Build one better for cheaper...

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

New Member
I thought this might get a better response over here.

I want to upgrade my computer so I can play GTA4, but I don't have a lot to spend.

Most of my system is less than 2 years old, so I'm only going to upgrade the CPU, MB, and RAM (I'll be using my current GeForce 8800 graphics card, PSU, etc.). This is what I've come up with:
MOBO -$85
CPU - $120
RAM - $50 (-$20 for combo deal)

Can anyone recommend anything for less than the current $240 pricetag (or at least under $300)?
 
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yuki953 said:
dude, tip, open box mobos have about 75% chance of not working, thats why the were sent back
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Yeah, you're probably right. I suppose by the time I actually get around to using the SLI capability it will be time to upgrade everything again anyway.

How about this MOBO instead? It looks like I'll lose the extra PCIEx16 slot, but it's about the same price (too bad my GPU can't take advantage of the SLI hybrid feature).

Or I can go cheaper and get this one. The specs look almost the same, except they have different northbridge chipsets and the first one has an HDMI connection.
 
Hi m8, i understand your need to upgrade and youve probably thought about it for a while and gta 4 has probably made up your mind cos u want to play it so much
JUST A WORD OF WARNING M8
gta 4 is renowned for bad frame rates even when played on top spec pcs
so even after upgrading you may well find gta 4 very laggy and still unplayable
its a rushed game and needs loads of patches to play it properly
which at the moment i think theirs only two and they help to play it but not as smooth as it should be like san andreas
 
Deviousmind said:
Hi m8, i understand your need to upgrade and youve probably thought about it for a while and gta 4 has probably made up your mind cos u want to play it so much
JUST A WORD OF WARNING M8
gta 4 is renowned for bad frame rates even when played on top spec pcs
so even after upgrading you may well find gta 4 very laggy and still unplayable
its a rushed game and needs loads of patches to play it properly
which at the moment i think theirs only two and they help to play it but not as smooth as it should be like san andreas
Click to expand...
^^ wow ur like the anoying kid on the block that buts into everyones convo



ignor him... for ur budget either should be fine
 
That system is borderline for playing GTA4 at good settings. Is your 8800gt 256mb or 512mb? If it's 256, don't even think about playing it with any types of decent settings.

My friend has a E2180 OCed to 2.8ghz, 4 gigs of ram and 8800GT 256mb, and he barely runs the game on low settings.
 
FROM YUKI "wow ur like the anoying kid on the block that buts into everyones convo"

OH DEAR SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE A SPOILT BRAT who thinks they have the exclusive right to answer posts with no-one else allowed to join in
 
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yuki953 said:
dude, tip, open box mobos have about 75% chance of not working, thats why the were sent back
Click to expand...

yea thats true but you also get a 15-day refund with newegg.. also i bought me the p5Q deluxe for $130 openbox and its working pretty nicely. that MB is worth 200 and something lol. im sure you can get an open box test it as soon as you get it and if it doesn't work, then send it back.
 
diduknowthat said:
That system is borderline for playing GTA4 at good settings. Is your 8800gt 256mb or 512mb? If it's 256, don't even think about playing it with any types of decent settings.

My friend has a E2180 OCed to 2.8ghz, 4 gigs of ram and 8800GT 256mb, and he barely runs the game on low settings.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my card is 512mb. I'm actually able to play it with the system I have now, it just looks like the game was made 10 years ago and it moves kinda slow.

I figure jumping from a single core socket 939 to a quad core am2+, along with an upgraded MB and RAM should at least make it playable without giving me a headache.
 
That CPU you have has the B3 stepping, and thus is affected with the TLB bug. You'd be better off getting a Phenom 9550, or 9750.
 
your better off getting an xbox and buying GTA4 with the money your willing to spend. you cant half ass in the PC market or itll catch up with you very quickly. If you restrict yourself to bare minimum for GTA4 what will hapen when the next game you want to play rolls around? Id say save up another hundred and go full force into an upgrade. IDK about the future but AMD phenoms kinda blow compared to C2Duos. Id go with intel for a safe bet and get the Q6600 cuz I FREAKIN LOVE IT. My mobo/Q6600/RAM cost < $300 but not by much. Just my opinion on the matter
 
Flar0n said:
That CPU you have has the B3 stepping, and thus is affected with the TLB bug. You'd be better off getting a Phenom 9550, or 9750.
Click to expand...

By the looks of it, that was an issue they had at the end of 2007. Wouldn't the bug have been taken care of by now? Besides, I thought all of their quad cores had B3 stepping, because they all have the L3 cache.

ZeroWing said:
your better off getting an xbox and buying GTA4 with the money your willing to spend. you cant half ass in the PC market or itll catch up with you very quickly. If you restrict yourself to bare minimum for GTA4 what will hapen when the next game you want to play rolls around? Id say save up another hundred and go full force into an upgrade. IDK about the future but AMD phenoms kinda blow compared to C2Duos. Id go with intel for a safe bet and get the Q6600 cuz I FREAKIN LOVE IT. My mobo/Q6600/RAM cost < $300 but not by much. Just my opinion on the matter
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying about skimping, but unfortunately I just can't justify spending a lot for a gaming computer, since it's just for recreation. Plus I think it's ridiculous to spend money on an XBOX, when I'm still going to need a desktop PC for other things. My PC might as well do the other things I need to to AS WELL AS play some games.

As far as your setup, am I really going to notice a big enough difference between the AMD 9600 and Intel Q6600 to justify spending an extra $90? I know it's not the only factor to consider, but there's only a .1GHz difference between them.

Also, I think I'd rather spend $6 more and get DDR2 1066 RAM instead of the DDR2 800 you have listed.

Pound for pound, we're talking a price difference of almost $90 for what seems like a step to the side more than a step up. Basically I need more of an argument on why it would be worth it.
 
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