Hello all, I would like your opinion on what to do in my current situation. I have a Dell Dimension 8250 with Pentium IV 2.8 GHz, 512MB RDRAM, nVIDIA GeForce4 MX420 64MB AGP4x vid card, and Windows XP. I know I need a new vid card and memory, but do you think I'd be fine if I got, say, a 256MB or 512MB AGP4x video card, and another 512mb of RAM? I'd be a little above the minimum processor speed, at the minimum memory, and above the minimum video card, but with AGP. This is the 512MB card I'm looking at, and this is the 256MB one. I'm not extremely tech savvy, and so I don't know if I'm able to use the 256MB one since it's 128-bit and the card I have right now is 64-bit. For RAM, again, I'm not tech savvy, but it seems like the best I can do is put another 512MB in, by getting something like this. Thoughts? (keep in mind I'm trying to spend as little money as possible). ------------------ System Information ------------------ Time of this report: 7/25/2010, 20:31:12 Machine name: SASHA-A2B22EDC4 Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.100216-1441) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Dell Computer Corporation System Model: Dimension 8250 BIOS: Default System BIOS Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz Memory: 510MB RAM Page File: 582MB used, 667MB available Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) DX Setup Parameters: Not found DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode --------------- Display Devices --------------- Card name: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 Manufacturer: NVIDIA Chip type: GeForce4 MX 420 DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0172&SUBSYS_015A10DE&REV_A3 Display Memory: 64.0 MB Current Mode: 1152 x 864 (32 bit) (75Hz) Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200 Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll Driver Version: 6.14.0010.8421 (English) DDI Version: 9 (or higher) Driver Attributes: Final Retail Driver Date/Size: 3/9/2006 15:29:00, 3968512 bytes
This is one of those cases where it's not worth upgrading. The FX 5200 is below the minimum requirements and the HD 3450 performs around the same as newer onboard graphics. You're better off trying to save a bit extra cash for more noticeably improved performance. ASUS M4A785-M + AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0 GHz, $115 CORSAIR 2GB DDR2 800, $43 TOTAL: $158 The onboard graphics will perform similar to the HD 3450 you linked to but at least you'll get much improved performance from the dual-core Athlon. Pretty helpful considering StarCraft II is fairly CPU-bound. Just add a graphics card somewhere down the line when you've saved up a bit more. If you've got a Fry's store nearby, it's also worth checking out their motherboard+CPU combos. You usually get the combo for the price of the price of the processor alone (sometimes even less). I was able to get a Biostar G41 M7 + Celeron E3300 for $40 (last May I think). At the time, the E3300 cost $50 from Newegg.
Thanks for your suggestion, I hadn't thought of that route. Do I have to somehow make sure that the particular motherboard and/or processor is compatible with my computer? I've never worked inside my comp before, so I'm not too familiar with this area, but I assume that not all motherboards/processors are compatible with every case? Assuming everything fits, though, will there be anything else I need to tinker with? That is, will my HD, power supply, and CD/DVD drive all work fine? Also, just looking around newegg...do you think it'd be better or worse to get a GPU/motherboard combo like this and then buy a CPU separately? Or perhaps get a GPU/CPU combo and then add a motherboard. I assume it's all the same price range....Then again, if you think the onboard HD 4200 will run SC decently enough, then maybe that's the best route...
You would need to check the inside of the case to make sure the form factor is correct. I know Dell used BTX in some of their computers so if that's the case, you'd probably need to replace the case and power supply, too. Post some pics here so we can help you. The HDD and CD/DVD should work. However, you're going to have to re-install XP. The GPU combos you linked to aren't that good. The GeForce 210 and Radeon HD 5450 would work little better than motherboard IGP. The onboard HD4200 isn't going to run SC2 with eyecandy, but the combination I suggested would certainly run it better than your current PC even if you had upgraded to the HD 3450. Do check out the combos though and see what combination would give you the best price. If you're buying a GPU, I would suggest going no lower than the HD 5570 or GT 240. Assuming you can keep your current case and power supply, both those cards are low power enough that 200~300W power supplies that usually come with OEM builds will work. Even then, those aren't ideal, but if you're running on a tight budget...
You could upgrade to (at least) 1024 MB of main memory and then get a Radeon HD 3850 AGP graphics card. I believer, however, that those are only availabe second hand from ebay. The Radeon HD 3850 was by far the most powerful card ever released to the (nowadays outdated) AGP system bus. You should then be able to play the game on medium details with a decent FPS rate. However, I do not know how much influence your pretty slow Pentium IV CPU has on the game...
