How good is my computer and how can i make it better?

[pamegerow]

Hi, as you can see i'm new to this thread.
The reason i'm making this thread is because yahoo answers is poop when it comes to this stuff and nearly useless so I thought i'd give it a shot and ask the people more knowledgable in this terrain.
So basically i've been thinking about upgrading my computer as it's not really cutting it for me. Here are the specs:
CARD : NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
PROCESSOR : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz
Total available graphics memory: 2815 MB
Dedicated graphics memory : 1024MB
Dedicated system memory :0 MB
Shared system memory :1791 MB
Primary monitor resolution :1360x768
Secondary monitor resolution :1680x1050
DirectX version irectX 10 (Dxdiag says directX 11?)
Total size of hard disk(s) :932 GB
Disk partition (C :802 GB Free (931 GB Total)
Total amount of system memory : 4.00 GB RAM
System type :64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores :4




So my questions are : How good is this computer and what is it suppost to be able to run? I know what it runs but some simple things like sc2 will lag at medium so i'm wondering what it's suppost to be able to run.
Can you tell me what's bad about it and what i need to improve on it and how?

I also have some other questions i've been wondering about. How does the screen resolution affect how well a game will run? And Does my os affect how much ram i *actually* have or something like that?
I hope this question is understandable and you guys will be able to help me, thanks.

 

[Ohmybad]

your CPU is solid to run modern games. it would benefit from an after market cooler and an Overclock.

GPU needs to be replaced. it's VERY weak for today's standards.

the higher the resolution the more resources are need to display the graphics, the 1050 monitor will need more GPU power to run a game at that resolution. say you get 30 FPS on high @ 1680x1050, those same setting on the 1360x768 monitor could get 60 FPS. (not necessarily true just for explanation purposes)

you're using a 64-bit OS so it will recognize all the ram you can fit, only 32bit OS can see 3.5 GB because of the programming of the CPUs and OSs of the time.

 

[Sakkura]

So my questions are : How good is this computer and what is it suppost to be able to run? I know what it runs but some simple things like sc2 will lag at medium so i'm wondering what it's suppost to be able to run.
Can you tell me what's bad about it and what i need to improve on it and how?

I also have some other questions i've been wondering about. How does the screen resolution affect how well a game will run? And Does my os affect how much ram i *actually* have or something like that?
I hope this question is understandable and you guys will be able to help me, thanks.

Your CPU and amount of RAM are both okay. For gaming, it's your graphics card that will hold you back, big time. You could get an entry-level graphics card today and see a major boost in games.

The resolution affects how the game runs by increasing the workload for the graphics card. It doesn't affect the CPUs workload much at all.

A 32-bit version of Windows will restrict the amount of RAM that can be used to somewhere around 3 GB. 64-bit versions raise that bar a lot, but it depends on the exact version you own. For example, Windows 7 Home Premium supports up to 16 GB. Windows 7 Professional supports up to 192 GB, which is far more than most motherboards support anyway.

 

[pamegerow]

Sorry for the noob question but, i checked wikipedia and some other sources and i'm a bit confused. So cpu is my processor and gpu is the geforce i have right? How do i know if it's integrated into my motherboard or not, and if it is, i won't be able to upgrade it right?

If that's the case and it isn't integrated than just upgrading it will allow me to run games at high settings whitout a problem ? Or is my processor *decent* but not GOOD enough to run a game like arma 2 on highest setting?

 

[Sakkura]

Sorry for the noob question but, i checked wikipedia and some other sources and i'm a bit confused. So cpu is my processor and gpu is the geforce i have right? How do i know if it's integrated into my motherboard or not, and if it is, i won't be able to upgrade it right?

If that's the case and it isn't integrated than just upgrading it will allow me to run games at high settings whitout a problem ? Or is my processor *decent* but not GOOD enough to run a game like arma 2 on highest setting?

Yes, CPU = Central Processing Unit = Processor, GPU = Graphics Processing Unit, usually found on a graphics card but can also be integrated in the motherboard or the CPU. Your Geforce GT 220 is an actual graphics card, so it can be unplugged from the motherboard and replaced with a new and better card. Your CPU is good enough to run most games at high settings; most of the settings only affect the graphics card anyway. In the most CPU-intensive games there may not be perfect framerates, but it should be fine 98% of the time.

 

[pamegerow]

Wow sweet! Thanks for the great replies! So fast too! Can anyone recommend me an affordable graphics card that'll boost my gaming capabilities? Somewhere around the 200-400$ price range.

 

[Sakkura]

Wow sweet! Thanks for the great replies! So fast too! Can anyone recommend me an affordable graphics card that'll boost my gaming capabilities? Somewhere around the 200-400$ price range.

Ideally we'd need to know more about your system, such as what power supply and motherboard you have.

But even a cheap, low-end card like the Radeon HD 7750 would be a significant upgrade over your Geforce GT 220, and the HD 7750 is practically guaranteed to work in your system (it doesn't require a beefier power supply for example).

Here's one going for $60 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161427

 

[pamegerow]

Alright thanks for the reply! I can't check my power watt whitout taking apart my computer it seems and i can't do that right now. But i know my motherboard now! It's
Model :G31-M7- TE .
Manufacturer: Biostar Group
At the bottom of this program that tells me about my motherboard says
GRAPHICS INTERFACE
Version: PCI-EXPRESS
Link width : x16
Max supported : x16

So do you know what good card it could support? Also, this probably wont help with anything but the power cable going into my computer says 250V.

 

[pamegerow]

I found something about it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138125

 

[Sakkura]

The motherboard has PCIe version 1.1, so you wouldn't get the full benefit of the fastest graphics cards today. Since you don't know the power supply, I think a Radeon HD 7750 is the best option. It'll work just fine with the motherboard, and it doesn't draw more power than your GT 220.

 

[pamegerow]

Wow thanks alot all my questions have been answered! You're awesome!

 

[Sakkura]

You're welcome.