Video Card Upgrade

i recently have been looking into getting a better video card to aid with WoW. the one i have now is what came with my computer, and im sure its not very good. The mother board i have now doesnt have a pci-e slot, only 3 pci slots. ive heard video cards that use a pci-e slot are the best. i was wondering if it would be worth my while to buy a new mother board which has a pci-e slot so i could get a video card that uses a pci-e slot.

i really need help with this.

For gaming getting PCIe is the best choice. So yes its worth getting a new motherboard.

Welcome to Techspot :wave: ! Look at my guide in my signature and post in the specified format please!

PCI-E is the best way to go for gaming. Well worth spending the money

will do.....

Hey here is some things to consider, do you have a AGP slot? plain pci graphic cards are nearly exstinct , there are some major things to consider like, if you want a PCIe x16 video card you will need to look at the size of your power suppy, I would have a 400 watt psu as a minimum, and at least
18 amps on the power rail of the psu as a minimum, also what size of CPU
you have now? if you go Dual Core " Intel or AMD" does not matter only to your preference! , if you go dual core I would suggest a CPU 2.0ghz as a minimum and 2.4ghz in a single core CPU! and mostly likely at least
1 gig of ram!
I would think about buying a Bare Bones Computer and upgrade from there that way you can add hardware slowly and build up to a more practical system! there is some nice deals out there so research and shop around!
Good Luck!
Rickman45

1. mostly play WoW

2. around $250

3. +12V/14A

4.

Number of processors 1
Number of cores 1 per processor
Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
Name Intel Celeron
Code Name Northwood
Specification Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.60GHz
Package Socket 478 mPGA
Family/Model/Stepping F.2.9
Extended Family/Model F.2
Brand ID 10
Core Stepping D1
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 2600.0 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 26.0 x 100.0 MHz
Rated Bus speed 400.0 MHz
Stock frequency 2600 MHz
Instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2
L1 Data cache 8 KBytes, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Trace cache 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative
L2 cache 128 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Chipset & Memory
Northbridge Intel i845G rev. B1
Southbridge Intel 82801DB (ICH4) rev. 02
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 768 MBytes
Memory Frequency 133.3 MHz (3:4)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 6 clocks
System
System Manufacturer HP Pavilion 061
System Name D7222W-ABA A500Y
System S/N MXP418010N NA500
Mainboard Vendor MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
Mainboard Model Gamila/Giovani/Neon series
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version 3.06
BIOS Date 12/31/2003
Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR, PC2700 (166 MHz), 256 MBytes, Hyundai Electronics
Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Kingston
Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c


5. U.S.

hope this is all!

i plan on getting a new motherboard with a pci-e slot

also plan on getting another stick of 512 ram

not sure about PSU though

You need a new PSU for another video card. I can tell you that right now.....14A on the +12V Rail won't cut it if you know what I mean . Tell us your budget, so we can help you pick out the proper parts .

this is something im going to be working on over time, so i should start out with a new PSU first? what is a good number to be looking for?

im not really looking for the best stuff i can get, more of just what i need to run WoW with no problems whatsoever

Get a new motherboard and a processor like even a pentium D and wow should run fine and if you buy like a ati radeon x1300 or nvidia 7600 wow would run nicely

Number of processors 1
Number of cores 1 per processor
Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
Name Intel Celeron
Code Name Northwood
Specification Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.60GHz
Package Socket 478 mPGA
Family/Model/Stepping F.2.9
Extended Family/Model F.2
Brand ID 10
Core Stepping D1
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 2600.0 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 26.0 x 100.0 MHz
Rated Bus speed 400.0 MHz
Stock frequency 2600 MHz
Instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2
L1 Data cache 8 KBytes, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Trace cache 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative
L2 cache 128 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Chipset & Memory
Northbridge Intel i845G rev. B1
Southbridge Intel 82801DB (ICH4) rev. 02
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 768 MBytes
Memory Frequency 133.3 MHz (3:4)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 6 clocks
System
System Manufacturer HP Pavilion 061
System Name D7222W-ABA A500Y
System S/N MXP418010N NA500
Mainboard Vendor MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
Mainboard Model Gamila/Giovani/Neon series
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version 3.06
BIOS Date 12/31/2003
Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR, PC2700 (166 MHz), 256 MBytes, Hyundai Electronics
Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Kingston
Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

Get a new motherboard and a processor like even a pentium D and if you buy like a ati radeon x1300 or nvidia 7600 WoW will run good

any suggestions for motherboards and pricing for that and a processor?

PCI cards are the worst of the lot when it comes to gaming, but for WoW, I think this would be enough without needing to spend too much to upgrade, if WoW is the only game you're gonna play. Read through the customer reviews of that card, one or two say it runs fine with WoW.

im guessin you want the most performance and still stay in a nice budget so..
a good motherboard is:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012 (best bang for your buck!)
CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116262 (its a fine dual core)
or you can go straight to a core 2 duo CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115005 (if you have the $$) also you will need DDR2 Memory so id just get:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227006 in total your lookin at about $378 US without tax <---thats with the core 2 duo processor (the better dual core) and with the Pentium d your looking at $332 US with the lower dual core (pentium d)

oops i frogot the GPU in the buget lol for the 7600: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150213
(159.99US)
and the x1300:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102681
(119.99US)
I suggest the 7600 =) (dont froget to add the card of your choice price into the price in the post above =)

2 other forums i posted on suggested getting a whole new computer....but my gaming is limited to only wow...and i really dont think i need a whole new computer for the time i spend playing games. ( a few hours a day, if that) They said buying/building a new computer would cost the same as getting a new motherboard, cpu, and graphics card.

would buying/building a new computer be more beneficial than just upgrading the motherboard, cpu, and graphics card?

The only reason we are saying this is becuase of your lack of AGP or PCIe slots mixed with your Celeron CPU.