Which Parts Are In Desperate Need Of An Upgrade?

[Big-V]

I use my PC mainly for gaming, listening to music, surfing the Internet etc and I have the following specs:


OS - Windows XP Media Centre Edition (SP3)
CPU - Intel Pentium D 820 2.8Ghz
Video Card - Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 640mb
Ram - 2gb DDR II
Motherboard - Gigabyte P35C-DS3R
PSU - Thermaltake Toughpower 750w


I built this PC around a year & a half ago, and I just feel that with all the new games coming out, it's time for a mini upgrade of some parts. I'm hoping that my Graphics card & PSU are fine "for the time being", because they cost the most money & they still seem to be "decent" (not the best, but OK) for running games etc. I believe the things I most need to upgrade are the CPU & RAM, but I'll see what others think first. I'll be sticking with XP for the time being, because I purchased VistaX64 6 months ago and just didn't like it at all, due to the fact a hell of a lot of programs/games didn't work because it was 64 bit. Therefore until more games/programs support 64 bit Vista, I'm fine sticking with XP.

Anyway, I'd appreciate knowing which components you feel need an upgrade and by how much. For example, if you feel my RAM needs an upgrade then how much extra should I get? Also, if you feel I should upgrade my CPU, then do you suggest getting Dual or Quad core, and which model (e.g. Core 2 Duo E6750 etc?).

Basically I'd just like to play most of the latest games close to or at high setttings with minimal lag & smooth gameplay. Also, if I DID upgrade I'd be sticking with Intel/Nvidia.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Sgt. D. Pilla]

OS, CPU, Ram all need upgrading.
And also the motherboard I'd say

[Big-V]

Yeah if you're nitpicking about every little detail of your PC, but I'm not obessed with having the absolute BEST of everything. I'm guessing you either didn't read or just chose to ignore the point I made about the OS aswell? Also, why the hell does the motherboard need updating? I'm not an expert on all this, but that's just ridiculous to say the mobo needs updating.

Anyway, forget it, I'll go elsewhere for opinions. I mean, you didn't even say WHY or WHICH upgrades to get.

By your signature, I can tell you're a PC addict, therefore in the future when you say to people "_____ NEEDS an update" stop to think they may not be as obsessed with having the absolute BEST of PC parts, as you are.

[Sgt. D. Pilla]

Thats proly because i was eating prawns u see :P
And I just read the thread title, and your specs lol

Dude, PC addicit?!
My system is nothing compared to most others around the tech forum and half my mates.

Also, why the hell does the motherboard need updating? I'm not an expert on all this, but that's just ridiculous to say the mobo needs updating.

Because its outdated...by like 3 years (x38, so whenever that was released)
It has a slow FSB, holding back a CPU/RAM upgrade

My reasoning...
RAM: Plan and simple, not enough of it, I'd guess its 800MHz, if you can afford it, which you proly can cause ram is cheap as chips, Get 1066.

CPU: Im sure you yourself know its not exactly great, How old is that now, 4 - 5 years?
An E8400/E8200/E8500 will cost chips and shit over what you have now, its clocks are also quite slow, it has a small amount of cache, and isn't even Core 2 Duo.

OS: Because its old, Vista has DX10/10.1/11 which is needed for the latest in gaming graphics and taking full advantage of your GPU

MOBO: As i said before.
IMO, Only good thing about it is DDR3

a hell of a lot of programs/games didn't work because it was 64 bit.

FYI, 64bit Vista has never been an issue like that, if they didn't work it was due to some other reason (Maybe Vistas incompatability all together)
I've run Vista since d-day, 32bit for the first 2 months, since then its been 64bit, I've only ever had one game not run, and that was Crysis, But, installing that into "Program Files (x86)" rather then default "Program Files" it worked fine

[jjz-]

Big-V,

Upgrade your CPU to a core 2 (E8400 should be great) and add in two sticks of 512 mb ram.

That's it, and should play most games just fine at pretty high settings on 1680x1050. If you really want to play the absolute latest games at their highest possible settings with a 21 inch or above monitor, then you are going to need a lot of upgrades.

[Oblivious]

Originally Posted by jjz-

Big-V,

Upgrade your CPU to a core 2 (E8400 should be great) and add in two sticks of 512 mb ram.

That's it, and should play most games just fine at pretty high settings on 1680x1050. If you really want to play the absolute latest games at their highest possible settings with a 21 inch or above monitor, then you are going to need a lot of upgrades.

Ditto. CPU, and ram upgrades. An E8x00 series dual core or even a Q6600 quad-core CPU should do. And ram is so cheap now, just max it out if you add some. Just got myself 2x2GB for $50 last week.

...And don't hate on the P35 chipset. My DS3L board overclocks like a madman, 1333FSB @1850+mhz. I think Big-V's board is a step above mine too.

[Babeman]

I would say just get an xbox 360 lol. But both ram and CPU ugrade will cost you way more than a 360. Plus all the games coming out for the PC in the next 3-5 months are ports from the 360, or they are also coming to te 360. The online on consoles is way more fun than on PC's, mostly because almost everyone has a mic. Plus you don't have to worry about if it can/cannot run a game and no fiddling around with settings making sure it runs with a perfmormance/look balance. Thats just my opinion though, I love PC gaming too, but when I bought a console I didn't play on my PC for months.

[Huffardo]

Upgrading the RAM and CPU, of which he really only needs to upgrade the CPU, is much cheaper than an Xbox 360. Additionally he probably isn't willing to downgrade to an inferior platform.

[Bs|Archaon]

I'd bump it up to 4GB RAM, upgrade the CPU to one of the cheaper Core 2 Duo processors such as an E8200, and finally stop being such a wuss and put Vista on it. We've reached the point where there's no reason not to use Vista, especially if you already own a copy and so don't have to pay anything extra for it.

There's nothing wrong with a P35 motherboard, it's an excellent chipset and despite being replaced by the P45 it's certainly not outdated.

[kow_ciller]

I'd say drop a e7300 or something in there for the cpu. And add more ram if you want. You dont really have to have it, but if you cant resist $36 for 4gb then I would say jump on it. That board you have is also a keeper. Should overclock like a madman if you put a decent chip in it.
Also guys, theres no reason he needs to upgrade to vista. He's fine with XP until 7 comes out.
If you still have money to spend, I would suggest looking at getting a new-er video card. A few friends of mine have been having problems with their G80 cards and running with AA and stuff in new games. You can find a Radeon 4870 for $165(best bang for the buck atm) from newegg if you're willing to go that route.