other games because they are working dual
and also i want something from nvidia because my system was made by nvidia
i also found out that gtx280 has build in built in physx so it puts less stress to my CPU? correct me if im wrong

and i dont understand the term revamping if you mean overclock i dont want to do that
because my system could stop working i dont think its worth the risk
based on your comments it seems like you want me to build a new comp
as much as i would like to my budget may not fit

what if i go with my plan above how much percent of the card's(gtx280) power will work
if it will work 80% or above i woudnt be that sad if i could see the "full quality image" of the card

the reason why i want to get gtx280 is because after reading people's comment on this card
i wanted to experince how it is like to play in such quality
and since sc2 and ra3 is coming out i want the best card for it i think this is the time to buy such a card
is there anything i can do to make it work with my system without almost building a new comp

 

[dotamastaa]

Sell your old working system on CraigsList and Build a New System.

The Case does not have good Cooling for High End Parts.
The HDD will be slower than new ones.
Clearly your are replacing the video card.
The RAM will not be able to hit high OCs.
The Mobo does not even support OCs.
The CPU even if OC'd which you can't will not match current systems.

Your system is still fine for some folks so sell the working system to somebody who can use it.

Then build one to meet your needs.
If you try to piece-meal upgrades together, your new parts will not reach their potential and you will be wasting money.

do you rec i buy a new case?
maybe ill buy faster hardrive later i was thiking 10000rpm

i dont understand
The RAM will not be able to hit high OCs.
The Mobo does not even support OCs.
The CPU even if OC'd which you can't will not match current systems.

 

[dotamastaa]

That's a fairly good system to be selling by the look of it, over and above many standard new PCs (except the processor of course), should be able to get £100 for it, which would get you a nice start on a new system.

so if i do buy the a processor will my plan work ? which do you rec to go with gtx280

 

[Heyyou27]

i didn't think you could get a pentium D over 2.2GHz...

There has never been a version of the Pentium D that slow; Netburst had a much longer pipeline and was not capable of doing as many instructions per clock cycle, so the clockspeed was generally pushed a lot higher than even Core 2 chips today, even though they are A LOT slower when it comes to real performance.

 

[ahslan]

I also agree with selling the rig and using the money to build a new one...thats exactly what I did...even though I had a emotional attachment to my previous rig, my current one simply blows it out of the water...I sold my rig along with an old ass monitor, keyboard, and mouse I had (I have waayy too much old crap laying around) and ended spending about $20 or so out of my own pocket for my new build

 

[geofelt]

Here are a couple of links to some good discussions.
First, how good a vga card do you need for good gameplay?
http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_3/
next, how much cpu (duo vs quad) do you need to drive a high end vga card?
http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_3/ Look particularly at the budget cpu in the charts.

I come to the conclusion that the best vga card that your processor can drive is much lower than what you are considering.
At most, I would look at the 9800GX2/GTX260/4870 cards which are comparable.
Probably, you would love something less, like a 4850.

Use some of the savings to get an additional 2gb of ram. Here's why:
http://www.corsairmemory.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf


When you get the funds, upgrade to a E8400.

 

[Murissokah]

i didn't think you could get a pentium D over 2.2GHz...

Not to flame the guy, but I used to have the D805 (2.66) which could do over 4GHz. Unfortunately, while the old netburst cores could do great clocks, they still couldn't match a slow core duo.

 

[mtyermom]

Do NOT put a GTX 280 OC into that system. You will NOT get the card running up to it's potential and will be throwing money away.

Simply dropping in an HD4850 would be a major upgrade to that rig, anything more will be a waste.

Get the 4850 out of you current budget and put the rest aside. Keep saving and adding to that fund until you can put together a new system.

Or, as others have said, sell the machine you have and build a new one right away.

 

[B-Unit]

i dont think that is true because i went to EBgames not to long ago and they told me that sc2 is coming out on oct 1 so i already paid $5 deposit to make sure i get the game i will be coming back on Oct1 to pay full i dont think EBgames would let me do that if they are not 100% sure that game will come out at this time

You can go back Oct 1 but your going to be sorely dissapointed.

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/09/16/diabloiii_starcraftii/

Cant read it at work, but as I recall from reading last night, no SC2 before 2009.

As to your hardware upgrade, unless you can afford to upgrade other components as well, you will see improvement compared to what you have, but will not harness the full power of a GTX280. I would recomend a 9800GTX or 8800GT for your setup. All in all, the 'quality' of the image isn't going to vary card to card, its more how fast said quality is displayed, and with the cap put in place by your slower hardware, your far better off with one of the cards being recommended to you here.

 

[megamanx00]

Well your resolution is going to be 1680 x 1050 so it will be good to have a powerful card. Even so your CPU is really going to limit you. Consider getting an nvidia 260 or a Radeon 4870 since without a more powerful CPU the 280 will not be much of an increase over these two cards but it will be a big increase as far as the strain on your wallet . The Radeon 4850 is a good buy, but I think that at 1680 x 1050 you will appreciate the added power of the 4870 or the nvidia 260. The money you save buy going with one of these cheaper cards can be put towards a better motherboard and CPU latter.

 

[dotamastaa]

I also agree with selling the rig and using the money to build a new one...thats exactly what I did...even though I had a emotional attachment to my previous rig, my current one simply blows it out of the water...I sold my rig along with an old ass monitor, keyboard, and mouse I had (I have waayy too much old crap laying around) and ended spending about $20 or so out of my own pocket for my new build

i dont really want to sell my system because i love my casing more than anything else
and i bought this hardrive http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10092491&catid=26259&PCName=drive%5Fhp&logon=&langid=EN
just for this system it will probably work on other comp but the Hardrive will be lying around with wires i would rather keep my comp for sure

 

[dotamastaa]

Here are a couple of links to some good discussions.
First, how good a vga card do you need for good gameplay?
http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_3/
next, how much cpu (duo vs quad) do you need to drive a high end vga card?
http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_3/ Look particularly at the budget cpu in the charts.

I come to the conclusion that the best vga card that your processor can drive is much lower than what you are considering.
At most, I would look at the 9800GX2/GTX260/4870 cards which are comparable.
Probably, you would love something less, like a 4850.

Use some of the savings to get an additional 2gb of ram. Here's why:
http://www.corsairmemory.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf


When you get the funds, upgrade to a E8400.

after looking at that chart and reading what these charts are all about
i found out that with with a 22" monitor and with a native res of 1600X1200
gtx260 has 93 fps at this res and gtx280 has 102fps at this res
that is not a big difference and i will still exp the built in physics of gtx260 and only one class lower than gtx 280
so i might not even see the difference im going for gtx260 now please tell me its a good idea

When you get the funds, upgrade to a E8400.
im not sure if that is a wise buy im looking at $220 item
just for another .2ghz improvement i dont think i would go for it