looking to upgrade

[l0ckp1ck]

I want to upgrade my machine so i get a bit better performance out of it. ATM i have Pentium(R) dual-core CPU E5200 2.50GHz , 2GB RAM, 320 GiG HD, intergrated graphics, running on WINXP. quake2 runs pretty smooth and certainly doesn't play the latest games but i only play q2 anyways, just wanted to try and get a bit better performance out of my gaming without spendin a fortune. Any suggestions?

[yahoo]

add a video card..

[[BTF] Reflex]

That sounds good to me,   Just a HAIR under CPU speed of what I'm running now.

Get an OK video card and that rig should run oblivion just fine,  Q2 with no problems.



I ran q2 on a pentium 2 with an ok vid card for ages, 
and really don't notice an improvement on any of the machines I've used since.

[yahoo]

I ran q2 on a pentium 2 with an ok vid card for ages, 
and really don't notice an improvement on any of the machines I've used since.

true, not more improvement for q2 can be noticed even if you run it on a much faster machine since u had surpassed the game's hardware requirement. A vid card will do wonders.

[Whirlingdervish]

Depending on the capabilities of the Power Supply, the number of pci-e slots and the size of the actual computer case, this would make most systems crank out recent games at playable framerates with decent quality settings:

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=01G-P3-1158-TR&family=GeForce%20200%20Series%20Family&sw=

I opted for a slightly different card in my rig to make sure it would fit in an atx-mid case.

http://www.evga.com/products/pdf/01G-P3-1145.pdf

[:iR:goatkilla]

i paid 140ish for my bfg gts 250 , right now it can be had for around 80 dollars new , also id go with a 650w power supply just to make sure you have zero problems, lol trust me i learned the hard way.

although some of the newer ati cards are just as strong as the 250 in some areas , the 250 is a little beast and it also seems the ati's are very efficient requiring less psu at times but they seemed to have stayed at the same price so i would op for something like a 250 just because you cannot beat the price/power it offers

[The Happy Friar]

if you only want to play Q2 why even consider upgrading?

[VaeVictis]

i agree with everyone else, all ya really need is a graphics card with a setup like that

how big is your case and what open slots do you have on your motherboard?

[yahoo]

if you only want to play Q2 why even consider upgrading?

To watch HD PRON after playing q2   

[Jay Dolan]

A better video card will likely not even improve your framerate in Quake2, as all Quake engines are CPU-bound on modern hardware.  However, you would likely be able to turn on 4x FSAA and 16x anisotropic filtering without losing much framerate, which will improve your image quality significantly.   

Here's a screenshot of just anisotropic filtering in Quake2World.  Left side is without, right side is with:

[DrFuzz]

that looks bad ass.

[fdrjk]

  WHat level is that?

Also, Download?

[UUD-40]

WHat level is that?

Also, Download?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=quake2world

[Punk_FAS]

I will assume your motherboard won't allow it, but you could always overclock your CPU.  I think those E5200 chips commonly overclock to 3.2-3.5 GHz, perhaps higher if you're lucky.  It would be plenty safe, and it's FREE, that is IF you have a motherboard with those capabilities.  You say you have integrated graphics though, so I'm guessing this was a pre-made machine bought at Best Buy or something like that?  In that case you probably don't have any OC'ng options.

Do you know the make/model of the integrated graphics processor?  Most likely upgrading the video card would be your best bet.  The E5200 @ 2.5 GHz is fairly capable of most games, given a decent GPU behind it.

Also, what about your monitor?  Do you have an LCD?  What resolution will you be playing at?

Deal #1 - XFX Radeon 4870 1GB - $100 after a coupon code (provided) and $20 main-in rebate
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2152922

Actually, check the slickdeals.net forum.  Look in the Hot Deals section, and you will find all sorts of good deals on computer stuff, and everything really.

There's supposed to be an Asus branded Radeon 4870 1GB going on sale for $90 after rebate next week at Newegg as well.

Also, unless you go with a really high end video card, your power supply is most likely fine for most of these mid-grade video cards.  If you can see the power supply, look and see the A (amp) value it has on the +12V rail on the sticker on the side of the PSU.  If it's 15+, it should be fine for "most" any single low to mid-grade video card.

[VaeVictis]

I will assume your motherboard won't allow it, but you could always overclock your CPU.  I think those E5200 chips commonly overclock to 3.2-3.5 GHz, perhaps higher if you're lucky.  It would be plenty safe, and it's FREE, that is IF you have a motherboard with those capabilities.  You say you have integrated graphics though, so I'm guessing this was a pre-made machine bought at Best Buy or something like that?  In that case you probably don't have any OC'ng options.

Do you know the make/model of the integrated graphics processor?

i dont advise overclocking to anyone who doesnt know exactly what they are doing, and have the right hardware to do it...