Budget Crysis Warhead system - Any last input?

I don't know what res you play at but I'd get a 260gtx or a 4870 and I'd put more ram in the machine and I'd opt for a quad core if it's Crysis I wanted to play. ........... I use a 6850 and it only plays the game good when it hits 3.4 to 3.6....( not that it doesn't...but )...( experience ).... especially at the end. There and in the icy regions the quad core would come in handiest. That's my opinion of it. If it's a 4850 you're set on I'd opt for the couple of extra frames you might get out of the 1gig card........... ??????????

My e8400 works with my ga-p35-ds3l rev 2.0 motherboard which came shipped with F7 bios, you may need to update bios to get e8400 to run.

1. Get this quad core instead, its only about $15 more. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
2. The 4850 is fine for that monitor. The brand doesn't matter, just check warranties and whats included.
3. Yes 450watts is enough
4. Yes ATX compatible
5. I'd suggest 4GB of ram, its so cheap and you will notice a difference. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134730
6. You could always wait, but the prices won't be a huge difference

You could save some money and get this motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 82E1681313

Heck my system plays Crysis on Medium. Since that board only has one PCI-E slot I take it you're not planning to crossfire anytime soon, so that 450W PSU should be fine especially since it has a good single 12v Rail. As for which version, go with one that has a free game ^_^. If you can spend a little more money though get the the TOXIC version from Sapphire. If you want the cheapest one the PALit has a $30 mail in rebate making it the best buy.

Do I need to put in an older processor first before updating?

Heard about some heat issues. So if I buy the cheapest one should I buy an afterstock cooler right away with it?

Thanks! I'll only be using the PC for gaming, so I think the E8400 is better? Also, I can always buy another 2GB down the road. Money's a bit tight. Newegg link doesn't work, what's the model of that board?

I think it's good as is. The thing is, 4850s dump their heat inside the case, so you need a well cooled case.
I don't think you can classify the 330 as well cooled.
The Antec 300 would be a better choice if you can afford it.

I can't believe they want $700 for that piece of junk. And that video card.. ? .. for playing Crysis....... nuts !

And a comment on you guys playing on medium settings. That's fine if you think it's good, but you're missing a lot of detail and a lot of effects running at those settings.

the original poser, running game on you 17 inch monitor..... you have made a good set up for that but I'd still get more memory. Crysis eats it.

I don't see anything necessarily wrong with that PC. It would be nicer if it had 4GB of RAM instead of 2GB. But frankly, that's probably a decent system for most of the games out today. Crysis is an absolute beast when it comes to soaking up PC resources. It'll cripple any system if you put settings high enough.

That system isn't "High End" by any means, but that's why it's $700. Keep in mind, buying a pre-built PC is always more expensive than building it yourself, and typically comes with some kind of warranty or tech support. Sometimes this is needed for folks who don't have the know-how to build their own.

To the Original Poster:

If you can do 4GB of RAM, I'd do it. You'll notice a difference in everything you do, including Crysis. Also, if you at all tempted to do a Quad Core the Intel Q6600 that someone mentioned above is an absolutely good processor. Only your RAM, Harddrive, and Motherboard Chipset will bottleneck you using that processor right now. (that is to say, the game itself won't bog down that CPU) And on a P35 motherboard like you have, you should be able to get reasonable overclocks if you ever ventured that direction.

Biggest thing with Crysis is video card. That game just pounds on video cards.

jerreece said:

That system isn't "High End" by any means, but that's why it's $700. Keep in mind, buying a pre-built PC is always more expensive than building it yourself, and typically comes with some kind of warranty or tech support. Sometimes this is needed for folks who don't have the know-how to build their own.

swifty says:

You're right. i don't think in that realm anymore.

That's absolute nonsense. Not only is the P35 fully capable of running an E8400 but it's also perfectly capable of overclocking one to 4GHz.

By the way sapphire and HIS would be the brands I'd look at. They have a good reputation and some very nice aftermarket cooled cards.

I do recommend getting a 4850 with aftermarket cooling...i believe most of them nowadays offer aftermarket cooling...I bought my gigabyte 4850 when they initially came out (with stock heatsink and fan) and the simple fan fix worked perfectly....dont worry about it overheating and it causing problems, the cards do run a little hotter than others but its nothing to worry about...