Need computer advice
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From: the beaches of florida
Need computer advice
Im trying to decide if i should build a new computer or just upgrade the one i have now. My computer is an asus p4s8x 2ghz 512mb ramm with a geforce 5200. I know that it can be upgraded to 3gb of ramm but im not sure if its worth it. Also i dont know if i could swap out the cpu for a faster one? Is that a bad idea? Is there anything else i could do to improve performance?
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From: the beaches of florida
pretty much yeah,
The goal id like to reach the most is to be able to play "Oblivian" without having to sacrifice too much graphics. I usually play old school games so ive never really had a problem with performance in that sense of non-online game.
Online however has been a pain recently. My ping flunctuates drastically and makes game play nearly impossible. I use bellsouth fast access dsl, something like that. It hooks up to another computer which is in a sense the primary computer, and then into mine. It can be a pain and it seems to lose the connection often. Earlier today i went to play an online game and my ping was jumping from 400-700. Usually its at 50-110 on average, baisically no skipping in gameplay. It would be nice to have a smooth running online game again, but i suspect the problem isnt in the hardware.
The goal id like to reach the most is to be able to play "Oblivian" without having to sacrifice too much graphics. I usually play old school games so ive never really had a problem with performance in that sense of non-online game.
Online however has been a pain recently. My ping flunctuates drastically and makes game play nearly impossible. I use bellsouth fast access dsl, something like that. It hooks up to another computer which is in a sense the primary computer, and then into mine. It can be a pain and it seems to lose the connection often. Earlier today i went to play an online game and my ping was jumping from 400-700. Usually its at 50-110 on average, baisically no skipping in gameplay. It would be nice to have a smooth running online game again, but i suspect the problem isnt in the hardware.
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Zimmerman, MN
Ping variations is all network.
If you want to monitor your internet speeds (bandwidth), use www.dslreports.com to check. Go to the Tools section (across the top). There you will find tools to help monitor, like speed test. They also have something called smokeping to monitor for a 24 hour period.
Another thing to check (as it might be your loacl hardware, not the internet) is ping the other computer you're connected to. start | run | type in cmd and hit enter. At the command prompt type: ping PCName or IP address (depending on which you know). On your own local network, they should always read like this:
Reply from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
If you see anything in this test with a time greater than <10ms, you have a network issue internal. Bad NIC on either PC, bad router\switch\hub, cable, etc.
As far as the hardware spec laid out about your PC, bump the memory to 1GIG and you should be fine with the gaming.
Good luck to ya
If you want to monitor your internet speeds (bandwidth), use www.dslreports.com to check. Go to the Tools section (across the top). There you will find tools to help monitor, like speed test. They also have something called smokeping to monitor for a 24 hour period.
Another thing to check (as it might be your loacl hardware, not the internet) is ping the other computer you're connected to. start | run | type in cmd and hit enter. At the command prompt type: ping PCName or IP address (depending on which you know). On your own local network, they should always read like this:
Reply from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
If you see anything in this test with a time greater than <10ms, you have a network issue internal. Bad NIC on either PC, bad router\switch\hub, cable, etc.
As far as the hardware spec laid out about your PC, bump the memory to 1GIG and you should be fine with the gaming.
Good luck to ya
Last edited by rangerxlt02; Jun 14, 2006 at 10:13 AM.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Pleasant Hill, MO
if you're wanting to play oblivion, which isn't a very good game, here's my plan.
Wait till the end of june, as there will be SUBSTANTIAL price moves. AMD plans to cut the X2 processor line in HALF. You'll be able to get an X2 3800+ for around $150. The reason these prices are going so low is because of intel's new core, the Conroe.
At the end of June, I'd build...
AMD Athlon X2 4400+ socket AM2 (~$200)
2x1gb 800mhz DDR2 ram (~$200)
MSI K9N Platinum (~100)
Hard drive of your choice (~50-200)
DVD-RW (~40)
Case of your choice
Sparkle 350W power supply, with dual 12V rails (~40)
How big is your monitor? If it is a 15" or 17" LCD, I would recommend an nVidia 7600GT (~200), constructed by eVGA. If it's 19", you'll be stuck in 1280x1024 resolution, and I'd get a 7900GT(~300).
This computer ought to really blow Oblivion out of the water, and the rig should be good to go till you feel like upgrading to Vista. Even then, it will run it beautifully.
Ryan
Wait till the end of june, as there will be SUBSTANTIAL price moves. AMD plans to cut the X2 processor line in HALF. You'll be able to get an X2 3800+ for around $150. The reason these prices are going so low is because of intel's new core, the Conroe.
At the end of June, I'd build...
AMD Athlon X2 4400+ socket AM2 (~$200)
2x1gb 800mhz DDR2 ram (~$200)
MSI K9N Platinum (~100)
Hard drive of your choice (~50-200)
DVD-RW (~40)
Case of your choice
Sparkle 350W power supply, with dual 12V rails (~40)
How big is your monitor? If it is a 15" or 17" LCD, I would recommend an nVidia 7600GT (~200), constructed by eVGA. If it's 19", you'll be stuck in 1280x1024 resolution, and I'd get a 7900GT(~300).
This computer ought to really blow Oblivion out of the water, and the rig should be good to go till you feel like upgrading to Vista. Even then, it will run it beautifully.
Ryan
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From: SW Arizona
Have friend who plays Oblivion and it makes huge demands on computers apparently. And he plays it with a 4ghz of his own making.
But ping rate is all network and connection. Upping your rig's RAM to 1 gig is always good when playing games.
But ping rate is all network and connection. Upping your rig's RAM to 1 gig is always good when playing games.
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