Hi, i have a decent computer but would like to know how to speed it up (hardware wise) without changing the CPU, or motherboard. perfferably the graphics card or the RAM anything that will make my FPS go up in the game GTA 4 thats under 200 dollars. any help would be appreciated. My System: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4Ghz Asus P5QPL-AM Motherboard XFX Nvidia GeForce 8600GT 512MB DDR2 3GB 667 DDR2 RAM (PC2 5300) (1) 160GB Hard Drive (1) 640GB Hard Drive Thermaltake TR2-430W (430 Watt RMS power supply) If i am going to change my ram i am going to go up from 3GB to 4GB just because one time one of my programs shut down because i ran out of RAM Thank you for any of your help. It is greatly appreciated It took me a while to write this so i would like helpful responses. I would also say that i would like to move up to PC2 8500 (1066)
The graphics card needs to be upgraded along with the PS. I would say something in the GTX series would be nice.
What type of performance increase where you looking for because upgrading your GPU wont help with processing power. The accessing speed and response time of windows start up, programs and apps will remain the same. However if you want a performance increase in your gaming you should consider upgrading your graphics card. Your PSU is enough for your currnet rig I would only upgrade that if I was going to overclock or crossfire 2 GPU's. Good choice, I would update the RAM before anything else. But dont just get 1gb more of 667 ram, upgrade them all & you will see a vast improvment. 4gb of Corsair DDR2 XMS2 PC2 8500 or something similar will speed your rig up quite a lot from that 667 especially if you are running anything more current than win xp.
thanks for your help! But in december is when i get the money (200 dollars) to buy anything. so i would either get 4 GB of 1066 (PC2 8500) or XGX HD 5770. which one do you think i should buy first because to get more money (400 dollars) i would have to wait until october (next year) for my birthday. I want the best i can get for the 200 dollars RAM or GPU first with less wait. No i dont have a job because i am not old enough but dont think because im young that im not good with computers, cuz i am.
Well I want to say a GPU because there a lot more fun to have and play around with but I would go for higher frequency ram first, it will give you the increase in speed you were looking for. 3GB of 667 ram these days is getting outdated especially with the use of a quad core. 4gb ddr2 PC28500 or PC28000 would be good (assuming you have a 64-bit) to get first, then a XFX 5770 & it should run smoother than it would have with your old ram.
thanks for all your help and i have come up with a decision with the money i get on my birthday (400 dollars) i am going to buy a HD 5770 and the 4GB PC2 8500
cridaba88, what windows are you using & is it 32 bit or 64bit version as only 64bit version can read past 3.5gigs of ram? won't see any real difference in system performance between old ram & new but will see better frame rates with new videocard. your hard drives, are they ide, sata1 or sata3?
Nice choice, but.. Upon further investigation (sorry I was in a hurry last night) I wouldn't recommend using that power supply with an HD 5770. It only has a 14A 12V rail and a 15A 12V rail for a total of 348W and 29A. That graphics card has a max power draw of 108 watts. Here's the math: Graphics card 108W / 12V = 9A Processor (average for a q6600) 95W / 12V = 7.91A Hard drive 10W / 12V = .83A Optical drive (cd/dvd) 20W / 12V = 1.67A Total 19.41A is cutting it close to that MAX of 29A (remember this is doesnt include any other devices or components such as your 2nd hard drive), you should be ok for a little while but personally I would want a little more head room. I would recommend at least a Corsair 450W psu. It has a 33A 12V rail and one 6 pin pci-e power connector and is 80+ certified for energy efficiency. Also at stock speed (2.4GHz) your Q6600 will bottleneck any HD 5770. If you overclock it to 3GHz most of it should be eliminated and any higher than that should see it all gone. Consider that if you overclock the q6600 (you will need a aftermarket CPU cooler) with a 5770 on your current PSU you will run a HIGH risk of damaging your rig. So even if you choose a 5770 over a new power unit you will be hindered by your CPU quite a bit. If you choose to keep that PSU your 400 budget should be enough for both the ram and the gpu but I would buy RAM and a new PSU, then invest in the 5770 later down the track. Maybe a little spare for an after market CPU cooler if you want to overclock the CPU to eliminate the bottleneck. SAPPHIRE HD 5770 $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858&cm_re=HD_5770-_-14-102-858-_-Product CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 $120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...air_DDR2_XMS2_PC2_8500-_-20-145-247-_-Product
thanks again when you say "you should be ok for a little while " does that mean it will last until 2 months later (december) but BTW: i dont play for more than an hour at a time and all my graphics arent on max. so i give it breaks in between but so will it last until december cuz i actually get 400 in october for my birthday and 200 in december for christmas money. so couldi buy the GPU and the RAM in october and then buy a really good psu in december? would it last that long?
