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Upgrade Advice

W

Wayfaerer1

Junior Member
Looking for some info on how to upgrade my PC to perform better with games on high settings with excellent frame rates. I have games like Empire Total War and Battlefield Bad Company 2 - these games look/run terrible on high settings with terrible frame rates. What do I need to upgrade this platform to improve this? Any suggestions?

Here is what I have:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)
64 bit Quad-Core Processor
4MB L2 Cache per processor
8GB DDR2 800 Memory
640GB SATA II (7200RPM, 16MB Cache) Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT120 Graphics, 1GB DDR2 Total Video Memory (PCI Express 2.0 x16)
Currently running 64-bit Vista
 
Well your video card is by far the weakest link. You'll see massive performance and IQ improvements by updating it.

Your system also looks to be pre-made. Probably an HP? You might also need a new power supply if you get a new video card, but this will depend on what card you get and what extra power connectors you have available.
 
I figured it was the video card.

It is pre-made. It's a Gateway LX6810.

I know I've read all the horror stories about this machine, but I have to work with what I have until I can afford an elite machine in the next year or two.

What type of video card do you recommend upgrading to? I'm willing to spend top dollar on a video card if it greatly improves performance overall.

Could the processor be the issue at all?
 
As a minimum, a 460 will do justice for your upgrade.
Keep an eye on Hot Deal forum these days.
I've seen 460s selling for way less than $200 and even 470s going for mid $200.
 
Well your processor can hold back the fastest cards (differs from game to game), but for the most part it is fine.

The cards to consider are:
HD5770, HD 5830, HD 5850, GTX 460, GTX 465, GTX 470

You'll need to make sure you have molex or SATA power connectors available. These cards require a PCI-E graphics connector, and I doubt your power supply has one. So you'll need to use adapters.

With some of these cards it would probably be a good idea to upgrade the power supply. If you get a good power supply now then you can transfer it over to your new build in a year or two. So that is something to consider.
 
what is your psu? how many watts? how many amps does it run on the 12v rail? You need to know these first b/c you might need to upgrade the psu to get a decent video card.

I would not even consider a 470/465/5830 without checking out psu specs first. 5850 or gtx 460 is probably your best bet if the psu can handle it, if even those are too much then 5770 should do ok.
 
it probably has a very cheaply made and overrated 300watt psu so a 5670 or gt240 might be your best bet. either one of those would be a massive improvement over your current gpu. anything faster and you will be pushing your luck for long term use on that psu. did you even mention what resolution you want to play at?
 
Gotcha.

Yeah, if possible I would like to play at 1600x900x32. My monitor is a 22" flat screen (LG).

The power supply is 400W.

Hard Drive Details: 640GB SATA II (7200RPM, 16MB Cache).
 
toyota said:
it probably has a very cheaply made and overrated 300watt psu so a 5670 or gt240 might be your best bet. either one of those would be a massive improvement over your current gpu.
Click to expand...
Either this or buy a 460 and something like this.
 
Is it possible to upgrade to a top of the line, say closer to a Diamond Radeon HD 5850?

If so, what else would I need to add in order to incorporate that type of card? Power Supply for one I suppose.
 
Wayfaerer1 said:
Is it possible to upgrade to a top of the line, say closer to a Diamond Radeon HD 5850?

If so, what else would I need to add in order to incorporate that type of card? Power Supply for one I suppose.
Click to expand...
I don't understand why you got a modest pre built pc yet you are willing to go top of the line for a gpu upgrade. your case is not really designed to handle high end cards. also your cpu would not really be sufficient enough to really push a 5850 especially in the more cpu intensive games at 1600x900. at that res a 5670 would be pretty decent if you dont want to get a new power supply. with a better power supply a 5770 or gtx460 768mb would be the highest I would go. the reference gtx460 will dump heat in your case which has poor airflow though.
 
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So, a gtx 460 would greatly improve performance?

That seems to be what most of you are advising.

Right, I understand. Any higher than that would probably not be cost effecient, or even possible.
 
I'm leaning towards getting a GTX 460 and buying a better power supply.

Possibly a better fan? This Gateway is notorious for heating up, even with my current hardware.

Does that seem reasonable?
 
Even the cheap 240/5670 mentioned above would be a mind-boggling improvement. What you have now isn't a gaming card at all.

The 768mb 460 (or even, given where you're starting from, the 5770) will do really well at your resolution while running cool and quiet. The 1gb version would be good if you switched to 1080p... The 5850 is maybe 10% faster than the 1gb 460 and $50 more -- not worth it.
 
Wayfaerer1 said:
I'm leaning towards getting a GTX 460 and buying a better power supply.

Possibly a better fan? This Gateway is notorious for heating up, even with my current hardware.

Does that seem reasonable?
Click to expand...
I would probably go 5770 since all its heat will exit out the back. your case is very cramped and does not even have a front fan.
 
well it says you have a 400 watt psu on the Gateway site so no need to upgrade that to use a 5770 or gtx460 768mb.
 
Wayfaerer1 said:
I'm leaning towards getting a GTX 460 and buying a better power supply.

Possibly a better fan? This Gateway is notorious for heating up, even with my current hardware.

Does that seem reasonable?
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think that card is overkill for your system. Given that you seem to be new to high-end computing gear, you may want to stay away from cards that require a lot of power or produce a lot of heat. You'll get a great benefit from much less expensive cards, and it will allow you to get your feet wet. This GT240 can be had for about $50 after rebate, and it will be a huge step up from what you have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130533. Another option is this HD5670 for $68 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102870. Neither requires more power than your power supply can deliver, nor do they require special PCI power plugs.

The GTX460 is a great card, but it's not a great match for your system. Your CPU, which is probably not overclockable, will be a bottleneck in many games, and you've already stated that your case does not have good airflow. Just buying a new fan won't necessarily solve that problem.

My two cents.
 
toyota said:
I would probably go 5770 since all its heat will exit out the back. your case is very cramped and does not even have a front fan.
Click to expand...


Now is a good time to hold off. ATI's new 6XXX series will be out shortly, there are rumors that the first card to come out will be the 6770, which will be there mid-range card.

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/19563

Will quite likely be a nice bit faster than a GTX 460 and 5770 as well, and you only will be waiting a month or two to see them.

That or you can get something currently available a nice bit cheaper, because prices on ATI's old cards will drop and nvidia will most likely drop prices to keep the performance of their cards in line with the reduced performance they offer compared to ATI's new cards.
 
By the way, if you really feel like experimenting, there is a 1-day sale at Newegg on the Sapphire HD5770, which will exhaust heat out the back of the case, and doesn't require much power. It's $112 after rebate and coupon code (24HRSALE91D): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102858. This would be an amazing upgrade and absolutely the highest-end I would go with your system.
 
So, with the HD5770, I wouldn't need a new power supply?

These numbers get confusing. What's the difference between an HD5770 and a GTX 460?
 
Wayfaerer1 said:
So, with the HD5770, I wouldn't need a new power supply?

These numbers get confusing. What's the difference between an HD5770 and a GTX 460?
Click to expand...

Forget the gtx460, it's too much for you cpu at your resolution.

A 5770 would work without a power supply upgrade, just get that one.
 
Wayfaerer1 said:
These numbers get confusing. What's the difference between an HD5770 and a GTX 460?
Click to expand...
About 40 watts, a noticeable amount of speed, and a noticeable amount of money.

I'd personally be concerned with long-term use of a 108W TDP part with a cheap generic 400W PSU, but you could replace that later.
 
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