Upgrading computer for WoW

Hi, guys first time poster here. I'm looking to upgrade the specs on my computer , mainly the RAM the video card and the cpu. im really new to this so bear with me.thanks.
price range:150-250
Specs:
CPU-Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz
RAM-511.4 mb
video card:GeForce FX 5200
80 gb hard
running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3 (build 2600)

i like to know how to get the most out of the least amount because I'm on kind of a tight budget

thanks a lot guys.
 
could you give more specific information about your system?
cpu-z is a good, free and easy tool to retrieve valuable information from your system
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

the cpu might be ok but would be good to know if it is a celeron, dual core, hyper threaded, etc
also, what brand and model motherboard is need in order to recommend you any ram upgrade and/or video card..
you should be able to pick up a decent video card for under $100. something like a nvidia gt 240 or better a gt 430.
you should upgrade to 2 gb of ram with decent performance or 4gb if the price is right.
 
If you are making changes for gaming purposes, you probably want to get in the area of a HD 4850 or GT 250 for the graphics, assuming you have a PCIE slot.
 
Yea my recommendation for you would be to just buy a new computer. Your already willing to spend 150-250 so you might as well wait a little longer and spend 350-400 and get a brand new computer. Just to give you an idea, I got the computer I am on now for just over 300. heres some of the specs.

Amd athlon dual-core processor (2.6ghz)
3gb of RAM
Windows vista 32-bit with free windows 7 upgrade.

The only thing i spent a little extra on was a new video card, which I would recommend if you were into gaming. Pentium 4's aren't that persay, but they are just old technology. Why not do a significant upgrade for a little more change and be a lot happier? With what you upgrading to right now your going to want to upgrade again in the very near future. Everything I said is merely a suggestion, but i think you will be a lot happier in the end.


I was on the same boat you were before I got this computer. i had a pentium 4 with 1gb of ram. It was OK and did what I needed it to do. When it came to gaming though it just didnt perform up to the standards of new games. I had problems playing half-life, TFC, DOD, Counter-strike, etc etc. Thats why I bit the bullet and got a brand new system. Hope this helps
 
Your computer is too old to justify upgrading it; the AGP video card is going to be a serious problem, since the video card will pretty much determine your gaming performance. Also, WoW taxes the CPU pretty heavily, so your Pentium 4 will not cut it either.

I second mooseknuckle21's recommendations; save up and get a new system instead. You'll get a drastic increase in overall performance and you'll be getting the maximum bang-for-your-buck as well.
 
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