1. #1

    What computer upgrades should I prioritize first?

    UPDATED: Post #10


    I'm playing the new SWTOR mmo and have to play on low settings to keep my fps up. My computer is only a couple of years old. So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do to increase performance without spending a ton of money. Maybe I just need a new graphics card? But I dunno... That's why I'm here.


    Dell Studio XPS 435MT
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
    4G RAM
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
    PSU 550W
    Last edited by Clash the DK; 2012-01-04 at 01:08 PM.

  2. #2
    i don't have swtor my self so i can't say what the bottleneck is.
    but afaik the i7 should not be the bottleneck. 4g ram is pretty low.(and cheap to increase) so that always worth a upgrade to atleast 8g.
    and for the videocard we need more info because 4800 series. can be anything.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    4GB RAM is enough for almost any game today. SW:tOR would not run better with more RAM. What will yield you the best performance increase is most likely a new GPU. Either wait for the new cards to hit the market or get something like a Radeon 6870, 6950, 6970 or a nVidia GTX 460, 560 Ti or 570 - depending on your budget. I'm maxing it out with my 560 Ti, I haven't really tried any heavier raids or more demanding game scenarios (raids).

    Depending on what PSU you currently have, you might end up having to upgrade that as well.
    Last edited by mmoc7c6c75675f; 2012-01-02 at 03:30 PM.

  4. #4
    Yes, I plan to invest into 12g RAM this week.

    But I am afraid the graphics card is what might be holding me back. I've checked a couple different places on my comp, but I cannot find any more specific info on the videocard other than it is a 4800 Series.


    ETA:

    Okay, I found this under Display Settings. I don't know if it helps. Sorry, I am totally computer illiterate.

    Chip Type: ATI display adapter (0x9442)
    DAC Type: Internal DAC (400MHz)
    Last edited by Clash the DK; 2012-01-02 at 03:35 PM.

  5. #5
    An ssd if you don't have one, will shorten load times and boot times and stuff like that, other than that i'd say a new gpu, i am maxing out the game on my msi 560ti, but it gets VERY loud, and very hot, even in a case with good ventilation, even had to turn down a few settings because the noise of the graphics card fan was ruining immersion.

  6. #6
    In my opinion you should replace both the Video card and the power supply as they were low end even when the computer was new.

    Adding additional Ram might give a minor performance boost but for the most part the only thing you will really gain from upgrading it is bragging rights.
    Last edited by skrump; 2012-01-02 at 03:40 PM.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by skrump View Post
    In my opinion you should replace both the Video card and the power supply as they were low end even when the computer was new.

    Adding additional Ram might give a minor performance boost but for the most part the only thing you will really gain from upgrading it is bragging rights.
    Switching back and forth between the internet and my game takes forever. I assumed that more RAM would help with that specific problem.

    And I thought that 550W was good?

  8. #8
    More RAM won't do much for you.
    An SSD won't help FPS.

    Get a newer/stronger Video Card. One that your PSU can support, if not, invest in one. Anything else will pretty much do nil for FPS.
    ----------------------------------
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  9. #9
    Yeah, a video card is what you need and you can pick a better one up fairly cheap! I run a XFX ATI HD5770 and avg. 30-60 fps w/ v-sync. You can pick one of these up for less than $100 w/ no other upgrade provided your PSU has a 6 pin plug!

    While more ram will ease the burden on your CPU and an SSD will decrease loading times either of them will do nothing for your FPS! Check out Newegg.com,Tigerdirect.com, and/or Tomshardware.com to find a good price on a new GPU!

  10. #10
    UPDATE:

    Okay, so I upgraded to a nVidia GTX 560 Ti. I also upgraded my PSU to a 600W Corsair as my old PSU didn't have enough 6pin plugs to operate the new GPU.

    BUT NOW.... My game performance is actually worse than before. How is this possible???

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Clash1 View Post
    UPDATE:

    Okay, so I upgraded to a nVidia GTX 560 Ti. I also upgraded my PSU to a 600W Corsair as my old PSU didn't have enough 6pin plugs to operate the new GPU.

    BUT NOW.... My game performance is actually worse than before. How is this possible???
    Did you do a clean install of the 560's drivers, and are you sure you plugged into the video card itself and not your onboard graphics?
    Last edited by Priestion; 2012-01-04 at 01:17 PM.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Clash1 View Post
    UPDATED: Post #10


    I'm playing the new SWTOR mmo and have to play on low settings to keep my fps up. My computer is only a couple of years old. So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do to increase performance without spending a ton of money. Maybe I just need a new graphics card? But I dunno... That's why I'm here.


    Dell Studio XPS 435MT
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
    4G RAM
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
    PSU 550W
    Looking at that system, your graphics card is DEFINITELY the bottleneck and the best choice to replace, the other stuff is decent.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Priestion View Post
    Did you do a clean install of the 560's drivers, and are you sure you plugged into the video card itself and not your onboard graphics?
    Yeah, everything is plugged in correctly. I downloaded the most recent drivers from the website and they are showing up correctly in Driver Display.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Clash1 View Post
    UPDATE:

    Okay, so I upgraded to a nVidia GTX 560 Ti. I also upgraded my PSU to a 600W Corsair as my old PSU didn't have enough 6pin plugs to operate the new GPU.

    BUT NOW.... My game performance is actually worse than before. How is this possible???
    That seems odd, i wonder if your cpu could be bottlenecking now. I can tell you when I was playing it with a gtx 560 SC and an i5 2500k the gpu was running at 80-99% all the time but that was with forced 4xAA and it was still (with vsync) 60fps with full graphics (only grass was at 50%). There are new nvidia beta drivers out for SWTOR that you might want to give a try.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by b0sanac View Post
    Looking at that system, your graphics card is DEFINITELY the bottleneck and the best choice to replace, the other stuff is decent.
    Read the thread, bro.
    Quote Originally Posted by Zamiel View Post
    Simple question what healer gives you personally the biggest headache in pvp?
    Quote Originally Posted by Bobajobjob View Post
    I play a ret paladin, so my answer is this:

    Yes.

  16. #16
    Deleted
    Your PSU is quite low for your specs but that's not the issue here. Have you checked your CPU heat lately? The thermal paste might have been worn out and the CPU is getting too hot. Also some programs like gamer OSD (for example) have a huge impact on game perfomance, at worst they drop your FPS quite amount so it's not always a component issue.

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Clash1 View Post
    UPDATE:

    Okay, so I upgraded to a nVidia GTX 560 Ti. I also upgraded my PSU to a 600W Corsair as my old PSU didn't have enough 6pin plugs to operate the new GPU.

    BUT NOW.... My game performance is actually worse than before. How is this possible???
    The 4800 series is a bit low for this game though you should definitely be able to play above low.
    The GTX 560 Ti should be enough for max detail on 1080p.
    Check that shadows are disabled as they really affect performance.
    Bloom was also reported to cause issues.

    But you may still experience low performance because the game has serious optimization issues right now.
    Look here for example : http://www.darthhater.com/articles/s...hen-reid-recap
    (search "horrid fps" and "fps issues").

    Also there is a thousands posts thread on it in the official forum (I can't find the link as search function is disabled )

    That said I don't have too much problems myself. The game is quite smooth in 1080p AAx2 AFx4 everything on max but shadows and bloom.
    That's with a Core I5 750 @3.6Ghz and a radeon 4770 crossfire.
    My main problem is odd stuttering here and there (had heavy stuttering on Balmorra without any obvious reason).

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