What should i buy to upgrade my PC ?

[Furyfire]

Hai, I want to play WoW without having around 1 fps in dalaran and getting lagg the first 30 seconds when a fight starts where i lose huge amount of dps.

note: i don't know shit about computers so don't ask me difficult stuff
What should i update?
info about pc:

Video Card:
Driver: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
DirectX Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.11.7813
DirectX Driver Version: 6.14.11.7813

Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Desktop Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Primary Display Size: 11.81" x 9.45" (15.12" diag)
30.0cm x 24.0cm (38.4cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 16x
Primary VRAM: 1024 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x


Sound card:
Audio device: Realtek AC97 Audio

Memory:
RAM: 511 Mb
Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Microphone: Yes, I have a microphone.
Media Type: DVD
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 78523 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 14959 Mb
Steam Hard Disk Usage: 11543 Mb

[hawk00]

what OS are you using? is it xp?

first things first, you have 511 (512?)mb of ram, your video card apparently has more memory than your computer does. you NEED more memory, just with windows and WoW open, youre probably already using what is called 'virtual memory' which if you dont want me to go into the details, is uber bad slow.

find out what kind of memory your computer takes first of all, then buy like 1-2 gigs of it

[Cilraaz]

I don't see your CPU listed in there anywhere, so I can't say whether or not to upgrade that. Your video card is a bit weak, but definitely not the weak point in your system. Your RAM on the otherhand is likely one of your first hang points. 512MB of RAM is really not enough anymore. 2GB is pretty much a minimum if you want to do any type of gaming with 4GB+ being recommended.

[Furyfire]

hi. yeah, i'm using window xp and sometimes i get a message it says '' Not enough virtual memory blablabla trying to ... something '' so i have to buy more ram? how much does it cost?

Physical memory (kB) Totally: 523504 Available: 3131120 Systemcache: 162644 (available and systemcache chaning all time)

[nwo]

hi. yeah, i'm using window xp and sometimes i get a message it says '' Not enough virtual memory blablabla trying to ... something '' so i have to buy more ram? how much does it cost?

RAM is probably one of the cheapest components to upgrade that will make your PC run faster and give the most results/benefits, at least in your case. However, since we do not know which motherboard you are using, we cannot determine what type of RAM your PC uses.

[Furyfire]

how do i find out that?

[hawk00]

www.crucial.com can help out, select the make and model of your pc, then it will tell you exactly how much memory it can take as well as the type.

[Furyfire]

No idea what to select

[nwo]

No idea what to select

download sisoftware sandra:
http://download.cnet.com/SiSoftware-...html?tag=mncol

I'm currently downloading/updating mine since I have an older version but the menu options are pretty straight forward so you should be able to get your motherboard/RAM information without too much trouble.

[Furyfire]

Ah. I downloaded the scan and it said this:
We were not able to determine the manufacturer and/or model of your PC, but we were able to complete our scan with information from your motherboard.





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Your system configuration

512MB Total

512MB current memory
512MB


1 empty slots
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Our suggested upgrades

1GB Total

512MB current memory
512MB


512MB new memory added
512MB

performance gain

US $20.99
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Part No: CT6464Z40B
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Total Price: US $20.99


1.5GB Total

512MB current memory
512MB


1GB new memory added
1GB

performance gain

US $38.99
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Part No: CT12864Z335
Qty: 1
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2GB Total

512MB current memory removed *

1GB new memory added
*1GB


1GB new memory added
1GB

performance gain

US $77.98
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Qty: 2
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Total Price: US $77.98

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Your ASRock K8NF4G-SATA2 Specifications


Currently installed memory:


512MB
DDR PC3200
EMPTY



Each memory slot can hold DDR PC2700,DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.

* Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
* Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
* Available Memory Slots: 1
* Total Memory Slots: 2
* Dual Channel Support: No
* CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
* CPU Family: AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3000+ Model 12, stepping 2
* CPU Speed: 1808 MHz
*



Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?

A: Possibly

How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB. To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS. More information about OS memory maximums can be found at http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=4251.

Q: What memory goes into my computer, and can I mix speeds?

A: DDR memory with support for DDR PC2700,DDR PC3200 speeds.

Because DDR memory is backward-compatible, you can safely upgrade your system with any of the guaranteed-compatible DDR speeds listed below, even if your manual calls for PC1600 or PC2100 speeds.

Q: How much memory can my computer handle?

A: 2048MB.

Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.

Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: No.

No, you can install modules one at a time, and you can mix different densities of modules in your computer. But if your computer supports dual-channel memory configurations, you should install in identical pairs (preferably in kits) for optimal performance.

Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support dual channel.

Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.




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[nwo]

Ahh so you're using old school DDR RAM...

It might not be as cheap as the "current/modern" memory (DDR2/DDR3). If you just want a cheapest, immediate upgrade, then I would go for an additional 1GB stick of RAM for around $40. Since you are using windows xp, 1.5gb will be enough to reduce the majority of your lag if you minimize your background tasks but 2GB will be ideal. However, your system is pretty outdated and you should plan on doing a full upgrade fairly soon.

My best advice is go with 1GB for now, try out how it is with 1.5GB and if you don't like it then go for 2GB. Once you get 1.5GB you will see a huge difference so I think you will be more than happy with the performance difference that less than $40 can provide.

[nwo]

Newegg.com is THE place to buy all your technology needs.

I would recommend the following for the best performance increase/most results:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226108
slightly cheaper due to higher latency, but it will probably be unnoticable:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145579

If you want to go for the best bang for the buck then get this 1GB stick:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820134008

All of the above brands have very good reputation/reviews so you cannot go wrong with any of them.

[chaud]

I wouldn't put any more money into a computer that still uses DDR RAM, just build a new one.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't put any more money into a computer that still uses DDR RAM, just build a new one.

Fully agree,

It'll also be hard (and expensive) to find parts that prolly aren't even made anymore. The upgrades you can do to your current system will hardly make any difference

[nwo]

The upgrades you can do to your current system will hardly make any difference

Completely disagree...

512mb is just not meant for gaming of any sort, unless you are playing games that were made in the 90s.

Investing only ~30 bucks in his system will give him much smoother performance and overall better system responsiveness. His frame rate will become smoother and he will actually be able to move and do stuff in large cities without having to move staring at the ground and probably DCing all the time.

He does have a very budget system that needs to be upgraded but he never stated his budget so I'm just giving him the quickest and cheapest solution.

At least he has a standalone graphics card. The graphics card may be a couple of generations old, but it will run WoW fine with a bit more RAM. If he had an onboard video card then I would say that there truly is no hope and he should get a new system but that is not the case.

[Deleted]

Remember it also is DDR ram, that is DDR1. While it might make some difference, I really doubt it'll be more then a few fps.

[nwo]

Remember it also is DDR ram, that is DDR1. While it might make some difference, I really doubt it'll be more then a few fps.

RAM hardly ever yields a noticeable fps increase, it just makes your gameplay less choppy. But in this case, since his fps is completely bogged down, it will make a huge difference and actually increase it.

I remember when DDR2 RAM first came out... there was hardly any performance difference between the two. DDR1 RAM was running at much lower clock speeds ("bad") but much lower latencies as well ("good") while DDR2 RAM runs at higher clock speeds and higher latency. However, it has probably come a long way since then and since new processors adopted that architecture, systems with DDR2 RAM are noticeably "faster" but that's not just because it's DDR2 RAM, it's because of the other components as well.

[Furyfire]

Thanks for the replys, i have no clue what you are talking about with the drivers etc because i don't know shit about pc's . Other than buying 1 GB ram what is also good to invest in? to improve my pc?

[nwo]

Thanks for the replys, i have no clue what you are talking about with the drivers etc because i don't know shit about pc's . Other than buying 1 GB ram what is also good to invest in? to improve my pc?

Well, the next thing that you would be able to upgrade is your video card. It is pretty slow and outdated but it may not be worth it though. WoW performance relies heavily on the CPU, moreso than the video card in some cases. Therefore, if you were to invest around 100 bucks on a decent video card, then it would be severely bottlenecked by the processor you have now. You also may run into some other problems such as having an insufficient power supply for the new video card which would be another $50-100.

My advice is buy the RAM see how it goes. If you are unsatisfied with the performance increase and the performance then you will probably have to look at building a new system because you won't be able to upgrade to a good/cheap/new processor since you have an outdated socket 939 motherboard.

[Legendary]

Newegg.com is THE place to buy all your technology needs.

Tigerdirect.com will occasionaly have lower prices on some items than newegg and shouldn't be ruled out. I personally double check everything I buy on both sites.