Can a Pentium D 925 play new games at min settings?

[Guest]

Pentium D 925 3.00 GHz with a card that ranges from gt 220 - gt 240 or HD4650 to HD5570, these cards are close to the power of a 9800GTX.
And 2.50 GB of DDR2 memory @ 400MHz
I know that this plays 2007-2009 games at low according to game-play videos on YouTube with a decent frame rate 20-30.

In case you're confused with my budget I'm 14 years old, so you get the picture.

Just be to the point- I don't care if it can't and I do know how outdated is it- but who cares? I have a PS3.

I was going to build a gaming PC but in the UAE- I live there, there aren't many computer shops nor does Newegg or any other site offer international shipping, even if they did it would be darn expensive to ship individual computer parts across the Atlantic. And my friends also have a PS3.

But any ways how would it do?

Also how would it do in Photoshop or Blender 3D rendering, should I upgrade this HP prebuilt PC with my last 300 AED ($80 US dollars) on a graphics card or just forget it.

P.S it's current card is a 64MB 7300 LE with a hardware based problem- it needs replacement anyways.

Is it worth the upgrade?

 

[jaguarskx]

The good news is that the PD 925 should not really bottleneck the video cards you have listed; the best one being the GT 240.

 

[Guest]

I heard that most new games will be more GPU based than CPU like Crysis which makes your GPU look like a... 7300 64MB was the best I could think of lol
and barely touch the CPU.

 

[suteck]

Depends on the game(s) you're talking about running. I'd imagine you're talking about the higher-end games so for the most part I'd say no. A little more on the video card might help but the $80 isn't enough to get a good enough card to make up for the lack of memory and cpu cores most games today require.

You might be ok in photoshop and the blender 3D rendering only requires about 400MHz processor - but I believe you will need an openGL supporting video card to run it.

 

[jaguarskx]

Most games are pendent on the GPU than the CPU. However a more powerful CPU can also help boost gaming performance by a little bit.

The video card is the primary boost for video games. It is important that you do not buy a card that is bottlenecked by the CPU because it would just be a waste of money. I think a HD 5670 or the GT 240 should be okay for your CPU, there might be a little bit of bottlenecking, but you will still get better performance than sticking in a HD 5570 or GT 220.

The HD 5670 and GT 240 are more or less equal to each other overall. The GT 240 does use a little more electricity (48w vs 30w) under typical gaming conditions.

Since you live in the UAE, is your home air conditioned? If not, then I would buy the HD 5670 since it runs a little cooler.

 

[Guest]

I've got good Air Conditioning obviously, room temp is 20-26 degrees Celsius, in summer out side it reaches 46-50!!!

But then again is it worth the upgrade?

 

[jaguarskx]

Yes, you will see better performance in games. A HD 5670 or GT 240 is a huge improvement over the nVidia 7300 LE.

Depending on the resolution of the monitor you may be able to play games with high graphics settings.

 

[Guest]

I've got 1680x1050! but would games still look fine if I run them at 1280x720 or a close resolution?- I heard that if you display something much lower than your monitor resolution it looks bad,
But I'll go for it- I'll buy whatever cards the shops have available from the ones I've listed. I'll get it this weekend- my dad has to take me lol

 

[Guest]

I'm 14 and a half- Priceless lol roflmao

 

[Tamz_msc]

What's your motherboard? Maybe its compatible with the newer Pentium Dual core Exxxx CPUs(considering your budget), and you may be able to convince your parents to buy it.
Pentium Ds dont cut it any more by today's standards.

 

[king smp]

To answer the original post YES
Try to get a 5670 since it is a HP that is the best bet for power supply and budget.
I used a Pentium D 945 3.4 with a HD 4650 to play Bioshock 2 at high settings at 1920x1080.
MOST games will be at 1280x1024 at low to medium settings.
The 5670 is low power usage and doesnt require an external power connector which with a HP is important.
Look up Toms Hardware January Video Card recommendations and it shows the 5670.
You might be able to do a 5770 but I think with the PentD the performance might be hampered by a cpu bottleneck plus it is better budget wise.
Just my opinion
I could be wrong

 

[Guest]

What's your motherboard? Maybe its compatible with the newer Pentium Dual core Exxxx CPUs(considering your budget), and you may be able to convince your parents to buy it.
Pentium Ds dont cut it any more by today's standards.

Here are the specs on the HP website
It's socket 775 yet checkout this link:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...cc=us&site=null&key=null&product=3422116#N238

I've already been whining for a new computer but no luck because I can't contradict about the fact that I have a PS3, but gaming is what I only spend a quarter of my time on the computer on. Though I could still get my dad to buy me a new processor, with his money, since the computer is outdated and I'm not the only one that uses it.


See the CPU upgrade info it says that the best it supports is Core 2 Duo 4300 @1.8 GHz, why I thought socket 775 supported up to Core 2 Quad and the Pentium Dual-Core series, I fear that I may need a BIOS upgrade to support these new processors, I got the computer in 2007.

HP has a BIOS upgrade on their website but it also came out in 2007. I'm afraid to get the upgrade from ECS which is the original motherboard manufacturer; maybe the HP version of the mobo might of been modified, I might get an error in the BIOS flashing process and go from a horrible computer to nothing.

I upgraded my RAM a to 2.5 GB, the 2GB module is 400MHz and the 512MB is the standard 266MHz.

All these cards can run on the PSU, it's 300w with 19A on the 12v rail, I also have a spare PSU, no brand 450w with 16A on the 12v rail- I can run my computer on 2 separate PSUs, by jump starting the 450w, and keeping it outside the case, using it to power the hard drive, CPU and anything else while the 300w- because it has 19A on the 12v rail could just connect to the mobo - with the 24 pin to power the Graphics card.

I don't have to do that since all the cards can run on 300w but it does work with the exception of the computer looking like a... mess, monster or something.

 

[Guest]

I think that I should go for a 5570 or 5670, depending on the prices, because it will probably cost more here. I could also go for a GT240.

Any last tips and advice from anyone?

 

[Tamz_msc]

Its a 945 series motherboard, so the best that it will support is the e4300, which is much better than the Pentium D.

 

[Guest]

Its a 945 series motherboard, so the best that it will support is the e4300, which is much better than the Pentium D.

that is a core 2 duo at 1.8 GHz thats like about 40% faster than a Pentium D.

I will upgrade my graphics card first today otherwise this weekend I'll buy one, I will then see the performance and if I'm not satisfied I'll get a used e4300, considering the fact that it's outdated I can get one for a cheap price.
I'll also call HP and see if I can run the other core 2 duos or quads- they were just coming out when I bought my computer which is probably why they aren't listed because if I can then I can make my PC modern and no longer out dated.

 

[king smp]

5670