Will this upgrade be worth it to run SC2 or should I build a new computer?

Hi all...I need your technical expertise. I currently have this setup below:

BIOSTAR K8M800 Micro AM2 AM2 VIA K8M800 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory
AMD Sempron 64 3000+ Manila 1.6GHz Socket AM2 Single-Core Processor

I plan to upgrade the RAM, the processor, and the purchase a new AGP video card below:

Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Brisbane 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core
JATON 3DFORCE6200Xe GeForce 6200 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X

Will this setup even work together? Should I just buy a new setup? I want to run SC2 at least in med settings instead of low. Thanks in advance for your help guyz!

 

Buy new (kind of). That video card will barely handle low (if it can handle the game at all). Add an extra $40~60 for buying a socket AM2(+)/AM3 motherboard with a PCIe x16 slot. That will give you a wider choice in graphics cards and you should easily find $65 video cards that would be able to handle the game on medium.

CPU
AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz, $50.99

CPU + Motherboard combo
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz + BIOSTAR A770E, $103.98
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz + ASUS M4A785-M, $113.98
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz + BIOSTAR MCP6P, $88.98

If you've got a Fry's nearby, it's also worth checking out their motherboard/CPU combos.

 

Power Supply?

Thanks for the help. I was wondering with the setup you mentioned below, would a 250w power supply be sufficient or would I have to purchase another one?

 

Oh yeah, also I found this video card was recomended in the sticky on custom computer builds. Will it make a difference if I add this video card instead of a cheaper one at half the price with the setup you recommended above? Sorry...sort of new at this.

ECS NGTS250-512MX-F GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support

 

250W is enough for, say, a GT 240 or HD 5670 and a dual-core CPU assuming you don't have a ton of other stuff installed (e.g. a bunch of hard drives). The GTS 250, I wouldn't really use with lower than 400W. I'm actually using that same card (ECS GTS 250 512MB). For the price, it's pretty darn hard to beat. Works pretty well on ultra on my compie, albeit I am running a relatively more capable CPU - Core i7-860 (stock, Turbo Boost enabled).

Alas, I haven't actually determined at what point (resolution and settings) SC2 becomes bottlenecked by the CPU and reviews usually test graphics cards paired with overclocked Core i7 Bloomfields to prevent a CPU bottleneck. Hence, it's difficult to make a determination whether you'll notice a difference going to a GTS 250 instead of a lower end card.

 

Awesome...thanks for your response. I guess I'll go with this setup for now since the price difference is not too significant.

 

def go with the upgrade processor. im running a 2.8 ghz pentium 4 as well and if you can upgrade RAM to at least 2gb. and video card of your choice... my suggestion... go on blizz and look up the minimum req for the video cards.. and look up the specs for each video card and shop around for your personal video card and compare/contrast the difference in the clock speed.. etc..

 

Hey i hope this works,

i got a http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en...-80443628.html HP PAVILLION a6110n

currently running a AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4400+ for TRUE multi-tasking
• 2.3GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache, 2000MT/s System Bus

i have a GEFORCE 9500GT + 4GB RAM DDR2

i want to upgrade the processor.....whats your suggestion? i saw u seemed like an expert. For under $100. What would you buy? i suppose everything is compatible in terms of fit?

 

From the motherboard specifications page, the following seems to be the fastest processor you can install:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ 2.9GHz, $60 ($8 ship)

The following wouldn't be noticeably slower (just around 3~4% difference), but costs a bit less after shipping.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz, $53 ($4 ship)

 

sweet, i dont want to be a hassle to you thank you so much for your help since i dont know much about computers...should i switch motherboard to have access to better processors...is it even worth it for all the xtra cash and installments ill have to make? thanks again ur a great help

PS: IM guessing i have to buy heatsink seperately or does it come with all of it?

 

Your current heatsink should work fine. As for the new motherboard, assuming your PC still serves you well, this is one time I'd actually suggest waiting for newer tech (either Sandy Bridge or Bulldozer) and just doing a complete system overhaul. Even your current CPU, while dated, isn't bad. If you can afford to wait, I highly suggest doing so.

 

a year or so huh... 2011. i guess i can wait for it. Bulldozer seems like best bet

 

Well, Sandy Bridge is supposed to come out end of the year so that's just a few months wait. It's Bulldozer that you have to wait until 2011.

 

Ok after debating, I think I just might build a new computer. I'm thinking this will be ok, but let me know if it's not. Also I'm not too sure on the graphics card I should get. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!

ASUS P7H55-M PRO LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified
Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz 4MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

How about this graphic card? Or should I just get a 512 card because of my processor?

MSI N250GTS Twin Frozr 1G GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI

 

Video card memory doesn't really have much to do with your CPU. 1GB, theoretically should make for better performance when using ultra texture particularly at higher resolutions. I think the SC2 default setting if you only have 512MB video memory is high texture. You'll probably still be able to run 512MB cards at ultra texture, albeit with some performance penalty.

Otherwise, the rest of the parts look like pretty solid choices. One thing I'd like to point out is you chose a microATX board which is limited to 4 expansion slots. Your case could easily handle a full ATX board (7 expansion slots). While there's nothing wrong with using a smaller motherboard in a bigger case, just wanted to make sure you're aware of that fact in case you plan to add a bunch of peripherals or perhaps do a multi-GPU set-up somewhere down the line.

 

Do you think I'll be able to run SC2 at least high settings with this setup? Thanks again!

 

High settings, yeah sure, assuming you don't go higher than 1920x1200 resolution. I have a GTS 250 and it can even run the game on ultra at 1680x1050 with AA disabled. I did drop down to high, though, so I can use AA. For me, the difference from ultra to high isn't all that noticeable. I'd much rather get rid of the jaggies.