I'm not that knowledgable when it comes to picking out parts for a pc, so I'm looking for some advice. The only game I play is World of Warcraft, but I like to play it a lot. I play at 1280x1024 on a ViewSonic LCD monitor. I won't be replacing the monitor, and the screen resolution will stay the same also.
My friend helped me pick out parts and put this current pc together, but it's just not fast enough. I want to be able to turn all spell effects on, max distances, and be able to run around with 25-40 people around me and not have my fps drop to a single digit, or even low teen's. I also want to be able to use Fraps for videos without fps going to 5.
I don't really have a budget in mind, but I'm not looking to spend a ton. I have a good case, hard drives, dvd drive, mouse, keyboard, and sound card. The things I need are: processor, motherboard, power supply, maybe ram, and a video card.
I currently have:
AMD 64 x2 3800+ 939
ASUS A8N5X Motherboard
2gb Corsair Valueram
Antec NeoPower 480w power supply
eVGA 7800GT Video Card
I'm not happy with the video card, and am unsure of the power supply. The ram is fine, but I thought maybe adding more might help? I'm not sure if there would be a difference from 2 to 4 gb. The motherboard is fine I think, unless I changed processor types.
I had been looking at going with:
processor: AMD 64 x2 4800+ 939 for about $280, which meant I wouldn't need a new processor, but no longer thinking this the smart choice
power supply: Coolermaster eXtreme Power 600 ( http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=370798 ) currently $35
and either an ati x1950xtx video card, or non-evga 8800GTS or GTX video card
I looked through pages and pages of benchmarks but almost none of them made sense to me. The 8800GTS seemed to be about the same price as the x1950xtx, but perform better. The GTX performed even better, but cost $150 or so more. The GT cards also seemed to run hotter, so I wasn't sure how much of an issue this was. Then another friend told me to wait 3 months for R600 to come out, I think that's the new ati line?
Now when I was looking at processors, the 4800+ 939 seemed to be good because it meant I wouldn't need a new motherboard or ram..but now it's hard to find and everyone is recommending AM2. When I asked a few friends about that, they told me that Intel processors were faster than anything AMD had to offer. I honestly don't know the first thing about intel processors. They use different numbers, different types of ram, different motherboards, and I couldn't tell a good deal on one unless someone specifically pointed it out.
I want to give my brother my x2 3800+, motherboard, and ram if I upgrade, so going with intel would not be a big deal at all, I would just want to know that it was going to give me better performance. I was always told AMD was faster for gaming..and the x2 processor would be good for me. I think it is, since I can play WoW and record fraps videos without lagging as much, but would one of the core 2 duo intel chips do better? CPU benchmarks made no sense to me, and I just got confused a lot.
What it comes down to I guess, is what's the best bang for the buck?
An intel processor, board, nvidia card, and some kind of new ram, and power supply? How is the power supply linked above? Is that sufficient? What do intel processors run for something I guess on par or better than an AMD x2 5200+ AM2? What kind of motherboard is good for intel? How about ram, what type of ram does it even use? I know AMD is pc3200 ddr400, but I have no idea on intel.
I would like to say thanks in advance if you read this far and are able to offer any feedback, as this will blow a large portion of my savings, but since my only real hobby is playing World of Warcraft, I want to be able to do it without feeling like I'm missing out, or being upset by low fps situations.
My friend helped me pick out parts and put this current pc together, but it's just not fast enough. I want to be able to turn all spell effects on, max distances, and be able to run around with 25-40 people around me and not have my fps drop to a single digit, or even low teen's. I also want to be able to use Fraps for videos without fps going to 5.
I don't really have a budget in mind, but I'm not looking to spend a ton. I have a good case, hard drives, dvd drive, mouse, keyboard, and sound card. The things I need are: processor, motherboard, power supply, maybe ram, and a video card.
I currently have:
AMD 64 x2 3800+ 939
ASUS A8N5X Motherboard
2gb Corsair Valueram
Antec NeoPower 480w power supply
eVGA 7800GT Video Card
I'm not happy with the video card, and am unsure of the power supply. The ram is fine, but I thought maybe adding more might help? I'm not sure if there would be a difference from 2 to 4 gb. The motherboard is fine I think, unless I changed processor types.
I had been looking at going with:
processor: AMD 64 x2 4800+ 939 for about $280, which meant I wouldn't need a new processor, but no longer thinking this the smart choice
power supply: Coolermaster eXtreme Power 600 ( http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=370798 ) currently $35
and either an ati x1950xtx video card, or non-evga 8800GTS or GTX video card
I looked through pages and pages of benchmarks but almost none of them made sense to me. The 8800GTS seemed to be about the same price as the x1950xtx, but perform better. The GTX performed even better, but cost $150 or so more. The GT cards also seemed to run hotter, so I wasn't sure how much of an issue this was. Then another friend told me to wait 3 months for R600 to come out, I think that's the new ati line?
Now when I was looking at processors, the 4800+ 939 seemed to be good because it meant I wouldn't need a new motherboard or ram..but now it's hard to find and everyone is recommending AM2. When I asked a few friends about that, they told me that Intel processors were faster than anything AMD had to offer. I honestly don't know the first thing about intel processors. They use different numbers, different types of ram, different motherboards, and I couldn't tell a good deal on one unless someone specifically pointed it out.
I want to give my brother my x2 3800+, motherboard, and ram if I upgrade, so going with intel would not be a big deal at all, I would just want to know that it was going to give me better performance. I was always told AMD was faster for gaming..and the x2 processor would be good for me. I think it is, since I can play WoW and record fraps videos without lagging as much, but would one of the core 2 duo intel chips do better? CPU benchmarks made no sense to me, and I just got confused a lot.
What it comes down to I guess, is what's the best bang for the buck?
An intel processor, board, nvidia card, and some kind of new ram, and power supply? How is the power supply linked above? Is that sufficient? What do intel processors run for something I guess on par or better than an AMD x2 5200+ AM2? What kind of motherboard is good for intel? How about ram, what type of ram does it even use? I know AMD is pc3200 ddr400, but I have no idea on intel.
I would like to say thanks in advance if you read this far and are able to offer any feedback, as this will blow a large portion of my savings, but since my only real hobby is playing World of Warcraft, I want to be able to do it without feeling like I'm missing out, or being upset by low fps situations.
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