What to upgrade?

[cab987]

SPECS:
CPU : Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6400+
Graphics Card : GeForce 9800 GT
MOBO:i belive it is ASUS n13219 (i see that code in between the slots. )
PSU:Nspire Power Supply NSP-450P4LF12 450W ATX2.0
Case:Tsunami Dream
RAM: 3GB DDR 2
OS:WIN XP
USAGE: now i use this to play battlefield 2 and other older battlefields. Also i play EvE online.
in future(upgraded or new build) i am planning on playing BF3, red orchastra 2, Arma 3 and EvE online
this PC does have a history of viruses.

I have some extra money this month, so i'm deciding to do a tiny upgrade to my PC. I'm thinking upgrading the ram to 6gigs of DDR3

 

[mindless728]

If you upgrade your ram to DDR3, you would need a new motherboard which also means a new cpu as well

honestly, looks like you need a new computer in general for playing video games

 

[DANWIN]

how much money we talking about mate

 

[geofelt]

To identify your motherboard, run cpu-Z.

At this point, I think you might want to save up some more, and do a major rebuild.

Upping ram to 6gb will do you no good if XPis a 32 bit version. It will gain you perhaps.4gb.
And... DDR3 ram is not compatible with DDR2 ram/motherboards.

Your cpu and gpu are decent, but for better performance, I suspect you need to upgrade both.

To help clarify your options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 50%.

Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
set to 50% and see how you do.


If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

Your psu is not a brand known to me, I suspect that it is not of good quality. Regardless, if you want a stronger graphics card, you will need a better psu.


I think you need to make a plan to sell your parts, and build entirely new.