Want to upgrade PC to run Diablo 3

[cody139x]

I am looking to upgrade my PC to run Diablo 3 as smoothly and beautifully as possible (within a tight budget). I do not want to spend more than $100-$150 on upgrade (s). Any recommendations/advice would be greatly appreciated!



APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: immediate

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Diablo 3, preferably on 61" 1080p TV, if not feasible, 19" monitor..

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT 512mb and I believe this power supply or better: COOLMAX CP-500T 500W EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe Socket 775 LGA @ 2.66ghz, Ram: 6gb DDR2 RAM OCZ and Mobo: Micro-Star International MS-7360, soundblaster X-Fi

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: prefer Nvidia simply because it is what I know, not against going to the other side if it makes sense.

OVERCLOCKING: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION:1440x900 or 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Want to run Diablo 3 as smoothly and pretty as possible within budget.

 

[cbramasco]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

that will help you run Diablo 3 perfectly

 

[coozie7]

Diablo 3 is n't that demanding graphically nor too taxing on the CPU.

See here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195.html

As for card, time for some more light reading 😉
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

As the resolution increases the workload tends to shift away from the CPU and towards the GPU so if you want that 61" 1080 goodness (who would n't?) go for the most powerful card you can afford.
As far as I can see, anything fairly modern will run off your existing powersupply, in fact they'll probably draw LESS juice than your existing 8800!
Edit: Slow typing...Sigh...Getting old...Yes the 550 Ti is a good choice.

 

[begnme]

Well you can get by just fine with a $65 GT440 with 2GB of ram. DIII requires a fairly average graphics card.

 

[cody139x]

Thank you guys; I will look at the 550 Ti. Coozie, I already read both of those articles in detail which is what sent me here; I wasn't sure if my CPU would bottle neck or not. I understand D3 is to be pretty nice to CPUs but my system is several years old at this point.

The benchmarks show the 550 Ti min framerate is 44 fps. Is that going to be high enough for fluid gameplay with a lot of highly exagerated lighting effects from explosions and fire/ice/etc from the wizard?

 

[cody139x]

Im looking at the 1920x1080 highest settings with AA chart btw.

 

[cbramasco]

Thank you guys; I will look at the 550 Ti. Coozie, I already read both of those articles in detail which is what sent me here; I wasn't sure if my CPU would bottle neck or not. I understand D3 is to be pretty nice to CPUs but my system is several years old at this point.

The benchmarks show the 550 Ti min framerate is 44 fps. Is that going to be high enough for fluid gameplay with a lot of highly exagerated lighting effects from explosions and fire/ice/etc from the wizard?

I was playing the beta on a gts 450 at 1920x1200 and it ran perfect. 😀 so the 550 will run like a champ 😀

 

[ohyouknow]

HD 6770 would be a great value as well and even outperformed an HD 6850 for some reason as well.

 

[coozie7]

@ cody139x:
Good man! Like to see people doing their own research 😉
I really can n't say yes or no on the 550 though, only to reiterate that at high resolutions it's graphics rather than CPU power that is going to be the main requirement.
If I were pushed I'd say that, given the modest requirements of Diablo 3, I'd guess you'll be fine.

 

[SinisterSalad]

I would think that the benches Tom's did are not aggressive enough. I would venture to guess you'll take about a 25% hit in FPS when you're on the higher levels(well, lower into the dungeons, lol) and beating on a bunch of baddies. I'm also sure that playing MultiPlayer will tax the CPU more, as it is a huge difference in games like BF3.

 

[cody139x]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130770

The GTX 560 SE is about the same price as the GTX 550 Ti (I generally discount rebates a bit because they often get "lost in the mail"!)..

I am not sure if the lower clock rates are more than offset by the additional CUDA cores or even if I am speaking the right language for that matter.. what do you guys think?

 

[cbramasco]

If I recall correctly, the 560 is only worth it if it's the GTX-560ti model. I could be wrong, and if I am, I will be corrected shortly. 😛 lol

 

[SinisterSalad]

I'm trying to find info on this, but my question is if PCI-E 1.0 going to be a bottleneck factor for the 550Ti? It seems that cody's board is only that.

 

[cody139x]

I have no idea about the PCI Express 1 vs 2 question, my research says that there "isn't a huge difference" when running a pci-ex 2.0 card on a 1.0 mobo, couple frames.. but the only thing I found on it was from a couple of years ago.. maybe pci express 1.0 can't do anything more than my current 8800 GT? Regarding the 550 Ti vs the 560 SE, my research shows the 560 SE is just a little step above the 550 Ti.. I think the naming scheme goes 550, 550 Ti, 560 SE, 560, 560 Ti... the SE is low end of the 560 and the Ti is the high end of the 560.. with 560 square in the middle..

 

[buzznut]

I have no idea about the PCI Express 1 vs 2 question, my research says that there "isn't a huge difference" when running a pci-ex 2.0 card on a 1.0 mobo, couple frames.. but the only thing I found on it was from a couple of years ago.. maybe pci express 1.0 can't do anything more than my current 8800 GT? Regarding the 550 Ti vs the 560 SE, my research shows the 560 SE is just a little step above the 550 Ti.. I think the naming scheme goes 550, 550 Ti, 560 SE, 560, 560 Ti... the SE is low end of the 560 and the Ti is the high end of the 560.. with 560 square in the middle..

Yep, that's about right. But let's look beyond Diablo for a second. There are lots of great games out now and in the near future that do have steeper systems requirements. As you mentioned, the CPU and system in general is getting a little old for modern titles.

I'm not suggesting you spend a fortune right now on a system upgrade, although you should be planning on one now. Start saving.

I think you may want something you can take with you when you do upgrade your platform. While a 550ti might work for Diablo, that's not a graphically intense game.

I think if I were you I'd really take a look at the 560ti. It may seem a bit much for a dual core, but it is a pretty good bang for buck right now. The HD 6950 is hard to find, and is more expensive when you do. But for $200 the 560ti a wise investment.