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  1. #1

    What upgrades can i do to this machine to make it play wow better.

    Hi im terrible at saving money and bought a really Cheap PC , I was wondering what upgrades i can do to slowly but steady . this is the machine i got

    http://support.gateway.com/emachines...L1360sp2.shtml

  2. #2
    Deleted
    That link tells us pretty much nothing, can you get the specs any other way? But from the what I can see, it appears you have one of the new AMD Fusion chips, which means you're probably not going to be doing much intensive gaming. Depending on your current RAM numbers, you could upgrade that, but I doubt you'd see any real increase.

    If I'm correct in seeing that you have indeed got one of the AMD Fusion chips, the best upgrade would be a new Processor. This would involve a new Mobo and therefore a new copy of windows. Which would totally destroy the point of you having bought a new computer. :/

  3. #3
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    None of that is acceptable for gaming. You would first have to replace the motherboard, because it doesn't have x16 or even x8 bandwidth on it's PCI-E port. It runs at X4. You'd then want to replace the case because I believe it doesn't support ATX power supplies, which would THEN be next on your list. After replacing the power supply, you'd be ready to get a new graphics card finally... oh shit. You changed the motherboard, though, so you need a new processor.

    Shopping list:
    Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: XFX 450W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($56.94 @ Wolf Camera)
    Total: $419.90
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated 2012-01-16 13:27 EST-0500)

    For those who are less observant :
    He's replacing everything except the RAM and HDD. >.>

  4. #4
    Gonna put it really short and simple so that there's no room for misunderstandings: you're screwed

    Basically you've bought a desktop version of a netbook which is why it's so cheap. It also means it will never run any MMOs like WoW, Rift or SWToR at acceptable speed.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzykins View Post
    He's replacing everything except the RAM and HDD. >.>
    Even RAM is probably unusable since it's 1066MHz and most likely single 2GB stick.
    Last edited by vesseblah; 2012-01-16 at 06:35 PM.
    Never going to log into this garbage forum again as long as calling obvious troll obvious troll is the easiest way to get banned.
    Trolling should be.

  5. #5
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vesseblah View Post
    Gonna put it really short and simple so that there's no room for misunderstandings: you're screwed

    Basically you've bought a desktop version of a netbook which is why it's so cheap. It also means it will never run any MMOs like WoW, Rift or SWToR at acceptable speed.



    Even RAM is probably unusable since it's 1066MHz and most likely single 2GB stick.
    Shit. .-. Welp, like Vesse said, you're pretty much screwed. =/ Let me toss together the CHEAPEST possible build I can think of...

    Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

    CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
    Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($89.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Microcenter)
    Power Supply: XFX 450W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($56.94 @ Wolf Camera)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $568.86
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated 2012-01-16 13:39 EST-0500)

    Stupid hard drive prices make that obscurely overpriced. D:

  6. #6
    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    Fuzzy why suggest him a fake quad core (really a dual core) rig? If the FX-4100 is at all like the 8150/8120.. then it's essentially a glorified dual core and thus an i3-2100 would likely be better for him.

    Marest's:

    Budget Gaming 550
    MoBo: ASRock H67M (B3) – $79.99
    CPU: Intel i3 2100 – $124.99
    RAM: G.Skill 1333MHz 2x2GB – $24.99
    GPU: HIS Radeon 6850 – $144.99
    HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB – $84.99
    PSU: Enermax NAXN 450W – $39.99
    Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 – $49.99
    --------------------------------------------------
    Estimated Total Price – $550
    "A flower.
    Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."

    "Remember. Remember... that we once lived..."

    Quote Originally Posted by mmocd061d7bab8 View Post
    yeh but lava is just very hot water

  7. #7
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeltrusDisc View Post
    Fuzzy why suggest him a fake quad core (really a dual core) rig? If the FX-4100 is at all like the 8150/8120.. then it's essentially a glorified dual core and thus an i3-2100 would likely be better for him.

    Marest's:
    Because Glo taught me that the 4100 is superior to the i3 2100, which is also a "fake" dual core... You can also overclock the 4100, bringing it significantly above the i3 2100... Notice, mine is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the one you sugguested, as I included operating system and ODD in the price...

  8. #8
    Deleted
    No, the i3 2100 is a "fake" quad core, but physically it has 2 cores (with HT enabled it has 4 virtual cores). In either case, the i3 2100 is reportedly one of the better CPUs to use in WoW, especially in the budget section. The 2500k is just a few % better (stock).

    The Bulldozer architecture is however not polished enough; the 8 physical cores in the FX-8150 are simply 4 core modules with 2 individual cores in each that don't perform as expected. As such many consider it not to be a "true" 8 core. How this correlates to the FX-4100 I don't know, but due to the architecture I would assume that this CPU has 2 CPU modules with each module having 2 cores.

    Anyway, I'd probably recommend the i3 2100 or the Pentium G830 over any of the Bulldozer CPUs at their equivalent pricepoints for WoW.

  9. #9
    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    Marest's point was my point. I never said i3-2100 is a fake quad core because they don't tout it as a real quad core, they tout it as a dual core with hyper threading, and it proves to be a pretty tough CPU at that.

    Most people can move an ODD from a previous computer, like I and so many others do.

    We could still cut costs in Marest's build I linked to bring it more in line with yours Fuzzykins. :P
    "A flower.
    Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."

    "Remember. Remember... that we once lived..."

    Quote Originally Posted by mmocd061d7bab8 View Post
    yeh but lava is just very hot water

  10. #10
    FX 4100 still costs less and absolutely wipes the floor with a 2100/2120 when overclocked. I'd have to dig through my post history to find the benches, but I'm sure it's easily googlable.

    EDIT: Here (note this is just at stock speeds) - http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/1/

    There are certainly still a few price points where AMD is a clear winner, however few and far between they are. The downside is not having a valid upgrade path if you want to drop some dough on a better processor later on.

    ---------- Post added 2012-01-16 at 08:01 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    8 physical cores in the FX-8150 are simply 4 core modules with 2 individual cores in each that don't perform as expected
    That problem was fixed a bit ago.

    http://www.techpowerup.com/158534/Ne...vailable..html

    Shame that AMD / Microsoft didn't work together to get this issue sorted before Bulldozer's release. Here's to hoping they learned from their mistakes when Piledriver comes to be.
    Last edited by glo; 2012-01-16 at 07:50 PM.
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  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by glo View Post
    FX 4100 still costs less and absolutely wipes the floor with a 2100/2120 when overclocked. I'd have to dig through my post history to find the benches, but I'm sure it's easily googlable.

    EDIT: Here (note this is just at stock speeds) - http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/1/
    Page from your article above... http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/9/

    You need to do shitloads of overclocking before FX-4100 wipes the floor with i3-2100 even in multithread test as they start at the same line. On single thread test which is what gamers are interested in, i3-2100 wipes the floor with FX-4100 so badly that you need at least 40% OC to match it in WoW.

    So yeah... FX-4100 is still bad purchase unless you're going to do crapton of overclocking right out of the box. No OC = no hope matching i3-2100.
    Never going to log into this garbage forum again as long as calling obvious troll obvious troll is the easiest way to get banned.
    Trolling should be.

  12. #12
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    What? It's super back and forth in gaming. The 4100 takes the cake in..
    http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/12/
    http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/14/
    2/3 games benchmarked... It seems like people see what they WANT to see in benchmark results.

    It's also worth noting all of these benchmarks are pre-Windows 7 Bulldozer patch...
    Last edited by Fuzzykins; 2012-01-16 at 08:57 PM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by glo View Post
    That problem was fixed a bit ago.

    http://www.techpowerup.com/158534/Ne...vailable..html

    Shame that AMD / Microsoft didn't work together to get this issue sorted before Bulldozer's release. Here's to hoping they learned from their mistakes when Piledriver comes to be.
    "Fixed" is a misconception. A patch that increased the effectiveness of the modules is a convenience at best (and sure, it can be regarded as "a fix"), but the architecture (and the flaws therein) wasn't fixed as it is a physical, coupled with a software optimization, issue. We haven't seen the expected performance from this "8 core", but AMD claims that it runs far better on Windows 8.

    And don't forget that the Bulldozer chips also reportedly use an absurd amount of power when overclocked.

    TL;DR: Even with the fix, the performance is mediocre compared to the intel counterparts in most scenarios. At certain price-points the Bulldozer chips might outperform or shine through, but in the overall spectrum the current intel chips are better for gaming.
    Last edited by mmoc7c6c75675f; 2012-01-16 at 09:03 PM.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by vesseblah View Post
    Page from your article above... http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/9/

    You need to do shitloads of overclocking before FX-4100 wipes the floor with i3-2100 even in multithread test as they start at the same line. On single thread test which is what gamers are interested in, i3-2100 wipes the floor with FX-4100 so badly that you need at least 40% OC to match it in WoW.

    So yeah... FX-4100 is still bad purchase unless you're going to do crapton of overclocking right out of the box. No OC = no hope matching i3-2100.
    So... you ignore the actual gaming benchmarks where it wins 2/3 and point to cinebench benchmarks to make your claim... that it's worse for gaming. Makes no sense. You're also forgetting to take into account that WoW (however poorly) still scales over 2 cores. You typically should see around 15-20% usage on everything past 2. Taking that into account, the 4100's 3rd and 4th core should surely beat out a 2100's hyperthreading.

    ---------- Post added 2012-01-16 at 09:07 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    "Fixed" is a misconception. A patch that increased the effectiveness of the modules is a convenience at best (and sure, it can be regarded as "a fix"), but the architecture (and the flaws therein) wasn't fixed as it is a physical, coupled with a software optimization, issue. We haven't seen the expected performance from this "8 core", but AMD claims that it runs far better on Windows 8.

    And don't forget that the Bulldozer chips also reportedly use an absurd amount of power when overclocked.

    TL;DR: Even with the fix, the performance is mediocre compared to the intel counterparts in most scenarios. At certain price-points the Bulldozer chips might outperform or shine through, but in the overall spectrum the current intel chips are better for gaming.
    Yeah, definitely agreed. I was just pointing out specifically in the 4100 vs 2100 bracket, especially with overclocking, that the 4100 seems to be the better choice according to gaming benchmarks.

    I think to automatically state the 2100 is better simply based on the current status of their other chips would be kinda ignorant.
    Last edited by glo; 2012-01-16 at 09:11 PM.
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    build pics

  15. #15
    Deleted
    I have no idea why you are mixing in benchmarks from 3 seemingly handpicked games. Stalker, HAWX and RE5? It isn't exactly your go-to benchmark games in this day and age. Further, the OP specifically stated that he wants to be able to play World of Warcraft with better settings. The i3 2100 performs incredibly well in this specific title which is why the FX-4100 feels like a moot option. The i3 2100 performs an astonishing 18% better than the 1100t BE, and seeing as the 1100t is better or on par with the FX-4100 in the listed benchmarks I doubt it will offer such a significant performance bump in WoW as the i3 2100 does.

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/t...2100-tested/20

  16. #16
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    I have no idea why you are mixing in benchmarks from 3 seemingly handpicked games. Stalker, HAWX and RE5? It isn't exactly your go-to benchmark games in this day and age. Further, the OP specifically stated that he wants to be able to play World of Warcraft with better settings. The i3 2100 performs incredibly well in this specific title which is why the FX-4100 feels like a moot option. The i3 2100 performs an astonishing 18% better than the 1100t BE, and seeing as the 1100t is better or on par with the FX-4100 in the listed benchmarks I doubt it will offer such a significant performance bump in WoW as the i3 2100 does.

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/t...2100-tested/20
    STALKER is a single threaded game and the 4100 outperforms the 2100. Would it be a stretch to say that would probably apply to WoW as well?

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzykins View Post
    STALKER is a single threaded game and the 4100 outperforms the 2100. Would it be a stretch to say that would probably apply to WoW as well?
    Considering where the 1100t is on the list of the Stalker benchmark, yes. I'd like to be proven wrong, but it doesn't look like it. The i3 2100 is an acclaimed and well recommended budget CPU for WoW, offering very good performance (which is impressive considering how CPU dependent WoW really is), and as such my recommendation will probably remain.

    I also find it strange that they didn't include more relevant games in their testing, but that's more feedback to the reviewer than anything.
    Last edited by mmoc7c6c75675f; 2012-01-16 at 09:24 PM.

  18. #18
    I don't know. We can all agree that it's super close though, right? I think what we're trying to say is that it's so close that if it went either way, it wouldn't be very significant.

    But after that, you have a big pro and con for each:

    2100 - Locked and can't clock higher for immediate performance, but can easily be swapped in the future for something higher end.
    4100 - Unlocked and easily has the potential to perform well above a 2100 via simple overclocking, yet lacks any real upgrade path that performs dollar to performance as well as Intel.

    Also, something that I find odd in that link:



    SCII is just as CPU dependent as WoW, yet in that bench, the 1100t is right there with the 2100.
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  19. #19
    Deleted
    I don't find it odd at all; these are games coded with different CPUs in mind; WoW is basically made for a single core CPU, as that was the norm 7 years ago (dual core being luxury/high end). SCII on the other hand is made with modern CPUs in mind, where dual, tri and quad cores are fairly common. As such, they are coded differently and as such yield different results in benchmarks.

  20. #20
    SCII is only double threaded. <.< Scales very poorly past 2 like the majority of other games.
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