What should I upgrade?

[Deleted]

Hi guys, i don't know much about computers but i would like to upgrade mine.

My destkop computer (which I just use to play WoW) is a 2,33 dual core, 2gb memory ram, nvidia geforce 8600 GTS 256mb and is running with windows xp 32bit.
I was thinking about upgrading it over the time (i don't want to spend much money at the same time). As i mentioned, I just use it to play WoW, and as far as i know, WoW doesn't require a VERY good computer. Also, I play casually, so I don't need to get high performance, but i would love to play it nice and smoothly. (my screen is 22" and i love playing WoW at it's max resolution, 1920x1080 or something like that. Although I currently use all settings on low (low particle density, , short view distance etc) )

so, my question is: Which one should I upgrade first? memory, graphic cards, processor...? or should I keep it like that?

Every information will be helpful.

PS: sorry for my bad english, it's not my mother language :

[haxartus]

Graphic card if you just want better fps in the game.
CPU if you want playable FPS in raids, but the 8600 will bottleneck it.
Everything if you want good FPS in 25m raids.

[Windry]

First off, listing your specs doesn't really help. The specs they give don't really tell you about performance. You need to go to one of the multiple websites that do benchmarks comparing computer hardware. For instance, some video cards with 256mb out preform ones with 512mb (your video card is not one of those), but the only way to tell how good your computer is, is by looking at how well it pushes in these tests.

- I do know that the 8600 GTS is one of the lower ones on the benchmark, and can easily be upgraded for around $100. This would definitely help with resolution and fps. Again, best way to know is just to go to a website that does benchmark tests on current video cards.

- I don't really know if you require a RAM upgrade, but from my understanding, you should use 2 or 4 sticks of RAM which would always give you (512, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or more) of RAM. I believe however, windows xp 32-bit has problems recognizing anything above 3 gigs of RAM, so if you want to upgrade your RAM, you might have to upgrade to Windows 7 first.

[Havermeyer]

Run a dxdiag (Start-> "dxdiag" in the Search bar -> run the program -> copy the results -> paste them here) so we can see what you have more in-depth.

It sounds like you probably need a mostly new build to run 1920x1080 effectively. You might be a able to squeeze a little out of a video card upgrade, but it will likely be bottlenecked by the CPU at not much above your current performance level.

[DeltrusDisc]

Not so sure we need to be going for benchmarking here. For a 1920x1080 resolution I think that setup just isn't cut out for it. You might do better by lowering the resolution on your monitor/WoW client to at least 1680x1050, or even lower, you should see an improvement in WoW and how well it runs.

If you want to continue running at 1980x1080, you honestly need a lot of upgrading, specifically the graphic card for now, we need to know more about your computer, specifically what kind of motherboard you have, it's socket, and your power supply to know how much room you have to upgrade parts without having to buy a whole new computer. You could probably upgrade the GPU, but who knows if your PSU is fit enough to power a newer one, so we need to know about that piece too and how much wattage it puts out. CPU also has quite an effect on fps, specifically more in higher pop zones and 25 man raids, and if you run with a lot of addons, then 2GB of RAM just isn't going to cut it and your computer will lag a lot.

I honestly think your best and cheapest move right now (would actually be free) is try lowering the resolutions like I said in the first paragraph and going from there. Wait till you have a fair amount of money to do an upgrade/perhaps save up a decent chunk for a new computer altogether.

[kailtas]

CPU/Mobo/RAM : Must be all upgraded at the same time. Unless you have DDR3 Ram.

GPU/HDD/SSD : Can be upgraded individualy

PSU : Must be good enough to support everything else.

So you must either Ram/mobo/cpu or GPU. If you upgrade either, you may risk being bottlenecked by the other. You may also have to upgrade the PSU.

So i say you should wait untill you can Upgrade Ram, Mobo, CPU, GPU and PSU. Wich is basically the entire thing.

[Biernot]

2,33 dual core
2gb memory ram
nvidia geforce 8600 GTS 256mb
windows xp 32bit.

my screen is 22" and i love playing WoW at it's max resolution, 1920x1080 or something like that.

Like the others already pointed out: Just upgrading one part won't help much. Because basically all of your components are at the lower end for WoW at higher graphic settings.

If you really have to, then i would upgrade the video card first. Get something in the range of $100 - $150, e.g. Radeon HD 5770 (~$120). These cards have enough power to run WoW at 1920x1080 with max settings... but only if you pair them with the appropriate cpu.

Judging by the cpu speed, you have an intel core 2 duo. Theoretically you could upgrade that to something around 3GHz (e.g. core 2 duo E5700) but that would be a waste of money, because that platform is already obsolete. The only wise decision now would be to get a new intel sandy bridge package with cpu + board + ram. This will cost a minimum of ~$220 (i3-2100, 4gb ddr3 ram, H61 motherboard) but better plan to spend ~$300 (i5-2400, 4gb ddr3, H67 motherboard).