Wanting to Upgrade PC

[JoEL]

Hey guys, I decided it's about time I upgrade my PC hardware. I'm finding it to be a bit slow when it comes to running some of the new games like Starcraft II. The reason I made this post was because I'm not really sure what should be upgraded to increase game performance. It'd also be nice to stop playing games at the lowest setting. So please help and suggest what I should upgrade.

So here are my computer specs:

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Profesional
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.80GHz, 2.80 GHz.
Memory: 1534 RAM (Reason for this was we originally got this computer with 512MB ram and be bought another GB a while ago)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE

Now I also wouldn't mind upgrading my OS in the near future either.

[Jake]

It's time to look at a fresh start.

[JoEL]

It's time to look at a fresh start.

Care to elaborate? because that's so vague.

[Lucifer]

It's time to look at a fresh start.

Care to elaborate? because that's so vague.

I think he means everything you've listed could be a little better to fit the modern day standard. For starters, 1.5GB is starting to be a little lacking, my sister's computer I'm using at the moment has a whopping 8GB, and I can tell you I ran the Starcraft 2 Beta just fine and dandy. Your graphics card also seems to be getting a little out of date, my friend is running a Geforce 7 series and he's always having to play at minimum graphics. I know less than jack shit about CPUs, so I'm not going to suggest anything there...

[Mr Pwnage]

It's time to look at a fresh start.

Care to elaborate? because that's so vague.

Basically he's saying it would be more worth your time to buy a new computer than pick and replace parts...and I would completely agree with that given the current situation...maybe you could even get a great deal on a set and saves hundreds of dollars than otherwise buying individual parts.

[venuse]

before you start upgrading or getting advice we need to know what your motherboard is and your powersupply because those will determine what you can upgrade too. some motherboards are so old that yyou wont be able to upgrade without getting a new motherboard.
might try pcwizard to find this stuff out
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/pc-wizard.html

[EpicPhailure]

I thought SCII actually had lower standards than most games on the market right now.

Anyway, your graphics card does look a bit dusty.

[Jake]

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Profesional
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.80GHz, 2.80 GHz.
Memory: 1534 RAM (Reason for this was we originally got this computer with 512MB ram and be bought another GB a while ago)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE

Your OS is dated
Processor is extremely dated
RAM is extremely dated
Graphics card is extremely dated
Your motherboard, like Venuse was mentioning, might not even support a new graphics card or larger amounts of RAM
Your case might be too small to house new components, like an upgraded fan to support whatever new GPU you plan to get

My old computer is faster than yours, and that's saying something. It's time to start new.

[venuse]

might try looking over at newegg for a new gaming comp. infact heres a link

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006736+600030537&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=10&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

cheapest is $519 with free shiping

[Jake]

You may also want to check out cyberpowerpc.com or ibuypower.com and build your own PC (thats what it seems newegg goes through anyway). You can get great deals there. Needless to say, do some research on some of the latest hardware to get the best bang for your buck.

[Seifer]

Hrmm. First off, I'm not entirly sure about Star Craft II, but I wouldn't be surprised if his VGA could run it just fine. Venuse I think it was, if your friend has a Gforce 7 Series and can't run on max settings, something about his computer is seriously wrong.

Anyway, your CPU is very lacking. Not even Dual core. And you should have 4gb of ram to game. Thankfully, since you can't buy 1.5gb sticks, it means you have two slots. You could buy 2 2g sticks for probably 60-70 bucks total. While I'm at it, You could most likely get a new processor, something that's almost double what you have for around 150-200.

Yes, I know, he should start over, but not everyone is rich.

[Jake]

Yes, I know, he should start over, but not everyone is rich. [/color]

These days, you don't even have to be rich to get a decent setup. That's the beauty of extremely high end hardware that comes out so often; it brings the prices on everything else way down.

He said he doesn't want to play games at the lowest setting anymore, including new games. If he wants that, he's gotta do more than upgrade the machine he's got.

[Mr Pwnage]

Yes, I know, he should start over, but not everyone is rich.

In addition to what Jake said...as I mentioned in a previous post...a lot of times buying a full new set is much cheaper than buying individual parts...There is often great deals on computers for buying all the parts at once as a package...where as individual parts in the long run tends to be much more pricey. So while I am not completely aware of his financial situation...I can say that if he is really looking to replace 4 parts...because in honesty he should to play some of the newer more graphically intense games...it would probably be cheaper for him to just buy a completely new PC.

[Meiun]

I second what most the rest of you are saying. If you really want to do anything more than make your computer slightly less dated than it already is, you probably will need to just get a new one/start over. If you really want something decent by todays standards, there wouldn't be a whole lot worth salvaging out of the one you listed there.

[ARTgames]

I'm with jake and meiun and every one else. The only thing you need to upgrade is everything. AKA a new pc. :/

edit:
I take that back. your cpu is way too low.