Help breathe new life into an older PC

H

HollisBrown

New Member
I built a computer about two years ago and I want to upgrade it so that I can play newer games at higher settings. Here are the components I want to upgrade:

AMD 3200+ socket 939 processor
1 gig of corsair value ram (184 pin)
Radeon 9200


My motherboard supports PCI-E but I've got an old PCI card in there right now because the fan on my X800 melted off after I started playing BF2.

So I'm looking to spend 250 to 300 upgrading this computer. Is it worth it? Should I just put the money down for a new one? I'd like to build another one from scratch but I'm not a huge gamer and I can't really justify spending that much for something that will be obsolete in two years or so.

What is the best way to upgrade this system with the money? I'm thinking of getting an 8600gt, another gig of value ram, and upgrading the processor to an X2 4000 or 4200+. Will this setup be able to play games like Oblivion, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, and Mass Effect at Higher/Max settings?
 
if you get another gig of ram, a dual core (3800 x 2) and a 1950 pro, you could play bioshock on max with about 40 fps
 
Is your motherboard capable of using x2 64 amd cpu's? Then you should be able to upgrade to a x2 64 4800 cpu, That is the fastest you can get for a non am2 socket 939 motherboard.

If you get one of those and a new video card, then you should be able to play the newest games at medium or higher settings.

Otherwise, just save your money and build a new one. (I think this is the smarter option)

I am running a x2 64 4200 with an ATI 2600 pro, I can run bioshock at max, UT3 at just above medium and crysis at medium specs. If you can go up to a 8800gtx then you should have no problems running those game at max, if you go with the 4800 cpu.

Go to the following link and run it to find out how well your system will run Crysis. Remember, you have to have a pretty powerful system to run it.

http://www.nzone.com/content/nzone/srl/nzone_srl.asp?gameid=5427
 
Last edited:
HollisBrown said:
I built a computer about two years ago and I want to upgrade it so that I can play newer games at higher settings. Here are the components I want to upgrade:

AMD 3200+ socket 939 processor
1 gig of corsair value ram (184 pin)
Radeon 9200


My motherboard supports PCI-E but I've got an old PCI card in there right now because the fan on my X800 melted off after I started playing BF2.

So I'm looking to spend 250 to 300 upgrading this computer. Is it worth it? Should I just put the money down for a new one? I'd like to build another one from scratch but I'm not a huge gamer and I can't really justify spending that much for something that will be obsolete in two years or so.

What is the best way to upgrade this system with the money? I'm thinking of getting an 8600gt, another gig of value ram, and upgrading the processor to an X2 4000 or 4200+. Will this setup be able to play games like Oblivion, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, and Mass Effect at Higher/Max settings?
Click to expand...

Your computer can play BF2 fine. I'd mainly be worried about the O/S (if vista w/ 1GB memory), and the graphics card. I'd go with an 2600 or 8600GTS. If you want to go further, upgrade the CPU and get an 8800GTS.
 
I agree, Processor is fine, Just add a gig of ram and upgrade the video card, make sure your case has adequate airflow, so that nothing melts lol
I believe you can find a gig of ram compatible with your mobo for around $25 on newegg. and shoot for an 8600gt for $100.
 
Is it better to have the same brand of memory in the same machine? I have two sticks of Corsair Value Ram in there, would it hurt to throw in 2 sticks of a different brand?

So you're saying I should just upgrade the ram and video card and leave the processor alone?

And actually my computer can't play BF2 because the video card is so bad. I could play it on my X800 with medium settings so I'm hoping to play on near max with a new video card.
 
HollisBrown said:
Is it better to have the same brand of memory in the same machine? I have two sticks of Corsair Value Ram in there, would it hurt to throw in 2 sticks of a different brand?

So you're saying I should just upgrade the ram and video card and leave the processor alone?

And actually my computer can't play BF2 because the video card is so bad. I could play it on my X800 with medium settings so I'm hoping to play on near max with a new video card.
Click to expand...

No it would not, unless its an Asus :D

Yup. You can even try overclocking it, might get pretty far :D

The requirements for BF2 are Radeon 8500 or above. Yours are above spec, but its memory and clock speed are very low compared to the 8500...
 
Any fans you'd reccomend for overclocking the processor? I have the retail heatsink and fan on it right now. I should probably get some artic silver and an aftermarket cooler if I'm going to overclock, right? And a case fan wouldn't hurt either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top