Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition

[Bishop]

Welp, makes me sad. My econo-box bare bones system that I bought 3 years ago as finally found a game that it can't play at all with any level of competency.

Looks like a CPU/Mobo/RAM upgrade are in my future if I wanna play this thing. Any suggestions?

Currently:
Unknown Intel Socket 775 microATX board
Intel Pentium D 3.2GHz
2048MB DDR2 800MHz RAM

I'm not sure if I wanna go cheap and just get a Core 2 Quad to keep the same mobo/RAM or just get a Core i3/i5 setup which will cost around 2.5-3 times as much.

[GI Joe]

There are really two ways to go here, as you mentioned.  

Starting over from a new motherboard, you can build something that will last you at least a few years, probably more.  Newer core i5 and i7 mobos support more (and better) RAM.  Of course this option would force you to spend more $$, especially if you want to hit the bleeding edge (SATA 3.0, SuperSpeed USB, ect.).  To some degree though, you can usually get away with doing this option in stages... just because you buy a mobo that supports 16 GB doesn't mean you have to buy it all at once; and as long as your graphics card is halfway decent and your new OS will support it, you can usually put off purchasing a new one.  No matter what you do, there will be hefty startup costs because you will absolutely need a new processor and RAM to pair with the mobo.

The other option is to max out what you've got on the current mobo and extend playability for one or two years.  This will be by far the most cost effective option but you will eventually hit a wall.  If you haven't maxed out RAM as far as what your mobo (and your OS) can support, that is a good place to start.  Look at how much RAM is supported by your system and where you want to be in a year... if the system can't support enough, I'd say it's time to move on.  If the system will support it, then you've got a decision to make between a new processor or your vid card.  If your graphics card isn't quite up to snuff, you'll probably want to upgrade that first.  Otherwise that processor would be my next choice for an upgrade.  Core 2 Quads are down a bit from what they used to be (thought not what I'd consider devalued yet) so that might be a good option.  For me it all hinges on the RAM, no sense in building up if part of the foundation is missing.

Let me know what OS you are on and what the maximum supported memory of your motherboard is.  I'm also interested in knowing what graphics card you have.

[Bishop]

Max supported RAM is 4GB (though only 2 RAM slots on the board) and an nVidia 8600 GTS Over Clocked (from the factory) all running under Vista. For the purposes of SW: TFU - USE the CPU really is the lagging point with a minimum chipset of a Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 5200+ (Recommended: Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz or Athlon X2 Dual-Core 6000+) the old Pentium D just doesn't make muster even with a higher clock speed and my video card is also getting on the weary side of things but apparently still capable if it can run UT3 engine based games with reasonable frame rates.

Ultimately I know I am going to need to toss in new Mobo/CPU/RAM to be able to play the latest batch of Blizzard games that'll be coming out. Since there aren't any system specs for SC2 or D3 I'm not sure that I would want to sink a lot of cash into this box at the moment. My plan was, until I ran into TFU, that I'd just ride this system out until I did know what I'd need to run SC2/D3 then just go whole hog and build a new game rig then disappear for about 2-3 months...

[GI Joe]

I too am going to being playing the latest starcraft and diablo installments... if they ever come out.  Man, development has been dragging on these games.  Your graphics card should be able to hang on, so really I'd say if you just plan on getting by for now upgrading the RAM (as much as I hate to say it, swapping your 1GB chips for 2GB ones) and the CPU.  Tricky part about the RAM is that unless you have Vista 64-bit... you won't be able to actually benefit from the full 4GBs that your mobo supports.  Your OS will only support 4GB minus whatever memory your graphics card has.  So if your 8600 GTS has 512 of it's own memory, you will only benefit from 3.5GB of RAM.  It's not a deal breaker, but it's worth noting.  Some systems have a hardware setting on the mobo that bypasses this somehow, but with an unknown board that's unlikely.

My mobo is maxed out right now, so I'll definitely need a new system between now and Diablo 3.  About the only thing from that old beasty that I'll be reusing is the case and maybe the SATA drives.  I've used that case through 3 revisions of my computer and I will use it until they change the way computers are built.  I am still waiting for the bleeding edge to stop bleeding... and for my pocketbook to recover from airsofting.

[Northern Lights]

Well can your board run the new 65nm C2D's? I would push you to save and buy whats right for the moment than buy into the "core i" marketing push at this time. You cant go wrong with a good 3-4GB of DDR2 and a +3ghz C2Q or C2D paired with a CURRENT video card like an ATI 57xx or 58xx. Will 6-12GB of memory be fun to have...sure but you will not use it unless you bump up to a 64bit OS and you start working on huge files. Games will not use it. I run a C2Q and 8 GB of DDR2 and I NEVER use more than 3-3.8 GB of memory. I have a dual boot system with Win7 x86 and Win7 x64 and I only use the x64 for photoshop/map work. I used to run a Vista x64 setup but I never used the extra memory and did run into programs and printer drivers that disliked the 64bit environment. So for now I would say stick to a cheaper setup for under 600 or just bite the bullet and plan to spend around $1200 on a nice Core i7 setup.



Lights out

[Bishop]

I'll have to look up the spec. on the board I have if it can even run a 1066/1333MHz bus speed that the C2D/C2Q's require now that I think about it. Previously I'd just been concerned with the socket type and I should know better by now.

Intel: 945G Express chipset mobo
So I can support up to a 1066MHz FSB which means I can run a Core 2 Duo E7600 and that'll be about all it'll be able to manage.

So about $150 for a CPU, another $120-ish for RAM and maybe a video card upgrade. Looks like I have a shopping list.

[GI Joe]

Nice that's a completely manageable price scenario and you will be getting quite a boost.  I love it when a plan comes together.  You should benchmark it now and when you get the new components just for comparison purposes.

[Northern Lights]

The 945 is not the greatest foundation but it might do. I would STRONGLY recommend you check the manufacturers website and verify that your CPU of choice will be supported. I recommend a Q9400 or an E8400 (both 45nm not 65nm so MAKE SURE THAT MOBO SUPPORTS THEM) and overclock that bitch to the mid 3's at the least. The memory swap out will help as well. The key after dumping that POS P4D will be the proper video card. What size(resolution wise) monitor are you running. If its 1920x1080 (you should plan to buy three...trust me) or higher you will be looking to spend +$200 otherwise a nice ATI 5770 will serve you VERY well for about $170.



Lights out

[Bishop]

Monitor is a ViewSonic LCD 1440x900.

Also, while I do have a 945G Express chipset, my version of the board will not support anything higher than an E4600. So I really am at the end of my rope for this combo which is a bummer and why one should always crack open the case before looking at shiny stuff and also personal embarrassment.  

So looks like I'll be tossing some coin the way of the savings jar as well and consider buying a budget board/CPU combo in the mean time which won't cost much more than the initial minor upgrades that I was planning anyway OR just let the Sith Bastards sit on my shelf for a while until I'm ready to make the move to an Ãœber system.

[Northern Lights]

At that resolution don't waste your money on any "Core i" stuff. Running SWTFU at 200FPS will not be worth the extra $700 You could easily bump up to a new motherboard, CPU, videocard and some extra memory for $550. With what has been mentioned you could easily crank that game with full settings at 45-70FPS along with any other current title. With the money you save you could go out and get a nice new monitor. I have seen 23" samsung 2333's for $150 on slickdeals all the time. The are a good monitor for the price.


Lights out

[Northern Lights]

I hate to post to myself but this is just too good.

Hourglass Syndrome, Do You Suffer?

Lights out

[Bishop]

Holy crap dude...