Upgrading my PC

[thommyranger]

plz helpful answers only.....

hi i have an old e-machines desktop, i want to upgrade the G-card and anything thing else i can so i can play rift and wow on high settings and run smooth frames even in big raids here are the specs..

emachines w3503 mediacenter
intel celeron d 356 / 3.33 ghz
64 bit
ati radeon Xpress 200 chipset
533.o mhz fsb
L2 cache 512 kb
512 mb ram ddr sdram 184 pin
ide integrated
160 gb hard drive
windows xp media center

so any knowledge on what my pc can take and be upgraded with would be much appreciated thanks.

 

[Leeky]

Your CPU is going to be a limiting factor when upgrading your graphic card, as is your RAM.

We also need to know what the total wattage of your PSU is, or whether you plan to replace this as well.

And a budget would be good, so we can recommend something suitable. If I'm honest you're better off upgrading totally. Your system is old by gaming standards now, and will struggle to play anything at reasonable levels.

Even a integrated graphics solution will outperform your current setup.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

You know what, you're computer is your limiting factor.
Start over with a new computer.

 

[thommyranger]

well i would like to be able to atleast play rift and medieval 2 total war on high settings i would spend about 100-200 on graphics am willing to upgrade my ram 100 dollars about anything else only if i have to. my psu is 300w max any answers would be helpful

 

[rockyjohns]

You know what, you're computer is your limiting factor.

I got a good laugh out of that - but unfortunately for thommy it is very true.

The CPU was slow when it was issued - a not really for gaming - probably reason for the "Mediacenter" part of the name on the system. It is definitely not intended for gaming. It will limit whatever you try to do.

What is the make and model of your PSU? It will also limit your activities.

If you really want to get a little more out of the system , you might consider a light upgrade now while you start saving for a new system. For instance, you could upgrade the video card with a GT 240 for $35 AR like this one:

XFX GT-240X-YAFA GeForce GT 240 512MB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150553

And then add another 512MB or 1 GB of memory.

The next step requires upgrading the PSU and getting a faster video card, but I would not recommend it with that system since CPU will still limit things quite a bit. And the memory. And the front side bus on the mobo. etc.

For more information about upgrading video cards I suggest looking at upgradevideocards.com which has a lot of good information and links.

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/nongaming.html

The have pages on identifying system requirements and wants, video cards for HTPC, movies and light gaming; video cards for gaming, reviews, and installing video cards.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Uhm, for $300 USD, IMO get a new computer.