What's my weakest link??

[BoostinFC]

Hey guys, i play wow alot, and normally i can keep 30-50 fps out in the open, 15-25 in crowded cities, and it drops down 8-15 when in a 25man raid. What do i need to replace to get this fixed GOOD.

Dell Dim4700
MY specs:
P4 3.0ghz Single core with H/T (800 FSB......16kb/1mb Caches)
2Gbs DDR2-533 (PC2-4300) (running at 266)
NViDEA 9400GT /512
80gb SATA-150 drive
250gb SATA-300 (external)
Upgraded power supply

Mobo is ATX /775LGA

Looking to spend under $300

I hear the Core 2 Duo's handle WoW very well, and prices on the E8500 (3.0ghz) is down to $160ish, but i'd prob want a better mobo with better memory but im really not sure exactly WHAT my weakest link is.

 

[BadTrip]

memory is your weakest. Newegg has several amd combos that would be a BIG improvement.

 

[BadTrip]

CPU & mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.294411

$228.98

 

[Upendra09]

Your weakest links are ur processor and RAM, for good parts under 300
get these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648

Phenom II x3 710..................................110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130247

MSI AMD AM3......................................80

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148149

Crucial DDR3 2GB RAM 1066.............................total 44

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121340

ATI Radeon 4650 1 gig.......................................58

total:292

I don't kknow if the 4650 is better than the 9400 so u will need a second opinion on that.

 

[batuchka]

 

[BadTrip]

that is really good for WOW batuchka. While my cpu and board are better, yours is an all around better choice for the money. +1

 

[batuchka]

Thank you for your kind words ^^

 

[OvrClkr]

the above combos are excellent choices but you are better off saving up at least 350.00 or more for sake of a better GPU. This way you won't have to upgrade sooner than later...

If 300.00 is all you can do then batuchka's combo should be a no-brainer BUT try upgrading to a 4850 for more or less the same price :

XFX HD-485X-YDFC Radeon HD 4850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337&cm_re=4850-_-14-150-337-_-Product

might be 20 or 30 dollars more but well worth it since the 4850 should give you at least 10-15% performance increase over the 4770 depending on game. If this is not possible get an XFX 4770 :

XFX HD-477A-YDFC Radeon HD 4770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&cm_re=4770-_-14-150-369-_-Product

 

[BoostinFC]

Thank you for your responses! But...
You guys all recommend AMD processors....what about INTEL?!?

 

[BoostinFC]

And why won't my memory run faster? Is it because of the motherboard?

 

[theholylancer]

intel atm is more for higher end stuff, their lower end stuff is End of Life and the replacement is coming (with no mention of actually how cheap it is)

amd is for people on the budget for now.

 

[sanchz]

The AMD options mentioned (Athlon II X3 at $76; or Phenom II) offer better value for your money than an overpriced Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad.

 

[warmon6]

Thank you for your responses! But...
You guys all recommend AMD processors....what about INTEL?!?

As the others have said, AMD hasd a more budget cpu than intel does.



Just to give you an idea of this

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=106&p2=76

These 2 cpus are clocked nearly the same GHz of 2.6 GHz. only difference is the L2 cache.

As you see in the bench, the C2Q is slightly better than Athlon II x4.

Although here are there prices.



Athlon II x4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706&cm_re=AMd_athlon_II_x4_620-_-19-103-706-_-Product

C2Q 9400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131&cm_re=core_2_quad-_-19-115-131-_-Product

*Just using these cpu's as an example.

with the LGA 775 at the end of there life cycle we have a hard time recommending anything else.


Now if you had a larger budget and has a microcenter near you, we could recommend a core i5 For $150, a compatible motherboard for the same price, ddr3 ram, and reusing some of old parts that could work on your computer. There you'll have a nice intel computer.

Although on that Budget, get an AMD.

 

[BoostinFC]

Thanks for the responses guys, ill start with memory and go from there