[New Build] Spent $400 (Was it Worth It?)

[ADREW]

So i bought my friends computer and copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic

The specs are:
CPU: AMD 64 X@ 4800+
RAM 4 Gigs
MOBO: M2A-VM
GPU: Geforce 6800 GT

Was it wise to make this purchase? I really just want to play the Star Wars game but have not been able to test it yet because i'm in the process of getting internet. I also was thinking of buying this GTX560

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051E3BYM/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

Would this upgrade be bottlenecked by my specs?

Thank You for any input

 

[Outlander_04]

I would not buy a graphics card more powerful than a Radeon 6770 [ ~ $90 ] . The rest of the components would not let a GTX 560 run at its potential

Without knowing what other components [ monitor? keyboard? Windows?} you got its hard to be sure ....but I would have to say it was an excellent deal ....... for your friend

 

[ADREW]

Thats what i was afraid of. I did get a large monitor, it has a 150 gig hdd, and windows 7 and a nice case. Did I overspend massively? I went to can you run it and scanned it for Star Wars: Old Republic and it said it could run it fine. ugh now im worried i wont be able to play.

[EDIT] What would you recommend upgrading? I dont need the top of the line gaming rig, i just want to play Star Wars, Minecraft, Team Fortress 2. It would be really nice if i could play BF3. Is there a MOBO you can recommend that doesn't break the bank

 

[Yargnit]

Well here are the minimum requirement for SWTOR:

Processor:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
Operating System:
Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later
RAM:

Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM
Note: PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB of RAM.

Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:

ATI X1800 or better
nVidia 7800 or better
Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better
DVD-ROM drive – 8x speed or better (required for installation from physical editions only) Internet connection required to play.

Your processor is barely above requirements, your RAM is fine, but your GPU is under the listed requirement.

Will it run, most likely yes. But you'll likely be forced to run at 1024x768 at just about minimum video settings to have it be playable.


I would certainly try and convince your friend to give you a refund though. For $400 you could get a better system. If you are going to put $200 toward another video card, meaning your total system cost is now $600, you could build a system much better than that. For $600 if you didn't need a Hard Drive (since HDD prices are so messed up right now) you could just about squeeze in a i5 2300 build.

If you can get him to give you your money back, come back and ask for some help putting a system together and we'll help you come up with something that will blow that computer out of the water. If not, I'd take Outlander's advice, buy a 6770, and find a new friend who won't rip you off like that.

 

[wrazor]

I disagree. Outlander, indeed, his CPU+GPU show, 400$ was far too much, but i suspect, he has got a good monitor & good case+PSU. Its just my gutt feeling(not dissing you). ADREW, calm down. I think, you will able to play that game. Nobody can know, unless you try it once? We can then see what can be done.

But, yargnit is also correct. I would like to know your monitor+ psu+ case info tho. Maybe, then it would be wise to ask for your money back.

 

[Yargnit]

The biggest issue i have with it where the value in the system is located.

All of the big performance components added together have a value of under $100. The CPU is worth less than $40, 4GB RAM is less than $25, the GPU is almost 100% worthless (even integrated will have equal or better performance nowadays), and he said it has a 150GB HDD which means that it's read/write performance is going to be extremely low as well.

The accessory to core component value ratio is completely out of whack, and that's assuming there really is worth close to the $300 of remaining value in the rest of the components.

It's like sticking a cheap ass computer in a Falcon Northwest custom case. A $500 PC in a $1500 case isn't worth $2000. And a PC where the core components are worth $100 at best can't be worth $400 because of the rest of that stuff. The low value of the performance affecting components basically places a cap on what the value of the machine can be. Unless he plans to sell those parts off individually, it's completely unrealized value.

A PC with those parts just can't be worth much over $200 because their value is so low.