Suggestions for upgrade?

[Sir Buffton]

Hello!

Its upgrade time, i have a bit of money to spend and Civ 5 is chugging a bit to much for my liking! Ive got about 100 dollars ( or 60 quid) to spend, and id go higher if it was a good purchase! Thinking more RAM or a new CPU.

Heres what im rocking at the moment:

Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 28 °C
Brisbane 65nm Technology
RAM
4.0GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 300MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard
http://www.abit.com.tw/ KN9(NF-MCP55 series) (Socket AM2 )
Graphics
X223W @ 1440x900
384MB GeForce 8800 GS (XFX Pine Group)

Welcome any and all ideas, thanks for your input.

 

[Sir Buffton]

Great, thanks pal. Reading now!

 

[Sir Buffton]

Most of the machine is 3 years old now, and it wasn't top end then. I agree with the 'I need a new PC' sentiment.

 

[rand_79]

you would be best served by replacing motherboard memory cpu and video card.

however you could purchase a video card now and still use it later with other upgrades.

I'd suggest looking for a gforce 460 768MB they can be had for about 130$ after rebate if you look for a week or 2(maybe not where you live ? im guessing not usa?)

 

[Sir Buffton]

I suppose what im really asking, is 'Whats the best cpu i can buy for the money?'

 

[Sir Buffton]

England pal.

 

[Sir Buffton]

money is around 100 dollars, but i will go higher if it would be worth it. I appreciate the really best value for money would be to buy a new setup, im testing the water now to see what i can get out of my current rig.

That best for money list looks pretty good! I used to be well clued up on pc bits but ive let my knowledge fade over time! Which ones are socket AM2? Im guessing none of them but google isnt giving me a straight answer.

It really is looking like time for a new mobo.... but a definitive 'Heres a few AM2 Athlons' would be fantastic.

 

[c_for]

If time between turns is your concern then the cpu is the part to upgrade. I love civ5 but in the late game i've been upto a min between turns on the larger maps. Civ is not a graphics intensive game. Civ5 is pretty on full graphics but it's really not nesacery. To truly enjoy the gameplay you need to speed up the time between turns and for that you need a good CPU.

Checking the Canadian tigerdirect store I would recommend the
Phenom X4 9850 which is running at $112CAD. I believe with exchange you should be able to get that for under a 100 quid(i love that term). Basically just get the best processor you can afford.

WARNING: Looking for the spec of your mobo online I wasn't able to find anything on compatible CPU's other than that it is socket AM2. Double check your manual for compatible CPU's first.

 

[Sir Buffton]

looking on wikipedia, its telling me that AM3 Chipsets will work on AM2 boards, with some features disabled. Would it still be worth getting a faster AM3 cpu and taking the hit on the features?

 

[Sir Buffton]

thanks c_for, il email the mobo manufacturer and see what they say.

 

[rand_79]

depends on the board some am3 chips will work on am2+ boards
most wont work on am2 boards.. look up your board and see the cpu compatibility list

edit:
I just looked it up all KN9 boards wont support any phenom or later cpus.

you need a new board.. its not worth reusing your memory with a new board as you might as well go to ddr3 memory.

so you need a full upgrade.

also I CIV 5 can be graphics intensive.. not sure how intensive it is if you turn everything down to low.

every kn9 had same compatibility list
http://www.abit.com.tw/cpu-support-list/mb/nv_nforce570sli_kn9-sli.htm

 

[Sir Buffton]

So that, in a nutshell, is my answer! Thanks guys youve been very helpful.

 

[Onus]

Since Abit is no longer in the mobo business, you've unfortunately been left up the creek without a paddle as far as BIOS updates (to allow newer CPUs) go. See that guy waving at you from the starboard rail? That's me; I'm in the same boat with my IP35Pro. Anyway, the only single upgrade to even consider is a video card. You won't get much out of it until you've upgraded the rest of your system, but at least the money you spend on it won't have gone to waste; although the card you have should be enough for Civ V on lowered settings, so really a rebuild is your best plan. If you're interested, fill out the template from the sticky in the New Builds forum and start a new thread there.

 

[Sir Buffton]

Ive emailed a couple of local computer companies to see what they can put together for the 200-250 quid mark (320-400 dollar). I'l be comparing it to the list on bit tech, and comparing it to UK hardware companies (ebuyer, amazon, play etc).

Will leave the gfx card for a bit, although its coming on 2 years old now. the rest of the system is 3 years old so, its nearly christmas soon,etc...