How well could....

[KillerSkaarj]

Hi, I'm out to build a low-budget gaming PC, and I like to know something: How well could an Intel Pentium E5200 Dual-core (Not Core 2 Duo) run Unreal Tournament 3 with this video card? I ask this because it seems I'm getting mixed results on other forums, with some people telling me that this is perfect, while others are saying there's no way it'll work, instead telling me to buy one of those expensive Core 2 Duos. But now I want a straight, definite answer. Can this setup run Unreal Tournament 3 on 1024x768 resolution? I'm not looking to build a PC that could run UT3 on maximum settings, I'm just looking for a PC that could run UT3, period.

Thank you in advance.

Oh, and one more thing. If this CPU won't work, don't just say "No, buy a Core 2 Duo instead", give me a specific name of your suggested chip. I hate it when people say "get this" and they don't give me any suggestions.

 

[zagood]

Yeah, it'll be fine, especially at that resolution. I'm running pretty much every game you've heard of on that chip, granted I've overclocked it.

 

[KillerSkaarj]

Thank you! Now all I need to do is figure out how to overclock once I've bought the CPU and installed it (although that won't be anytime soon)

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: KillerSkaarj
Hi, I'm out to build a low-budget gaming PC, and I like to know something: How well could an Intel Pentium E5200 Dual-core (Not Core 2 Duo) run Unreal Tournament 3 with this video card? I ask this because it seems I'm getting mixed results on other forums, with some people telling me that this is perfect, while others are saying there's no way it'll work, instead telling me to buy one of those expensive Core 2 Duos. But now I want a straight, definite answer. Can this setup run Unreal Tournament 3 on 1024x768 resolution? I'm not looking to build a PC that could run UT3 on maximum settings, I'm just looking for a PC that could run UT3, period.

Thank you in advance.

Oh, and one more thing. If this CPU won't work, don't just say "No, buy a Core 2 Duo instead", give me a specific name of your suggested chip. I hate it when people say "get this" and they don't give me any suggestions.

You will be perfectly fine if you overclock the CPU and Gpu a tad. If you left everything at low settings, you could probably even underclock your gpu :laugh:

 

[kmmatney]

That CPU will be no problem, the E5200 is quite fast, and you can get to 3.0 Ghz quite easily, at stock voltage keeping it cool. You can go higher if you up the voltage. The GPU is a bit weak, but should be OK at your resolution. You can spend $15 more and get an HD4870, which is faster (but you may be able to overclock the HD4850 to make up some of the difference). The next real video card upgrade would be this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102822

The E5200 hasa a huge multiplier, so it's very easy to overlock it a bit. I've built a few systems with those, and they run cool up to 3.0 Ghz wit the stock heatsink. I would recommend a better heatsink if you want to overlock higher. You should overclock the cpu, it's too easy not to do it.

 

[KillerSkaarj]

Actually, the only thing that turned me away from getting the HD 4850 is that I have heard nigh-countless claims that it has a tendency to over-heat. I found a model that claims to keep it super cool, but it was much too expensive.

 

[betasub]

I don't know about overheating, but a lot of those claims seem to be complaints about how the 4850 stock cooling lets the GPU run at a higher temperature than they'd like. That doesn't mean it's overheating though as it's still within design tolerance.

 

[edplayer]

Originally posted by: kmmatney
You can spend $15 more and get an HD4870, which is faster (but you may be able to overclock the HD4850 to make up some of the difference).

are you sure about that?

I check out the hot deals forum a lot and have never seen a $60 4870

maybe you meant a 4670?

Which I have seen for sale as low as $50 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814125244


a much better card for gaming than the 4650

 

[KillerSkaarj]

Well, regardless, I still need to upgrade my PSU, as it's only 300 Watts.

Oh, and I have a major question that I have overlooked. Will my eMachines t3522's motherboard support a Dual-core CPU? I jsut want to be absolutely sure. According to the eMachines website, the motherboard is... well, it doesn't say, but it says the "Chipset" is Intel 915G.... ok, if that's the actual motherboard, then I might need a new one. Do you guys agree?

EDIT: Huh, I don't know why it took so long for me to post, but I just saw Edplayer's post and the 4670 has a $30 dollar rebate. I guess I'mma get that one instead, seeing as how it's better than the 4650 and it's almost as cheap, if not exactly as cheap (with the rebate).

 

[zagood]

yeah, you'll need a new motherboard, sorry.

 

[KillerSkaarj]

Meh, saw it coming. So it seems I do need to gut the computer. Well, are there any that you recommend for my t3522?

And to think I was about to buy both of those and install them last week. Good thing I did a little bit more researching.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I dunno, if you need a new motherboard, processor, and power supply, then why not pick up a case while you're at it? You could get one for pretty cheap that would almost certainly be much better than your eMachines case. And there's no telling if the eMachines case even has all the mounting holes necessary for any ATX motherboard. ATX motherboards have a whole lot of possible locations for the risers.

As for the guts, though, an E5200 with a 4650 ought to be able to run UT3 at maxed settings at 1024x768. I was able to max it out on an AMD 4800+ (slightly slower than the E5200) with a Radeon 3850 (similar to the 4670) at 1680x1050. If you are only using 1024x768 then it doesn't really matter what hardware you get... that is a tiny resolution and a 4650 ought to handle practically everything. If you intend to ever increase your resolution, though, to 1440x or 1680x, you'll benefit from moving up to a 4670 or 4830.

 

[Denithor]

UT3: e5200 + 4870 = 65fps

UT3: 4670 + i7 = 51fps

Second benchmark is run at 1920x1200 so fps will be higher at 1024x768 (why on earth would you settle for gaming at that low res?).

e5200 $70
Tul G31 motherboard $48 - $15MIR
Gigabyte 4670 $80 - $30MIR

Total: $198 - $45MIR = $153

Shouldn't even need a new PSU, these components are very low power (GPU doesn't even need a separate power plug).

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: KillerSkaarj
Well, regardless, I still need to upgrade my PSU, as it's only 300 Watts.

Oh, and I have a major question that I have overlooked. Will my eMachines t3522's motherboard support a Dual-core CPU? I jsut want to be absolutely sure. According to the eMachines website, the motherboard is... well, it doesn't say, but it says the "Chipset" is Intel 915G.... ok, if that's the actual motherboard, then I might need a new one. Do you guys agree?

EDIT: Huh, I don't know why it took so long for me to post, but I just saw Edplayer's post and the 4670 has a $30 dollar rebate. I guess I'mma get that one instead, seeing as how it's better than the 4650 and it's almost as cheap, if not exactly as cheap (with the rebate).

It depends on what you have for your current cpu. Give us more information. Your best bet would be to get a used Pentium D.

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: Denithor
UT3: e5200 + 4870 = 65fps

UT3: 4670 + i7 = 51fps

Second benchmark is run at 1920x1200 so fps will be higher at 1024x768 (why on earth would you settle for gaming at that low res?).

e5200 $70
Tul G31 motherboard $48 - $15MIR
Gigabyte 4670 $80 - $30MIR

Total: $198 - $45MIR = $153

Shouldn't even need a new PSU, these components are very low power (GPU doesn't even need a separate power plug).

Nooo, he definitely needs a new power supply. An Emachine 300Watt stock power supply is like a time bomb waiting to blow.

 

[KillerSkaarj]

Originally posted by: daveybrat

Originally posted by: Denithor
UT3: e5200 + 4870 = 65fps

UT3: 4670 + i7 = 51fps

Second benchmark is run at 1920x1200 so fps will be higher at 1024x768 (why on earth would you settle for gaming at that low res?).

e5200 $70
Tul G31 motherboard $48 - $15MIR
Gigabyte 4670 $80 - $30MIR

Total: $198 - $45MIR = $153

Shouldn't even need a new PSU, these components are very low power (GPU doesn't even need a separate power plug).

Nooo, he definitely needs a new power supply. An Emachine 300Watt stock power supply is like a time bomb waiting to blow.

Aww, got my hopes up. Anywho, I actually am thinking of buying a new case. I thought maybe I could get one with a higher watt PSU and better cooling.

As for AstraManLuca, wow, you really raised my spirits with that post. I'll definitely be buying these then. Thanks a whole lot!

Oh, and Denithor, are you positive that that Motherboard is any good? The low price scares me.