Major overhaull..need advice

[WildThane]

ok.I am wanting to upgrade some things on my computer. To start with I am not an overclocker, I am into gaming and want a computer to be stable and do normal everyday tasks. I know I would like to change the video card and possible the ram. But I don't know about the processor. Hear is the description of my current system:

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+

Ram: 2 gig DIMM #1 DDR-SDRAM
Mem_Bandwidth: PC3200 (200 MHz)

Motherboard: ASUSTeK
A8N32-SLI-Deluxe

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

Power Supply: 650 watt

Can I get by replacing the Video Card and Ram without replacing the Processor? Or by using today's newer Video Cards will I get a bottle neck effect by using by current processor? What are your thoughts and comments on this?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Ram won't speed things up, nor have i ever noticed a difference between 2 to 4Gb of ram. What I would do is this. Presumably money is tight, go for the Gpu upgrade first and get the one you really want. Its way cheaper than getting a new platform + a video card.

 

[SergeC]

Agree - upgrade the GPU and be done if you're not looking at a whole new system, it will be a substantial improvement.

 

[hclarkjr]

i would get the best video card you can afford, what kind of budget do you have for this?

 

[betasub]

OP hasn't mentioned which games he plays (Crysis? FSX?), nor the resolution (1600x1200? or one of the many widescreen LCD res?).

 

[WildThane]

The type of games i run are ,Crysis,Far cry,All FPS games. I run my resolution at 1680x1050..when you say-get the best video card you can afford, what kind of budget do you have for this? -I have been looking at NVIDIA, How big of a jump are you talking about..?..8800/9800 or even something like a gtx260/280..?I dont mind spending 250/300$ on a gpu if my system can handle it,...one of you said something about new platform, are you talking about a complet new system.?I dont mind spending a fair amount of money if it will put new life into my puter...With a new gpu would i not want to update my ram to get better performance.? from looking at other systems would the ram i have now not be slow

 

[themisfit610]

Radeon 4870 - 1GB. For the win. It's under $300, and performs very nicely.

Your RAM speed isn't a problem. Games aren't RAM speed bound by any means these days. RAM capacity isn't often an issue - most folks are fine with 2GB. If you do image / video editing / encoding, then lots of fast RAM can help

~MiSfit

 

[Denithor]

I think the 4870 is overkill for 1680x1050.

Save some money and go for an 8800GT/9800GT for about $100 or a 4850 for about $150. Either of those will handle most anything at your resolution for at least the next year or so. By the time that card starts feeling slow you will be due for a full system upgrade.

 

[happy medium]

For a better upgrade, Grab a 92.00$ 6000+ cpu @3.1 (Newegg) and a 4850 gpu for about 150.00$.

Your 4600+ @2.4 is a botlleneck for the newer gpu's @1600x1050.

Edit: This should double your
fps in most games.

 

[adlep]

Forget about the RAM. A 32 bit OS btw, will not be able to utilize all 4GB anyway.
2GB is still enough.

Also, consider getting a used GPU if you are on a tight budget. The Nvida 8800 GTS 512MB is about 40% faster than your current card and you may be able to find one for around $120.00 or less...

 

[Denithor]

Um..guys...did you look at his setup? He's got a socket 939 cpu/mobo with DDR memory...AM2 6000+ is not an option here.

And I don't think he'll be very cpu limited at that resolution, he just needs to pair up the right GPU with the rest of his system. I stand by my previous recommendations of 8800GT/9800GT (maybe the ASUS 9800GT Ultimate, a rebadged & overclocked 8800GTS) or a 4850. These cards will fly at that resolution and are a fair match for his processor speed.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

I think a Radeon HD4850 would be the perfect fit for his sytem.

 

[WildThane]

Thanks for the help .:thumbsup:..think i will start looking for a Radeon 4850 ..