Please help me get away from gaming on the lowest settings! **UPGRADE TIME**

[Lamont Harrison]

I am about to upgrade my video card and need some advice. My budget is around $180 and I don't know where to begin. Not knowing which cards will work with a Foxconn 2AB1 motherboard doesn't make the process any easier. I have all my specs but not sure what info is needed. I have a 2.7 gigahertz AMD sempron 140 processor. PCI express x16 (2.0) expansion slot and can't wait to throw away my ATI Radeon hd4200 and start playing on anything but the lowest settings like I have been for too long now. I appreciate any help I can get and if more info is needed please just ask and I will get it to you.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

As you will be cpu bound you would probably be better off with a bit lower card like say a radeon 7770 or lower or perhaps a 640 or 650. Although even with these I still think you will be limited by your cpu so maybe even lower than these might be a better idea or invest the money in a cpu and mobo instead.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

As you will be cpu bound you would probably be better off with a bit lower card like say a radeon 7770 or lower or perhaps a 640 or 650. Although even with these I still think you will be limited by your cpu so maybe even lower than these might be a better idea or invest the money in a cpu and mobo instead.

So what your saying is by upgrading my video card and running a higher settings that my computer wont be able to keep up and it will not be worth the money spent. So instead invest it into a different motherboard or processor? I didn't know $180 could buy me a better processor? I thought a video card would be the best bang for what little buck I have to spend right now. Could u give an idea of how I would go about doing this?

 

[smeezekitty]

Yes. That CPU will bottleneck significantly. It is pretty low end.
I would recommend upgrading it along with the graphics card.

And I hope you were not being literal when you said "throw away"

 

[Lamont Harrison]

Yes. That CPU will bottleneck significantly. It is pretty low end.
I would recommend upgrading it along with the graphics card.

And I hope you were not being literal when you said "throw away"

I kinda was meaning literally throw it away. I was referring to my video card I am trying to replace. I am really bummed now about my computer situation. I already was pushing it by spending $180 for video card and was very exited thinking I could finally play battlefield 3, Crysis 3 and Far cry 3. It would help me a lot if someone could give me an idea of how $180 can be better spent rather than a new video card. Thanks

 

[smeezekitty]

I am pretty sure that this CPU http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-II-X2-B59-CPU-3-4GHz-HDXB59WFK2DGM-AM3-AM2-AM3-565-/140946062188?pt=CPUs&hash=item20d10a3b6c will work in your board and it is much better. But I would look for a second opinion since I don't know as much about AMD CPUs.

That would allow a video card like a 7770 on your system in your budget range.

But I strongly recommend keeping the old card. Never know when it will come in handy.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

I am pretty sure that this CPU http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-II-X2-B59-CPU-3-4GHz-HDXB59WFK2DGM-AM3-AM2-AM3-565-/140946062188?pt=CPUs&hash=item20d10a3b6c will work in your board and it is much better. But I would look for a second opinion since I don't know as much about AMD CPUs.

That would allow a video card like a 7770 on your system in your budget range.

But I strongly recommend keeping the old card. Never know when it will come in handy.

Thank you very much for taking the time to help. I will look further into the AMD Phenom II x2 B59 cpu. If It does work with my system how is the install? Is it easy enough for me to change over. I usually am pretty good with stuff like this but if normally it's not done by the owner I don't want to end up with a computer I can't use. Will I be ok with my same mobo? Also I will take your advice and not be hasty in trashing my card after I switch. Thanks again for the help.

 

[smeezekitty]

Yeah it is designed to be done by the owner.
You need to remove the heatsink. How to do it depends on the design of the cooler.
Clean the heatsink base with alcohol and make sure it dries completely
Then unlock and remove the old CPU.
Insert and latch the new CPU being careful not the bend any pins.
Apply a small a small amount of thermal paste to the CPU then reseat the heatsink.

From what I saw that motherboard should be able to take that CPU. Your current CPU is single core which isn't that good since most software can take advantage of multiple cores now.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

How much ram are you running currently? As well another good processor would be :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871&IsVirtualParent=1
As for gpu then I would drop in either :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121652R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
or these two :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130827
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130857

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

Don't forget if you do look for a cpu that it meets the requirements for your board. On this site :
http://www.findlaptopdriver.com/foxconn-motherboard-2ab1-specs-12242010h37/
It says max of 95 watt cpu.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

Yeah it is designed to be done by the owner.
You need to remove the heatsink. How to do it depends on the design of the cooler.
Clean the heatsink base with alcohol and make sure it dries completely
Then unlock and remove the old CPU.
Insert and latch the new CPU being careful not the bend any pins.
Apply a small a small amount of thermal paste to the CPU then reseat the heatsink.

From what I saw that motherboard should be able to take that CPU. Your current CPU is single core which isn't that good since most software can take advantage of multiple cores now.

From the info I have gathered it should work. I will try the cpu first and then try to get a little more funds and get the new video card. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

How much ram are you running currently? As well another good processor would be :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871&IsVirtualParent=1
As for gpu then I would drop in either :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121652R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
or these two :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130827
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130857

Currently I have 3 gb of ram. I haven't checked out your suggestions but am going to right now. I really don't know how to tell which cpu is better other than the speed or number of cores. What else should I take into consideration when trying to decide which is best?

 

[smeezekitty]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

Having a higher stock clock rate is a good thing since you are sticking with amd. As they are not nearly optimized as well or efficient as the intel cpu's I would recommend getting one with a higher frequency as that will help out a fair bit. Although their newest cpu's seem to be a lot better now you are looking down the line a bit due to your motherboard. 3gb of ram isn't bad but if possible you would be better served with something like 2x2gb of matched ram so you get some advantages. Or 4x2 gb of matched ram whichever you can afford. Don't bother with anything like fancy heatsinks on the ram it only helps somewhat when overclocking.

Reading reviews on the cpu you can find at your pricepoint is a good idea as well. Just search google for "processor name review" and read a few from different sites to get an idea of how well it performs. If you find another one that is close but quite a bit cheaper then you could save yourself a few dollars that way.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

Having a higher stock clock rate is a good thing since you are sticking with amd. As they are not nearly optimized as well or efficient as the intel cpu's I would recommend getting one with a higher frequency as that will help out a fair bit. Although their newest cpu's seem to be a lot better now you are looking down the line a bit due to your motherboard. 3gb of ram isn't bad but if possible you would be better served with something like 2x2gb of matched ram so you get some advantages. Or 4x2 gb of matched ram whichever you can afford. Don't bother with anything like fancy heatsinks on the ram it only helps somewhat when overclocking.

Reading reviews on the cpu you can find at your pricepoint is a good idea as well. Just search google for "processor name review" and read a few from different sites to get an idea of how well it performs. If you find another one that is close but quite a bit cheaper then you could save yourself a few dollars that way.

Can I go with an intel cpu or would that mean switching other components as well. I imagine the I series cpu might be out of my current budget anyways. As for searching further into a bargain for processors im all for it. Gonna start looking after this post and see what I can find. My problem is once I get shopping for a deal I will end up wanting everything I can't afford right now. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

No with your board you are stuck with AMD. The last one I linked you in my post would be a good one that fits and meets the requirements. Albeit a bit pricier than the ebay one maybe you could find that one on ebay.

 

[xl2aNd0m]

You need both a CPU and GPU and a decent combination will beat least $300. Might want to consider saving up for a new build altogether. I know its not what you want to hear but multi platform games will start looking a lot better once the next gen consoles are out and you'll be even further behind. I've already started saving for upgrades to my own rig.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

You need both a CPU and GPU and a decent combination will beat least $300. Might want to consider saving up for a new build altogether. I know its not what you want to hear but multi platform games will start looking a lot better once the next gen consoles are out and you'll be even further behind. I've already started saving for upgrades to my own rig.

I understand and already started going thru my electronics I have and never use anymore. Now is a good time to sale some of it and do this upgrade the right way. Just need some buyers now. lol

 

[Lamont Harrison]

OK will my Foxconn 2AB1 mobo support core unlocking? Im looking at the AMD Athlon II X3 455 - 3 core - 3.3GHz or the AMD Phenom II X3 720 - 3 core- 2.8GHz as an option but probably not if my mobo can't unlock the 4th core.(I don't think it can). Thanks

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

I highly doubt you'll be able to unlock a core with that motherboard.

 

[smeezekitty]

Core unlocking is very dodgy anyway. It is locked for a reason.

 

[Lamont Harrison]

Core unlocking is very dodgy anyway. It is locked for a reason.

Figured as much but after reading the reviews from people who bought those processors most of them were able to unlock them and remain stable. They also had bought a mobo with a good chance to succeed. Thought I would just ask.

 

[smeezekitty]

It is possible to get a stable unlock. It is also possible that it is will not work. Don't be fooled dual or tri core can still be very capable.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

Yea depending on the type of games you want to play some may only use one core in which having 4 is kind of pointless. Others may use multi-cores and then you may have an advantage with 4 as well. Look up the games you play or want to play and see what kind of performance they get with 4 core cpu's and see if it will be of any advantage.

 

[xl2aNd0m]

Everyone above is correct not a good idea to try and unlock. I know your anxious to play at higher settings but believe me when I say its worth it to take that money you have now and start saving up for a new rig. If you upgrade now you'll get below par gaming and you'll be that much further away from an upgrade.