Games have to run on Low Settings...what upgrade is needed most

[mastermoirich]

ugh...is there a way to check if i have ddr2 or ddr3 without opening casE? or do i just have to get it over with.

and as an update...so far the debate still continues. new psu for sure though
7770 and buy a whole nwe comp in 2 yrs
, 7850 or, 7870 and new comp in 2 yrs but vid card might be able to stay, or at least work in crossfire (however that works)

 

[mastermoirich]

Ok great...couple more questions and i will let you nice folks get back to your lives.

1) Does the brand matteR? i see powercolor, sapphire, HIS, gigabyte, visiontek etc...all different prices. Why are there different brands when the card is an AMD or an NVIDIA etc. (see how i snuck two questions into one)

2) am i correct in saying 7770 and the linked psu is worthwhile over just the 7750

3) what about used cards? worth it since i'm not getting an extremely new/powerful card? or not b/c its less powerful and therefore not that expensive anyway.

 

[Guest]

ugh...is there a way to check if i have ddr2 or ddr3 without opening casE? or do i just have to get it over with.

and as an update...so far the debate still continues. new psu for sure though
7770 and buy a whole nwe comp in 2 yrs
, 7850 or, 7870 and new comp in 2 yrs but vid card might be able to stay, or at least work in crossfire (however that works)

:lol: i stumbled across that other thread and notice the first thing jumped on was the pentium :lol:
( don't blame them in the least, i would have too)
this is what you have:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01746799&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=4000265#N92
and i wasn't correct in assuming you have ddr2, you have ddr3. but it is slower @ 800/1066 speed. so don't expect to use that when upgrading

as exciting a 7850 sounds you may look at your best option is upgrading the PSU and getting a 7770 at the most. even a 7750 would be a substantial increase at performance. i threw out that build to give you an idea of what would be more appropriate for a 7850+.

in a few months AMD is going to release the 8xxx series a few months after than nvidia will release their 7xx series. point is by the time 2-3 years goes by, what you get today will be outdated by then.

well except a quality PSU; they just get older . . . (regardless of any capacitor aging myth)

 

[Guest]

Ok great...couple more questions and i will let you nice folks get back to your lives.

1) Does the brand matteR? i see powercolor, sapphire, HIS, gigabyte, visiontek etc...all different prices. Why are there different brands when the card is an AMD or an NVIDIA etc. (see how i snuck two questions into one)

2) am i correct in saying 7770 and the linked psu is worthwhile over just the 7750

3) what about used cards? worth it since i'm not getting an extremely new/powerful card? or not b/c its less powerful and therefore not that expensive anyway.

1) the cheaper cards are just the same reference design with just their name slapped on them. the more expensive cards have a better cooling design and some have better power delivery making them to be able to overclock and perform better. maybe a few bells and whistles such as what video outputs; DVI/VGA/display port (if you don't know what those are - google is your friend and it getting late here, sorry)

2) yes

3) used card can be a good deal but beware if there is at least some sort of return policy in case its flonky from the get go.

 

[mastermoirich]

No worries about he assumption on the RAM.
Will i need a bigger psu when i build a whole new rig in 2 years?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027&Tpk=CX500%20V2%20500W

And would it be worth it to get new ram now?

 

[Guest]

No worries about he assumption on the RAM.
Will i need a bigger psu when i build a whole new rig in 2 years?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027&Tpk=CX500%20V2%20500W

And would it be worth it to get new ram now?

that 500 watt will be fine unless you decide to get a high end power hungry graphics card that needs more than 225 watts itself and a cpu that needs more than 100 watts.
if you got 4 gbs of ram that is enough. and what ram you'll buy is not worth it.

 

[egilbe]

Ram prices can fluctuate quite a bit. I think it might get cheaper pretty soon. There is going to be a glut of ram since everyone is predicting a slump in pc sales. Once ram prices get too low, semiconductor companies will start to close or shut some fabs down and when pc sales take off again, ram will get very expensive, very quickly. Ram prices are still dirt cheap right now, comparatively.

 

[CaptainTom]

No i wasnt offended...it actually made me laugh because I KNOW i don't know what i'm talking about. I couldn't believe one was $130ish more than the other and they were the same...thats all..

Here's the thing: the more expensive ones are often overclocked versions with better cooling. But the standard card almost never has any cooling problems (Except the GTX 480 lol), AND at best the card will be 10% stronger (before) overclocking.

IMO, if you are paying $30-$100 more for a souped-up version of the card you want, YOU WANT A DIFFERENT CARD! LOL

 

[CaptainTom]

Ok so the question is this...considering the new PSU

AMD 7870
or
AMD 7850

1GB or 2GB?

Will either of these be good enough to carry over toa brand new homebuilt system in 2 yrs

If you want longevity, get a 7870.

 

[CaptainTom]

Ok great...couple more questions and i will let you nice folks get back to your lives.

1) Does the brand matteR? i see powercolor, sapphire, HIS, gigabyte, visiontek etc...all different prices. Why are there different brands when the card is an AMD or an NVIDIA etc. (see how i snuck two questions into one)

2) am i correct in saying 7770 and the linked psu is worthwhile over just the 7750

3) what about used cards? worth it since i'm not getting an extremely new/powerful card? or not b/c its less powerful and therefore not that expensive anyway.

1) Get the cheapest 4/5+ card. Brand doesn't matter that much in general.

2) Yes.

3) NO! I have had bad experiences with used. Plus the 7000 series is so much better than the 6000, that it is easily worth any extra price...