Homebuilt computer not performing

[Acerbity]

Motherboard: Intel D915PBL
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.40GHz
Memory: 3 gig
Video card: ATI Radeon HD 2600xt 512 mb vid memory
Regular resolution: 1680x1050
OS: XP Pro
PSU: 600 Watts rms

Those are my specs down to the basics. I was going to post this in the games section but the case is all homemade so i don't really have anything to compare it to.

The question is why am i not getting good performance in games such as world of warcraft? I mean i am sitting at 3 fps at sometimes. If anyone has any insight as to what component is not on par with the rest, please let me know.

 

[hunter315]

What are your settings in WOW? Try running it in 1440x900(same aspect ratio so it should work) see if that raises your FPS significantly, if it does not then you have a CPU bottle neck, however i believe it will as the 2600xt is a fairly old card. You are likely better off considering a cheap modern system than attempting to upgrade your current one to be able to handle WOW well. It will cost you 100 for a new AGP card or 500 for a new system that will actually be upgradable in the future.

 

[Acerbity]

My HD 2600xt card is a PCI-e card, not agp

 

[jerfle]

I agree with hunter315. I think that resolution is a little high for that card. Also have you scanned for possible malware? What about internet connection?

 

[Acerbity]

what would be a good upgrade on video card for PCI expressx16? I know i don't have any malware and my internet connection is about 17mbps download and 7mbps upload according to sites such as speedtest.

 

[jerfle]

I would not go lower than a 4670 or 9600 GT at your current resolution, but 4850 would be great buy. Having said that, your current processor will hold you back any card.

 

[Acerbity]

But i mean even with my current setup, would a new video card + lower res improve frames a lot, or would it be worthless, i'm planning to get into a new motherboard and case sometime soon, i just wanna do what i can with this one until i'm ready. I work at a best buy so video cards are relatively cheap for me.

 

[hunter315]

Get a new video card, you can carry it over into your new build so its a good investment. A 4850 or 4870 would do good while not being too expensive, but you may need to swap your PSU to support them. What power supply do you have? Link to it if able, i have seen 600 watt PSUs with lower specs than the corsair 450vx.

 

[jerfle]

+1 hunter315

 

[Acerbity]

well, i don't have a link to the psu. it is a 650 peak watt psu, it's 80 plus certified and says it runs 600 continuous. has 4 pci-e outs i believe.