[Zuccolo]

Thank you, Uncle Sam, for all this extra money you gave me (yes I know it's technically money I made and is returned to me because I paid too many taxes). I'm thinking I might beef up my computer a bit...

Here's what I have thus as of now:

RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820208283
Processor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103778
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131022
Video Card: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814121072
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817103941

The video card definitely needs to be upgraded. I wouldn't mind a RAM and processor upgrade if the price is right. I have no issues with the motherboard, so I'd like to keep it if possible (but if I need to replace it for compatibility reasons, then I understand).

Seeing as how my knowledge of PC parts is a bit rusty (as in, since 2002), that's why I'd appreciate any advice in selecting a nice upgrade for a decent price.

Thanks in advance!

[Gamma]

How much are you willing to spend and what is your goal (game-wise)?

[Zuccolo]

gammasts, on 21 April 2010 - 05:33 PM, said:

How much are you willing to spend and what is your goal (game-wise)?

Up to $400 total (but try to keep it lower, if possible). Game-wise, not much. My current video card sucks, so I'd like a newer, better one. I can run SC2 and Bioshock on medium settings, but I'd like to be able to run at full. With Bioshock, whenever I set the screen resolution anything close to 1920x1080p, it gets extremely choppy and extremely laggy.

The main thing I want to upgrade is my graphics card. The processor and RAM aren't as important, but if I can afford it, I'd like to to that, too.

This post has been edited by Zuccolo: 21 April 2010 - 04:42 PM

[ibfreeekout]

Well I have an old video card I wouldn't mind selling if you are willing to buy it. It's an ATI 4650. Nothing special but runs games from around a year and a half to two years old very well and could possibly do *SOME* newer games.

http://www.newegg.co...2-829-_-Product

It's a low-profle card so it isn't as good as the standard version, but it doesn't use as much power either, so you won't need a power supply upgrade. If you're interested let me know.

[Zuccolo]

ibfreeekout, on 21 April 2010 - 06:24 PM, said:

Well I have an old video card I wouldn't mind selling if you are willing to buy it. It's an ATI 4650. Nothing special but runs games from around a year and a half to two years old very well and could possibly do *SOME* newer games.

http://www.newegg.co...2-829-_-Product

It's a low-profle card so it isn't as good as the standard version, but it doesn't use as much power either, so you won't need a power supply upgrade. If you're interested let me know.

Thanks, but that card looks like it's pretty much on par with what I already have.

[ibfreeekout]

Zuccolo, on 22 April 2010 - 12:51 AM, said:

Thanks, but that card looks like it's pretty much on par with what I already have.

Really? Everywhere I'm looking right now is saying that the 4650 is better than the 8500. I'm not trying to push you into buying it I'm just trying to let you know my own personal experiences with this card (never used an 8500GT before). If you are wanting to stay within the Nvidia cards, there are plenty on Newegg that are below $100 in the 9000 series, but most with big rebates. That's just doing a quick scan of prices with the cards though.

[Mar]

I have an ati 4850 that i'm not doing anything with. It's in great condition and runs pretty quietly for having such a large fan. This is the card: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814121272 . I bought it new about a year ago for $160 but seeing as that was a good time ago I'd definitely be willing to go lower. I still have the box with the crossfire bridge and everything too. It's about on part with a 9800gt in nvidia terms. Let me know if you're interested.

[Zuccolo]

Both of the cards for sale require a PCI Express 2.0 x16. My current board doesn't support 2.0.

EDIT: ...although I suppose it'll still work, for the most part. It looks like if I want to get the most out of my video card upgrade, I'll need to get a whole new board that supports 2.0...

Am I right or wayyyy off?

This post has been edited by Zuccolo: 22 April 2010 - 04:56 PM

[Brain?!]

Zuccolo, on 22 April 2010 - 01:31 PM, said:

Both of the cards for sale require a PCI Express 2.0 x16. My current board doesn't support 2.0.

EDIT: ...although I suppose it'll still work, for the most part. It looks like if I want to get the most out of my video card upgrade, I'll need to get a whole new board that supports 2.0...

Am I right or wayyyy off?

Honestly to get the most out of any new component you're going to want to upgrade your motherboard. For example, the processor socket is AM2; from what I can tell NewEgg only has 4 AM2 processors in stock, 3 of which are Open Box. You definitely -can- put more money into this build but regardless of what you choose to invest I don't think this setup is going to last you much longer.

That being said, yes, I do believe that as long as you have a PCI Express x16 slot, you can use PCI Express x16 2.0 cards in your motherboard. As you said, the cards won't reach their full potential, but they'll still work.

[Zuccolo]

Right-o. Then I guess I'll invest in a new system as well. I'll need a board, video card, processor and RAM. Any suggestions? I'll increase my max to $500, but please try to stay well under that, if possible.

Right now I'm looking for a decent upgrade of what I currently have with potential to upgrade further in the future. So I'd probably want 4GBs of RAM, a 1GB video card, and a nice processor. HDMI and DVI on the video card are musts.

[SniperX]

Zuccolo, on 22 April 2010 - 06:42 PM, said:

Right-o. Then I guess I'll invest in a new system as well. I'll need a board, video card, processor and RAM. Any suggestions? I'll increase my max to $500, but please try to stay well under that, if possible.

Right now I'm looking for a decent upgrade of what I currently have with potential to upgrade further in the future. So I'd probably want 4GBs of RAM, a 1GB video card, and a nice processor. HDMI and DVI on the video card are musts.

Phenom II X3, ECS Board, 4GB DDR2, and a 9800GT should be close to that.

[Brain?!]

SniperX, on 22 April 2010 - 06:59 PM, said:

Phenom II X3, ECS Board, 4GB DDR2, and a 9800GT should be close to that.

This would actually be a fairly solid choice

[Zuccolo]

Tentative wishlist:

Processor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103652
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145285
Board: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131402
Video Card: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130534

Thoughts? Comments? Are they compatible?

[Emorocker918]

I've got a Radeon 5770 I'll sell you for $120. Only used it for about 2 months until a good deal on a 5850 came along. Still have the box and all accessories.

P.S. What power supply are you using with this build? The one in the first post?

This post has been edited by Emorocker918: 22 April 2010 - 11:03 PM

[ninjafish]

The first review on the motherboard mentioned an issue with AM3 cpus, not sure if thats been resolved, but you might have to look into that to see if its still an issue.

[Zuccolo]

ninjafish, on 23 April 2010 - 12:18 AM, said:

The first review on the motherboard mentioned an issue with AM3 cpus, not sure if thats been resolved, but you might have to look into that to see if its still an issue.

Aye. I checked Asus' website, and it looks like I'd need to flash the BIOS before installing the processor. Seeing as how I have had no experience flashing a BIOS in the past, I think I'll be better off getting a different board...

[Zuccolo]

Emorocker918, on 23 April 2010 - 12:02 AM, said:

I've got a Radeon 5770 I'll sell you for $120. Only used it for about 2 months until a good deal on a 5850 came along. Still have the box and all accessories.

P.S. What power supply are you using with this build? The one in the first post?

Yes, I plan on using the same power supply I currently have. Can you give me a link for the card you're selling? I'd like to take a look at the specs as it is relevant to my interests.

[Emorocker918]

Zuccolo, on 23 April 2010 - 01:32 PM, said:

Yes, I plan on using the same power supply I currently have. Can you give me a link for the card you're selling? I'd like to take a look at the specs as it is relevant to my interests.

Its this exact one: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814161310

[Avalon]

P.S. there is zero penalty for running a PCI-express 2.0 graphics card in a 1.0 slot.

[Zuccolo]

Any thoughts about this board? http://www.newegg.co...1A-_-13-131-398