Need a Gaming system...

TBlaar

TBlaar

New member
Hi Guys,

Since I bought StarCraft 2 last month, I realized that I need to upgrade my PC. I have the following:
P4 3.2GHz
1 Gig DDR2 667
Gigabyte 6600 (256mb 128 bit)
Lots of HDD

I have a Dell XPS 1530 laptop though, so I thought I will play SC2 on the laptop and won;t need a new PC, but the laptop REALLY struggles... specs are:
C2D 2.00GHz
3GB RAM
8400M GS GFX

Seeing that I don't get time to play games (work and wife and all) I really cannot spend too much on getting my PC upgraded. And the laptop just won't do...

I am looking to get something extra in the PC, to get it to a better point than the laptop, so I can remove all my games from the laptop and get it back on the PC.

Ideally, I would like to firstly get more RAM and better gfx, and leave the mb/cpu/ram if I can. Will a move like this work?

Please let me know what you guys think..
 
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Well here is the min spec for SC2:

PC: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7 (Latest Service Packs) with DirectX 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent AMD Athlon processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT or ATI Radeon 9800 PRO video card or better

So upgrading to 4gigs ram R1200
And upgrading your Gpu R1300 Gts 250 1gigs or Ati 4850 1gigs (can't find the 4850 any where wtf)

Gpu R500-900 HD 4650
Gpu R 900-1300 Gt 240

But upgrading the ram would make a huge difference already.
 
Nice, thanks... I was actually looking into something exactly like you suggested...

Was thinking:
2 x 1GB DDR2 chips - R400 Then I'll have 3GB in total
GT250 1GB - R1400

With the above, I'll be able to play SC2 quite a bit better... I am correct in saying that my CPU should be fine while gaming with a nice GPU as mentioned???
 
Thinking of selling my Dell Netbook, bought it when I was in the states to take along with me on my holiday, but now it's lying somewhere in my house and not begin used.... This should get me a nice GFX card and some RAM.... might lose a wife though :)
 
Listing your motherboard make, model and a budget would give us a better idea of your upgrade limits.

Your a little under in all 3 main departments CPU, RAM & GFX). If I was to plan my next upgrade specifically for Starcraft II with that machine, I'd start with CPU. Strategy games (including SCII) are much more CPU intense than most games and a single core P4 is unfortunately going to struggle badly. You could get a socket 775 quad core for R1600+-.

RAM is cheap, so that would be the next easy upgrade. You can get yourself 4GB of DDR2 for relatively cheap (R800-R1100).

Those two upgrades would breathe new life into your desktop PC, for both gaming and just general working/multitasking. That said, your 6600 is also a bit sluggish, but it should still meet the minimum requirements of a lot of games, including SCII. I'm guessing that your on a tighter budget, that's why I haven't recommended a GPU as they are generally the most expensive upgrade (unless your going for an Extreme edition i7). If you still have some cash in your budget, I would recommend a Club 3D Radeon 5830 (R2500+-) or Club 3D Radeon 5770 (R1500+-). Obviously, the higher you can afford to go, the better, the 5850+5870 / GTX 260 being ideal picks. However, any of those cards is going to be a -->HUGE<-- improvement over the 6600.
 
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Thanks man!

I have this mobo:
http://ee.giga-byte.com/products/mb/specs/ga-8i945p-g.html
So not much options.. I think the biggest CPU I can get is the dual core CPU, not even core2...

I don't use the PC for anything other than being a PS3 Media server at the moment, so it's a plain Windows 7 install (on 160GB) with a 1TB disk for the media. I think I'll definitely benefit from the RAM, but then to play games I have to decide between a CPU or GPU (leaning towards GPU for games, though media streaming would benefit from CPU I guess?).

One funny thing though, this desktop PC seems to be much faster in windows itself (aero, just the whole interface really) than the laptop, so I wonder if the laptop aint a bit wonky... I would like to try and install SC2 on the PC and check the performance, it may surprize me...

Then on that note, how will this work... can I have SC2 installed on both machines, as long as I only use one online at a time? Will all my achievements etc sync via battle.net?
 
Oh yes, and budget does not exist, I have a wife... but I might be able to get around R2k to disappear within the next month or 2... ;)
 
I would strongly suggest at least a dual core CPU as well. The game makes use of 2 cores and you'll seriously hamper a 4850 or GTS250 with a single core Pentium. I see your board is socket 775 which can take a Pentium Dual-core.

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core - R708.59
GPU: Radeon 5750 1GB - R1,390
RAM: 2GB DDR2 667 - R445.74

You could actually just get one gig of RAM in the interim and get some more later.

Edit: Looking at your board again, I'm not sure it can take the Dual-Core. That is quite an issue and will severely limit your upgrade options.
 
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Looking good...thanks!!!!! I have some Q's again...

CPU: The one you recommended is not supported on my MB, the highest I can go is the Pentium D range, which is no longer for sale anywhere...

GPU: I was told that a 256 bit card will be much better than a 128 bit card... so how will this card perform against something like a GT250 1 GB 256 bit (for about the same price). I am ATI-inclined though...

RAM: I will happily go for 2 x 1GB Chips, then I keep them running dual channel...

Then if I can get a nice CPU (Pentium D), I may just be sorted for around R2k :)
 
TBlaar said:
Looking good...thanks!!!!! I have some Q's again...

CPU: The one you recommended is not supported on my MB, the highest I can go is the Pentium D range, which is no longer for sale anywhere...

GPU: I was told that a 256 bit card will be much better than a 128 bit card... so how will this card perform against something like a GT250 1 GB 256 bit (for about the same price). I am ATI-inclined though...

RAM: I will happily go for 2 x 1GB Chips, then I keep them running dual channel...

Then if I can get a nice CPU (Pentium D), I may just be sorted for around R2k :)
Click to expand...

Don't be fooled by the difference between 128bit and 256bit. You'd be better off with a 128bit Radeon 5750 than a 256bit GTS250.
 
TBlaar, your mobo, is well.... approaching its expiry =) I think whats hurting your PC the most at the moment is the single core CPU and of course the mobo is limiting your options in that area. SCII as mentioned, is CPU heavy, but even graphics cards rely on your CPU and can easily under perform if the CPU can't keep up.

I see your in CPT Durbanville, I'm not too far off. I have a lot of mobos that I hand down to family and friends (especially in the LGA775 series). No promises, but I may have one more LGA775 Asus mobo here that I'm not using. It would be second hand ofc (I don't just buy them to sit on my shelf =) ), but if its in working order I could pass it a long for peanuts as I don't/wouldn't have any more use for it, I'm using 1366 boards now.
 
Blackhand, sounds good!!! PM me the details and I'll let you know!!! Thanks!!!

I looked on gumtree etc and can get a dual core Pentium D 2.8GHz CPU for about R250, but then again it's like upgrading from a 1300 car to a 1400...

I do prefer the 5750 over the 250 yes... :)
 
So, the good news. I do have a spare Asus P5K motherboard in practically mint condition. The bad news, is that there is something wrong with it. I did quick test build with it to check that it was in working order, but there is something wrong with the BIOS posting. It took me almost an hour to get the thing to post, after it was up and running, it worked perfectly (windows/games/applications etc.). As soon as I powered it down, same problem again. 10 resets or so before the BIOS would post, worked perfectly once running again.

I might still be able to get warranty on it, I'm going to hunt for the receipt.
 
Blackhand good to hear(that your not going with the absolute min) , as for the post maybe ram's that the problem or a faulty start switch, try switching the system on with the connectors using a screw driver(key).

Can't think of anything else it could be atm.
 
I have another question...

A friend is selling his Asus HD4870 Dark Knight Edition 1GB gfx card... and I see it has about the same performance on the tomshardware charts as the 5750.... Which one would be the better buy?
 
TBlaar said:
I have another question...

A friend is selling his Asus HD4870 Dark Knight Edition 1GB gfx card... and I see it has about the same performance on the tomshardware charts as the 5750.... Which one would be the better buy?
Click to expand...

How much is your friend asking for it?
 
I don't have a price yet, will see...

But if price was not a factor, which of those 2 cards would be the better buy?
 
The HD4870 I think. I believe it's a little faster than the 5750 in most cases, then again the 5750 consumes far less power and runs a lot cooler. Unless you must have DX11 in which case the 5750 or preferably the 5770.
 
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