Good video card and CPU for around 200$

[Kill2Fill]

I want to get a new video card for my laptop so that i can run Crysis. http://www.systemrequirementslab.com said I can run it on recommended if I replace the CPU and video card. Im horrible with computers so IDK wat it meant by CPU :$, but i'd like to spend around 100$ on each (card & CPU) If you know any companys that sell them both in like a bundle that would b nice. Here are my spec, I think plz tell me if I missed something or put something I shouldn't have:awe:

Intel Pentium processor T4500, Intel GMA 4500M,4GB DDR3 Memory,320GB HDD, DVD-Super Multi DL drive, Acer Nplify 802. 11/b/g/n, Multi-in-1 card reader, 6-cell Li-ion battery

 

[Harvey]

CPU = Central Processing Unit, your main computer chip. In your machine, the Intel Pentium T4500.

Your machine uses onboard graphics. That is, the graphic circuitry that would otherwise be on a video card is built into your machine which uses the Intel GMA 4500M chipset. GMA stands for Graphics Media Adapter. That puts a serious limit on the graphic performance you can expect from it, both because it borrows RAM from the main memory supply and because the Intel graphics are not the best for gaming.

Give us the make and model number of your laptop. I suspect it may not support adding a separate graphic adapter. In fact, the machine may not be upgradable to a level that would make you happy for gaming. Even if it is, it may be cost as much or more to upgrade the CPU and add more RAM for a machine of that age than it would cost to replace it with a machine configured for your purposes, especially if you can sell your current machine to cover part of the cost.

You sound like you need a quick education in what the various parts of a computer do and how good they have to be for what you want to do. Look around the various forums, and read reviews on the main site and elsewhere for more info. Then, shop for prices on parts and systems that suit your needs.

Hope that helps.

 

[Kill2Fill]

Thanks Harvey I'll do some reading for sure and i'm on an Aspire 5734Z-4958. The thing is i'm only a teen so i have kind of a tight budget should have checked forums like this before spending so much on this laptop, u live and u learn...

 

[Harvey]

Thanks Harvey I'll do some reading for sure and i'm on an Aspire 5734Z-4958.

Here's Acer's specs for your machine. I don't think you can add a separate graphics adapter to it. It looks like you're running Win 7 64 bit. The graphics subsystem can grab around 1.7 GB of your 4 GB RAM pool.

Here are the specs for your Intel T4500 CPU. It's a dual core CPU, which is good enough for basic computing, but it's not a hotrod for serious gaming. You'll find the socket, the clock speed and more that will guide you to which faster chips will work in your machine.

It looks like a decent machine for school, Internet and other general tasks. It's defintely not a gaming machine, at least by advanced gaming standards.

The thing is i'm only a teen so i have kind of a tight budget

There's no direct correlation between age and money. I'm 69, and I have the same problem.

should have checked forums like this before spending so much on this laptop, u live and u learn...

And you probably will while you're learning what you really want to be in your next machine and saving your money for it.

 

[Kill2Fill]

Thanks a lot Harvey. I've decided to kinda give up on gaming on a PC for now (can always use the 360) and start learning a little on computers.

 

[Nintendesert]

Well Crysis 2 is coming out for the 360 so you will still be able to enjoy the game. Lots of stuff to read out there to get yourself more knowledgeable about computers and plenty of people around these parts that are willing to help teach you. Good luck!

 

[Skurge]

Thanks a lot Harvey. I've decided to kinda give up on gaming on a PC for now (can always use the 360) and start learning a little on computers.

A great place to start would be Wikipedia for the basics, then from there you can get more detail on individual parts on various forums.

 

[-Slacker-]

I'd go with a hd6850 or gtx 460 1gb (although even the 768mb version will be enough to max out every game at 1680x1050).

The 6870 is a great choice too if you really want to make sure you get fast frame rates.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'd go with a hd6850 or gtx 460 1gb (although even the 768mb version will be enough to max out every game at 1680x1050).

The 6870 is a great choice too if you really want to make sure you get fast frame rates.

On a laptop???

 

[RavenSEAL]

Yea...I don't think you wanna mess with upgrading laptops lol, specially if you know as much as you say you do.

I think it's not even possible to upgrade in the first place

 

[Kill2Fill]

I stayed up t'ill like 12 reading and I think I understand what Harvey said about the chip being built into the cpu.

 

[Harvey]

I stayed up t'ill like 12 reading and I think I understand what Harvey said about the chip being built into the cpu.

Not exactly. The Intel GMA 4500M graphics circuitry is included in the Mobile Intel GL40 Express chipset, which includes the general resources (network adapter, etc.) and instructions for the motherboard. The CPU is the computer chip, itself. In your machine, it's the dual core Intel Pentium T4500, which is a separate piece of silicon.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Kill2Fill: The long and short of all this is that there really is no reasonably quick, straightforward way to upgrade a laptop, especially if it is not a high end gaming laptop built with options in mind.

When you buy a laptop, expect to keep the core hardware as it is until the day you throw it out (notable exceptions being the Hard Drive\RAM [System Memory] as those are easily replaceable and standardized).

Next time you buy a laptop, keep in mind not only what you might want it to do today, but what you might want it to do a year from today.

 

[Kill2Fill]

I was doing some research and now I have a couple questions idk which part of the forums I should ask them in though? My questions are : Is there a difference between IDE1 and IDE2? Is there a difference between PCI and AGP? Can you put any type of CPU in the socket, or do sockets vary? What is a boot drive?

I know it seems like a lot of questions, but I'm the type of person that asks a lot of question just to be sure I'm understanding

 

[dudeofdur]

somebody call professor dumbledore! we got a troll in the dungeons... (now if only i can find that image...)

PS if this is a serious thread then OP it is a nigh impossible to replace those... U need specific size videocards and stuff that I am not aware of is sold unless its on ebay...

 

[jiffylube1024]

I was doing some research and now I have a couple questions idk which part of the forums I should ask them in though? My questions are : Is there a difference between IDE1 and IDE2? Is there a difference between PCI and AGP? Can you put any type of CPU in the socket, or do sockets vary? What is a boot drive?

I know it seems like a lot of questions, but I'm the type of person that asks a lot of question just to be sure I'm understanding

IDE1 and IDE2 are just names for the first and second IDE port. IDE is a old interface for hard drives, DVD drives, etc. Pretty much everything made in the last few years is the new interface - SATA, or "Serial ATA".

AGP is a very old video card interface. PCIe (PCI express) is it's replacement and came out about 5 years ago.

-Sockets vary - every year or two there's a new socket in both the desktop and laptop field.

-A boot drive is the hard drive that contains your operating system on it (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.). It's called the boot drive because when Windows/Mac OS/whatever is loading up, that's called "booting". Have you heard the term "reboot?" That's when you are restarting your computer.

 

[jiffylube1024]

somebody call professor dumbledore! we got a troll in the dungeons... (now if only i can find that image...)

PS if this is a serious thread then OP it is a nigh impossible to replace those... U need specific size videocards and stuff that I am not aware of is sold unless its on ebay...

He did say that he's a teen. It seems obvious for anyone who frequents these forums what IDE, AGP, PCI and PCIe are, but if he's an early teen he could have been 7 or 8 years old when SATA and PCIe came out. I didn't know much about computers when I was 7 or 8 years old other than it was a box that you push a button to turn on, and that RAM was very very expensive (back in the day).