Improve Gaming Performance On Asus CM5570

homew0rk123

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I have a refurbished Asus CM5570 Essentio that I would like to use for some "real" gaming. I want to smoothly run games like 'Just Cause 2', 'GTA IV', and the like. When running these types of games there is an annoying lag and the game seems slightly unresponsive, although it renders in good quality (even on low settings). What are my options in terms of speeding this thing up? Overall, the system plays and edits HD video well and can handle many programs at once with relative ease. Thanks in advance.

System Specs:
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1
BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/13/09 18:11:59 Ver: 08.00.14
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz (4 CPUs),
Memory: 6144MB RAM (DDR2 I believe)
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce G100
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Monitor Name: Dell P780
 

homew0rk123

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Sorry for the confusion and thanks for responding.

5570 is the model name. And yes, I am running the G100. Even though its onboard I could put in something else to bolster the poor performance, correct? Perhaps a RADEON HD 5670 card? At this point is the limiting factor my GPU or is the slower CPU a problem as well?

 
The CPU is fine or a low level card like the 5670 but anything more and it would stat to bottleneck.But yes the GPU is your biggest limiting factor.

The 5670 would be a huge upgrade from what your using now.You should easily be able to max those games out or come really close.Also don't expect much out of GTAIV.Their are tons of bugs with that game and even with the best PC's it will slow it down.Lots of poorly written code.

What is your budget?

What is the make/model of your PSU?
 

homew0rk123

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Interesting.

Wow, that would be great! I'm curious, how well would I be able to run the newer games such as BF3? That's unfortunate that they didn't refine IV, I'll be sure not to expect too much from it then.

My budget is within $100 and maybe a little higher if I can without bottlenecking.

The PSU may be an ATX (according to a forum) and I believe the Wattage is "Peak 300 W (PFC)." (Asus website)
 
Their's a chart on the back of the PSU.Can you tell me how many amps are on the +12/v rail(s)?

A game like BF3 is very very demanding.Your PC will get bogged down a lot.The best you could probably do with a 6670 is possibly low settings.You should O.C. your CPU.You will see a drastic performance increase if you can get to around 3ghz.
 

homew0rk123

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I'm having some trouble locating this value for you. My PSU doesn't seem to have a chart on it. I will post as soon as I find the amps per rail.

Yeah, OCing would be sweet. Apparently, the CPU I have is a bit of a hassle to get higher ghz, but I'm sure it's doable.
 
Well if you want to get into it more in depth here's a guide.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259899-29-core-overclocking-guide

Well I know Asus makes a lot of quality stuff but I'm sure they used a 3rd party for the PSU.So it can't be said that's it quality without actually knowing the amperage on the +12/v rail(s).Normally though,with a quality PSU you could run a 5670/6670 on it.

Have you any thoughts of which 5670/6670 you were planning to get?

Here's one for $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442
 
the 6670 is about 10% faster then the 5670, and the card you linked only has DDR3 memory vs DDR5 memory, its a huge performance difference, hence why its priced lower

I currently have a 5670 and im running at 1920 x 1080, i was running at 1280 x 1024 at one point though, i can tell you the card will max out anything at 1024 x 768 except for maybe gta IV and crysis, crysis because well, its a hugely demanding game, and GTA IV because well, its coding is like the devs took a huge steaming dump inside it....

aaanywho, yeah it will play quite nicely at that res :) what monitor do you have, what is the native resolution it can go, i doubt its actually 1024 x 768, im pretty sure thats the highest your onboard can go, whats the name of your monitor and the model #, should be on the front it will be something like Samsung etc (i dont need the really long model #, jhust the generic one)

and yes im to lazy to use correct punctuation :)
 
The 6670 is the updated version of the 5670 so it has slightly more shaders and faster clock speeds as well as better crossfire scaling.It's overall a better card than the 5670 and since it's only $30 more I don't see why not to get it.

I thought you had already looked at the PSU? lol that's what I meant earlier by the chart.
 

homew0rk123

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Hey purple, I found the PSU info. It's a Delta Electronics GPS-300AB C, peak 300W, rated 250W. +12V1/10A, +12V2/14A, -12V/0.3A. It says "total combine current on +12V1 & +12V2 rails are 19 A MAX."

Thanks for the input mouse, who needs punctuation anyways?! It's the content that's important :p

What do you think about this sapphire one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871
It has the DDR5 memory but is only 512mb.

Would the 10% increase in speed translate to higher FPS? I think I'd rather go with the 5670 if I can get away w/ it because I'm not sure if the higher price of the 6670 is worth it.

As for my monitor it's a Dell P780. Apparently its 'optimal' res is 1024 x 768 although based on their website it can go up to 1600 x 1200.

LOL, what is up with those Rockstar devs?! I mean, on the consoles it looks pretty clean to me, so it's crazy that they botched the PC version like that.
 

homew0rk123

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I see... Well if that's the case, then I might as well get it.

And LOL, my bad.
 



that... power supply.... is, really low quality, its even worse then bottom of the barrel stuff... sorry to say but i would upgrade that first to atleast a 400w :) also dont cheap out on your psu, the bad ones tend to explode... mine burst into flames in the middle of the night... that was fun Lol

buy from Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, or even PC&C or Silverstone.... doesnt really matter which company i listed you buy them from, just as long as they are atleast 80+ certified :)

as for the monitor, yeah once you pop in the 5670 (or any card really) you will be able to get 1600 x 1200 :)

even this 300w is better then the one you have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151085

but for the price i would grab this one (only on sale till tomorrow :( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
 
Yah what mouse said is correct.Your PSU is only capable of delivering around 230 watts.A 6670's total system power draw will consume right around 210.I think it's best to upgrade your PSU.If you budget won't allow for a new PSU then you can always go with a 6570 and it will still be a big improvement over your current onboard GPU.
 

homew0rk123

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@mouse
LOL, definitely do NOT want a fire here, landlord would kill me!

Thanks for the suggestions and the links.
I have decided to go with this PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

and either this GPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150560

The price difference is small between the 6670 and 6770. As long as I don't bottle neck, I'd most likely go for the 6770 IF it makes a noticeable difference.

@purple
Sounds good! I'm tired of the low performance I'm experiencing so I'm going ahead and getting the PSU. Any thoughts on the combo I have linked?
 

homew0rk123

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Ok, I'm sort of torn LOL. So if I get a 6850 over the 6770, which is about $40 more w/ MIR, I will see a noticeable difference between the two and not have to worry about bottle necking and overloading the new PSU?
 

homew0rk123

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Great! I just put in the order for the 6770 and PSU. Thank you so much for all of your assistance and time, purple. I really appreciate it. :)