Upgrading my Emachine

[Residude]

Ok, so I have just recently gotten in to World of Warcraft and am sick of the lagging. I have around $175 to spend on my upgrading...this is what I have now...

Processor AMD Athlon 64 2.2 GHz
512 MB (DDR SDRAM)
Bus Speed 1600 MHz
Video Output Interface PCI Express
RAM Technology DDR SDRAM
Graphic Processor ATI RADEON Xpress 200
Video Out Ports 15 Pin D-Sub VGA port x 1


I hope this helps....I am unsure of what I should upgrade and what to buy.

Thanks for any help

 

[Cinders]

Well before we get into the focus of your post, I'd first say that you need to replace your power supply before your current one breaks and takes your motherboard with it. Emachines are infamous for their cheap PSU breaking and killing the motherboard they are connected to. That having been said, your new video card will require at least a new quality 450 watt power supply. Gaming video cards need about 30 amps on the 12 volt rail to run at their full speed. It's possible to run a video card with slightly less amps on the PSUs 12 volt rail but it will be over taxed by the video card and the PSU will eventually die from overheating or too much stress trying to meet the video card's voltage demands.

The least I’d recommend for gaming would be the Radeon X1950 Pro (about $160,00) with 512MB of DDR3 memory. It is a very good card for the money. There are better cards but you don’t have the budget, and the next step up is between $280.00 and $320.00.

But before you go buying any new video card we need to know what motherboard you have and if you have an AGP or PCI-E slot for a video card. You can if you wish download/run CPUz from CPUID. Click on the mainboard tab and tell us what the manufacturer, model and chipset are. You will probably also have to open your case and look to make sure you actually have an AGP or PCI-E slot. Often times Emachines removes the extra slots to save some money.

 

[Residude]

Hey, thanks for all the info...here is what you asked for
MPN W3410
Key Features
Form Factor Tower

Processor AMD Athlon 64 2.2 GHz

Chipset ATI RS480

Installed Memory 512 MB (DDR SDRAM)
Processor Type AMD Athlon 64

Processor Speed 2.2 GHz

Processor Manufacturer AMD

Socket Type Socket 754

Processor Upgradability Upgradable

Installed Qty 1

Max Processors Qty. 1

Video Output Interface PCI Express
Memory

Integrated Input/Output Ports USB 2.0 x 7 • Serial Port x 1 • RJ45 Lan Port x 1 • PS/2 Mouse x 1 • PS/2 Keyboard x 1 • Parallel Port (ECP/EPP/SPP) x 1 • RJ11 Phone Jack x 1 (Input)

Expansion Bays 2 x 5.25" (External Access) • 1 x 3.5" (Internal Access) • 2 x 3.5" (External Access)

Expansion Slots PCI Express x16 x 1 • PCI x 3

Memory Card Slots Memory Stick • SmartMedia • Memory Stick PRO • Micro Drive Memory Stick • MultiMediaCard • SD Memory Card • CompactFlash Card type I

Other Features Media Card Reader
Graphic Processor ATI RADEON Xpress 200

Video Out Ports 15 Pin D-Sub VGA port x 1

Audio Input Microphone Jack • 1 x Line In

Audio Output Type Sound Card • Line out

Integrated Audio AC97 Audio Codec

hope this helps and thanks again.

 

[Cinders]

Looks like you have a 16 speed PCI-E slot so the Radeon X1950 Pro should work for you.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ards-_-Sapphire+Technology+Limited-_-14102071

You will also need a quality power source.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

The Corsair is a bit expensive but it meets all the requirements for the video card and is very efficent. If you any any ideas about building a new computer or purchasing a stronger video card you might think about a 550 watt power supply for future upgrades.

I would also say that most gaming machines have 2GB of ram. If it's possible I'd purchase two 1GB DIMMs of DDR400, PC3200 if you still experience lag in WoW.

 

[nickc]

Cinders, that video card is AGP and he has PCIx16, it will not work in his MB.