Upgrade Questions

[Chazumi]

Hello,

first off let me apologize that I am somewhat new to this whole thing, so if I sound retarted don't laugh.

Anyways, read up on a few books (starting to become really interested in comp hardware), specifically I am trying to upgrade my system to be an ultra powerhouse:

You know, 2 gigs RAM crazy processor and video card from hell etc., plan on dropping quite a bit on it. Well I was originally assuming I would need to buy a new motherboard, and when I realized that I figured I would just build a new computer from the ground up (i've already installed a motherboard, video cards and ram are cake). But then I read something in BOTH books I bought (how computers work and PCs for dummies) and they discuss an EXPANSION CARD. Now...I may be misreading it but from what I understand... you have a video card slot AND an expansion slot? and this expansion slot can improve your video performance with an add on....without having to upgrade your current video card and get new mobo/processor etc.?

See the main reason I want to build a powerhouse comp from scratch is because of oblivion, and some other games that are due to arrive soon and will give my current one a hard time. I already found the graphics card I want, and a mobo/processor bundle and that alone is like 1000$. So I was wondering if I could bypass upgrading EVERYTHING and just get an expansion card, if that would improve my graphics noticeably?

EDIT: Figured I would include my comps stats (what I can remember)

AMD Athalon 1.7Ghz
768 Ram
GeForce 6200 OC 256

Am I missing anything?

 

[Zakharov]

Without reading the book myself I can only guess at what it is trying to say. Perhaps it means adding a second card to form an SLI setup (though that isn't an option for you). It could also be talking about adding a dedicated sound card to take some of the load off the cpu. This won't improve the quality of the graphics though, it will only increase the framerate slightly.

With the specs you have listed, I don't believe you are going to find a quick fix to significantly improve performance in games like Oblivion. If you want an ultra powerhouse gaming rig then I'm afraid you are going to have to spend a four figure sum on a new machine, or at least the core parts of one.

 

[Chazumi]

Thanks. I actually learned on a different webiste that expansion cards are way outdated... I wonder why the book mentioned them? I will have to reread that..

but yeah I already figured that out. So... does anyone have any suggetions on where I can get a quick 3000$?

I am officially opening the thread: "Donate to Chazumi's Wallet Fund", just post your CC# thanks

 

[Sahkuhnder]

So... does anyone have any suggetions on where I can get a quick 3000$?

If you are an attractive young lady then I know just the people that could help you.

 

[Speedo]

"Expansion slot" is usually a generic term for a PCI or PCI-express slot which can hold an addin card of whatever type, be it sound card, modem, SCSI controller, RAID controller, etc.

The problem with upgrading your comp is that any significant video card upgrade with leave you with a bottleneck due to your slower CPU. You'll have paid for a (relatively) high end card but won't be able to get anywhere near full performance out of it.

If you've got the budget and are already planning to do a major upgrade (basically build a new comp), then that's your best choice.

What CPU and motherboard are you looking at? If that's $1000 USD, it's pretty darn expensive. Most good motherboards will run in the $100-150 range, and the absolute top of the line are only $200 or so. For a CPU, unless you've got a massive budget and want the *absolute* best. A CPU powerful enough make a "powerhouse" comp can be had in the $300 range (Athlon64 4000). If you've got a larger budget you could go to something like the 4400, for $450 or so. Above that and it simply isn't worth it - you get things like a 50% price increase for a 5% performance gain.

 

[Chazumi]

What CPU and motherboard are you looking at?

I actually found a motherboard that comes with a AMD64300 CPU for like 300$, and it has the PCI-E slots I was hoping for too! After that I am going to buy a Radeon card I saw (don't have stats/name) that's like 600, and then all the rest of it I can get brand new but cheap, and hell I can even transfer most of my current computers components over anyways.

 

[Speedo]

If you're buying a $600 video card you want to give it something better than a Athlon64 3000. That CPUs not bad in itself but on a new, high end system it's going to bottleneck that expensive video card. I would shoot for at least a 3500 or 3700, if not a 4000 or better.