How....how bad is this?

[Vivi1212]

I ran AquaMark3 on my computer and got an avg framerate ot 7 and a score of 7000. Is there any *cheap* way to upgrade (plan on building a new comp end of the coming school year)

BTW, I have an athlon 2600+, not sure what the mobo is and i currently have an onboard video processing, 768 MB of RAM, running XP

Any suggestions?

[AsianBatman]

Re: How....how bad is this?

Um either a mobo upgrade so you can get dual channel, and also you definitely need a video card upgrade. Onboard is the thing holding you down.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: How....how bad is this?

A new video card is definitely what you need. I'd suggest at least a Radeon 9600 for $90+ U.S., but a 9800 Pro forabout $200 would be much better. A GeForce 6800 for about $280 would be quite great as you wouldn't want to upgrade for a very long time.

But Aquamark 3 is just a benchmark, what games do you play? Any upgrade will be unecessary unless you play very graphical games (mainly first-person shooters).

[Vivi1212]

Re: How....how bad is this?

well, let's just say i ran this after looking at the system requirements for Doom 3.....and damn was i shocked, also the prospective requirements for HL2. I am indeed a First person shooter guy, as well as RPG and RTS, but most have simple requiremtns (except for Rome: Total war, that looks crazy, crazy good though =) ) I would like to get the 6800, however my PSU is 250 watt, so i can run F*** all with that. Just out of curiousity, are all PSU's the same size, or do the differ (for ATX)

[wayout44]

Re: How....how bad is this?

ATX is a standard that is followed by case, PSU and mainboard manufacturers so other than the depth of a PSU the width and height are the same for all ATX PSU's.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: How....how bad is this?

A 420W Thermaltake PSU from www.newegg.com will be quite cheap and get the job done for any of those cards.

If your computer is an OEM (Gateway, Dell, etc.), it may be in a micro ATX case, which might not fit a standard ATX PSU. Some do, some don't quite. I have one that has plenty of room for it, but it still doesn't clip in right. I just had to use some duct tape to fix that, though. It probably won't be a problem for you, especially if you have a standard ATX case, but that's something to consider, just in case...

If you're a heavy gamer, than I would have to say nothing less than a 9800 Pro. A 9600 will kind of ruin the Doom 3 experience (and it will be the same in other games, even non-FPS).

[Vivi1212]

Re: How....how bad is this?

Is newegg a good place to buy parts from? On the site tehy boast about good delivery and what-not, but have you purchased from them before?

(As a side note, I was browsing through their OS'sand noticed they had windows XP for $90, it said it was OEM and must be purchased with hardware, but doesnt state what hardware it need to be purchased with. Do you know if you can choose or if it is specific hardware? http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...102-141&DEPA=0 )

[Yawgm0th]

Re: How....how bad is this?

Newegg is a great site. I rarely order from anywhere else because it is a reliable site with great prices (usually the best, outside of eBay).

I'm fairly certain any "hardware" will do. Hard drives, motherboards, processors, video cards, power supplies, fans and coolers, maybe even cases. You could probably get it with the video card and/or power supply.

[Vivi1212]

Re: How....how bad is this?

well, if any hardware will do.....i found myself the place where i am going to more then likely get all my parts for the PC i build later this year. I was browsing their site and they do have some killer prices....but what i want to know is how....are the products refurbished or new?

[Yawgm0th]

Re: How....how bad is this?

Both. The ones you are looking at are brand new, but you can get refurbished products at very low prices (and they are very clearly marked; you'll know if it's refurbished). There's a big refurbished button at the upper right that lets you look through refurbished stuff. Otherwise, everything you look at should be unopened.

[MRZigzz]

Re: How....how bad is this?

Also be aware that they have listings after the name of the porduct such as "-OEM," "-Bulk," and "-Retail." I'd try to go with the Retail, though, if you know what you got/want, then the OEM and Bulk items are better deals.

Might I add that reading the reviews (especially the less then 5/5 star ones) can be very helpful, almost bought a motherboard that couldn't use the Zaleman HSF that I wanted.