PC upgrade query?

[DrJambo]

I am by no means a PC expert but suffice to say my aging PC is finally starting to struggle with today's games, Civ V being one of the main culprits. What I'd really like to know is what could and should be done to make my PC suitable? I'm guessing the Video Card, the Win XP OS, and the RAM would be immediate considerations for upgrade, but would appreciate any feedback that you guys could provide. Here's my current system:

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz
Speed : 2.45GHz
Cores per Processor : 2 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Dual-Core
Integrated Data Cache : 2x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 4MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 16-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing

Computer
Mainboard : Abit AW9D-MAX (Intel i975-ICH7)
BIOS : Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 08/24/2006
Bus(es) : ISA X-Bus PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
Total Memory : 2GB DIMM DDR2

Chipset
Model : Abit Computer 82975X Memory Controller Hub
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 272MHz (1GHz)
Total Memory : 2GB DIMM DDR2
Channels : 2
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 340MHz (680MHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Corsair CM2X1024-6400C4 1GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-5-5-18 3-22-6-3)
Memory Module : Corsair CM2X1024-6400C4 1GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-5-5-18 3-22-6-3)

Video System
Video Adapter : Radeon X1950 Series (PS3.0, VS3.0 506MHz, 512MB 594MHz, PCIe 1.00 x16)

Graphics Processor

Storage Devices
SAMSUNG HD400LJ (400GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 8MB Cache) : 373GB (C
WD 2500JB External 250GB (USB) : 233GB (G
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A (ATA66, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : 164MB (D
VR7085G TRN133R (ATAPI, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (E
VR7085G TRN133R (ATAPI, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (F

Logical Storage Devices
Hard Disk (C : 373GB (NTFS) @ SAMSUNG HD400LJ (400GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 8MB Cache)
U.B. Funkeys (D : 164MB (CDFS) @ Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A (ATA66, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)
Optical Drive (E : N/A @ VR7085G TRN133R (ATAPI, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (F : N/A @ VR7085G TRN133R (ATAPI, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
3.5" 1.44MB (A : N/A
My Book (G : 233GB (FAT32) @ WD 2500JB External 250GB (USB)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : Intel 82801GB/GR (ICH7) LPC Interface Controller
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : Winbond W83627DHG
Audio Device : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) High Definition Audio
Audio Codec : Realtek Semiconductor High Definition Audio
Disk Controller : Abit Computer 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7) Serial ATA Storage Controller
USB Controller 1 : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 2 : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 3 : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 4 : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 5 : Abit Computer 82801G (ICH7) USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
FireWire/1394 Controller 1 : Abit Computer TSB43AB22 1394a-2000 OHCI PHY/Link-Layer Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus

Network Services
Network Adapter : Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (Ethernet, 100Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 3)
Platform Compliance : x86

 

[HamTard]

Windows XP is fine honestly. 2GB of RAM is a bit low, maybe bump it up to 4GB ($100). You could probably get a Radeon 5770 1GB for $130.

 

[ValugaTheLord]

you need to change CPU to Quad Core and GPU to nvidiaHD5xxx/6xxx series (HD6xxx are not out yet would recommend 5770 for basic card and 5870 for high end.) or nvidia equivalent 3xx and 4xx i think.

then it should work okay.. and OFC Windows 7 64bit and more ram

Windows XP is fine honestly. 2GB of RAM is a bit low, maybe bump it up to 4GB ($100). You could probably get a Radeon 5770 1GB for $130.

Doing so he would loose 100$ on RAM.. as 32Bit only accepts about 3.6Gigs.. so he would still only utilize same amount of RAM as now because VRAM counts as well.

NinJa'd

 

[ValugaTheLord]

Double post d: