My computer: Pentium 4. Ram 2gb. ghz 3.0. Graphic card: Ati 9600 256mb. Windows XP.

The game i play: Darkfall. I only know about the minimum system requirement and i'm well over that. I can play it well if i go out with a medium team of 10 or less to fight a team of the same size. When it comes down to sieges that may involve 80 players or more, there's absulutely nothing i can do, but following my group.

I seriously don't mind when i play at the lowest setting possible and 800-600 resolution.

My question: What else do i need just to be able to play in large scale combat? Do i need more rams like 4-8 gb's? Il do anything, but i refuse to buy a new computer. More FPS is what i seek and i stand at only 30 when there's nothing around me.

i hate to say it, but your pc is pretty busted.  it seems to be doing a good job for what it is!

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+4+3.00GHz

that processor is kinda a couple generations ago, and the video card is no better.

with those two things holding you up such a great deal adding more ram isn't really goiing to make much of a difference.  

maybe someone better at computer stuff will say i'm wrong and be insanely helpful on what you can do, i just don't see it.  i hope so though!

It looks like you'd need better processor, graphic card and more RAM. Your system is pretty well balanced, and improving one part would give only very small speed gains because then the other parts would become bottlenecks.

If you're on tight budged, maybe you could find a used computer that's faster at few hundred dollars.

Windows xp will only recognize 3.2 gigs of ram so most you could go is 4 but won't be worth it. You really need an new pc or build. You will need to basically replace everything but your disk drives. Sorry....

I know you said you didn't want to get a new computer.  But if you want better gaming performance, you need a new computer.  Even an ultra budget $500 desktop would be a massive improvement over what you have now, at least if you spend the money wisely.

Originally posted by Quizzical

I know you said you didn't want to get a new computer.  But if you want better gaming performance, you need a new computer.  Even an ultra budget $500 desktop would be a massive improvement over what you have now, at least if you spend the money wisely.

The reason i say i won't buy a new pc(Well, atleast not now) Its cuz boosting up my computer is not expensive at all. The store where i buy my stuff are not expensive and its not far from my father's work place.

My pentium 4 costed 50$. 9600 ati, 15$ taxes include. I'd be insane to try and boost an old computer with the expensive stuff they're selling at best buy. I'm limited to xp, but xp was never bad. I willing to get 3.2 gb ram, thats what my older computer had. Even tho DF is a recent game(2009), it is still considered old like battlefield 2.

I'm not seeking a gaming computer and DF doesnt ask for too much. Like i said, i don't mind 800-600 res and i can play skyrim pretty well with these setting+ some programs to back it up like gboost. Lastly, i don't want sieges to run perfectly, i just want them to be the least, playable, cuz now, its a slide show. i know its possible.

you computer did cost you 65$.....my dinner last night cost me 65$ and now i'm about to flush my toilet.

the point is you really cannot complain about a 65$ computer man. it's amazing it's actually running DF.

no ammount of tweeking and upgrading will every change the fact that it's an OLD computer. technology has made some incredible leaps from Pentium 4 (it's been 12 years dude since that came out, and it was 8 years old whne DF was released).

short of working with movies, games are the most resource intensive things computers can do and graphics have been improving ten fold in the last few years. just to give you an idea my 3 year old computer (that cost me 2,000 $) is now considered old in the gaming comunity.

enjoy the fact that your computer cost as much as the turd i just fnihised taking and start saving up for a new one. even a 500$ computer will amaze you after your Pentium 4.

How can you "play" DF for so long and still not know it is cpu intensive.

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

Originally posted by Quizzical

I know you said you didn't want to get a new computer.  But if you want better gaming performance, you need a new computer.  Even an ultra budget $500 desktop would be a massive improvement over what you have now, at least if you spend the money wisely.

The reason i say i won't buy a new pc(Well, atleast not now) Its cuz boosting up my computer is not expensive at all. The store where i buy my stuff are not expensive and its not far from my father's work place.

The reason it's so cheap is that it can't do what you or anyone else want it to do.  My year old AMD E-350 netbook would completely crush your system on both the processor and video card sides.

Getting modern low end parts doesn't have to cost a fortune.  For example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106013

That's both processor and graphics for $55, with about triple the performance of your processor and probably 5-10 times the performance of your video card.  And it's cheaper than the $65 you paid.

Originally posted by Njai15

How can you "play" DF for so long and still not know it is cpu intensive.

 

 

Now i know and i know what to buy next time.

hyper threading pentium 4

The one i currently have is really bad, like the 1st one made for pentium 4.

The reason i was so ignorant about computer parts, is cuz i had an ACER. You can't modify that computer, so why bother? It was cheap, but the longivity is bad according to some reviews. They minimally last 3 years only.

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

The reason i was so ignorant about computer parts, is cuz i had an ACER. You can't modify that computer, so why bother? It was cheap, but the longivity is bad according to some reviews. They minimally last 3 years only.

The sticker on the label doesn't matter.  What matters is the hardware inside.

I bought a Pentium 4 once.  It was more than a decade ago.  A decade of Moore's Law improvements means that you can fit 32 times as many transistors in the same die space as before.  That doesn't mean 32 times the performance, but it certainly does mean a lot more performance.  That's why your hardware is so inadequate.

Originally posted by Quizzical

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

The reason i was so ignorant about computer parts, is cuz i had an ACER. You can't modify that computer, so why bother? It was cheap, but the longivity is bad according to some reviews. They minimally last 3 years only.

The sticker on the label doesn't matter.  What matters is the hardware inside.

I bought a Pentium 4 once.  It was more than a decade ago.  A decade of Moore's Law improvements means that you can fit 32 times as many transistors in the same die space as before.  That doesn't mean 32 times the performance, but it certainly does mean a lot more performance.  That's why your hardware is so inadequate.

You're right, but no matter what, i'm not buying a new computer now. Il probably buy one next year for 400-500. In total.

With more research, i finally found out what type of CPU i wil buy and its one of these 2.

Pentium G870. 100$ or fx 4100. 110$. Where i buy my stuff, it cost less then that, probably less then 40$.

If you got time to waste, look up on google and you will see how pretty decent these cpu are.

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

Originally posted by Quizzical

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

The reason i was so ignorant about computer parts, is cuz i had an ACER. You can't modify that computer, so why bother? It was cheap, but the longivity is bad according to some reviews. They minimally last 3 years only.

The sticker on the label doesn't matter.  What matters is the hardware inside.

I bought a Pentium 4 once.  It was more than a decade ago.  A decade of Moore's Law improvements means that you can fit 32 times as many transistors in the same die space as before.  That doesn't mean 32 times the performance, but it certainly does mean a lot more performance.  That's why your hardware is so inadequate.

You're right, but no matter what, i'm not buying a new computer now. Il probably buy one next year for 400-500. In total.

With more research, i finally found out what type of CPU i wil buy and its one of these 2.

Pentium G870. 100$ or fx 4100. 110$. Where i buy my stuff, it cost less then that, probably less then 40$.

If you got time to waste, look up on google and you will see how pretty decent these cpu are.

Neither of those will fit on your motherboard, which means you will need a new motherboard, and your RAM wont work with the motherboards that those CPU's use, which means you'll need new RAM.

Your copy of Windows XP may work, but there is a strong chance it wont, as Microsoft is much stricter about the licenses than they use to be, so you may need a new copy of windows.

Also there may be other parts you may need to replace to work with the new motherboard.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

I wasted a whole day inside that old computer. Thank god i hopped out when it was getting too hard before spending more money on accidental problems that i could have made lol.

So you guys figured it out, i'm just a studdent and during summer time, i work hard for less and i spend all my money for school. Its much more expensive in quebec and the college finance problem still exist in here.

So guess what, i'm planning on buying AlienWare X51. It might cost 700$, but its only 20$ per 2 months. Thats perfect for me. According to reviews, only problem is the network engine, but its ok if i use a USB wifi like d-link.

Before you actually make the purchase, get some input from us about some sites that can sell you a machine with similar payment sollutions as Alienware, which will build you a little better machine for the same, or less money.

I mean hey, if you dont like the info we give you, no big deal, then get the Alienware.

Just give it an extra 2 days to see what we have to say, just 2 days.

If nothing else, you'll know more about todays components and options, and thats never a bad thing.

These guys aint so busy they cant help a brother out.

And lastly, the time to learn, is always before its too late, yes?

OK so first thing I'll ask is, you mention Wifi, does that mean you will not be able to hook to a modem or router through an ethernet cable? ( you said your a student, so this is oftenthe case)

You mentioned a budget of $700, and a payment option, I assume this is Candian ?

Redundnt questions yes, just a firm place to start.

PS you didnt waste a day inside your old PC,seeking sollutions, you gained a day of knowledge, smart lad.

Originally posted by WaldoCorn

OK so first thing I'll ask is, you mention Wifi, does that mean you will not be able to hook to a modem or router through an ethernet cable? ( you said your a student, so this is oftenthe case)

 

You mentioned a budget of $700, and a payment option, I assume this is Candian ?

 

Redundnt questions yes, just a firm place to start.

 

 

1st question: Thats not a problem. I use a bell modem router. All i need is a d-link usb to connect to it from anywhere in the house with the password. I'm a student, but i still live with my parents and they use their own computer, so they're the one paying for the internet.

2: I currently don't have 700, but i'm working, just not everydays. Alienware cost 25$ per 2 months and my credit card is limited to 300$. Thats why its currently my best option.

I apreciate your help. If there's a cheaper computer with a payment plan, i'm down. I looked around the net and i failed to find anything else, but alienware.

Most big online retailers do some sort of credit plan.  I would check those out 1st as custom built $700 PC is A LOT better than $700 Alienware X51 which will keep you warm during the winter and will be more or less impossible to upgrade. 

You do realize that if you buy something in installments, you're not supposed to just pay the minimum monthly payment, I hope.  Look what Dell charges in interest:

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dpa_pricepoint

If you buy a $700 computer and pay the minimum $21 per month, it will take you 6 years to pay it off.  You'll probably still be paying for it when it comes time to replace it.  And you'll end up paying more than $1600 for that "$700" computer.  That's what a 30% interest rate will do.

I could understand buying something that you can't pay for now and paying it off over the course of a few months.  But ignore the minimum payment.  You should pay a lot more than that.  And you shouldn't buy it until and unless you can afford to pay it off reasonably quickly.

Also, you make it sound like you're young enough that companies might not be inclined to lend you money.  That would explain a $300 credit limit on your current card.

-----

The only real reason to consider an Alienware X51 is if you highly value the small form factor.  Otherwise, you can get something much better for cheaper elsewhere.  Or perhaps better yet, something viable for much cheaper.  But I think you need to save up some money first and then come back for advice.

 thinking out loud

not only are you low on GPU but your very low on CPU

Yeah can get a better CPU to fit your motherboard, but that still leaves you on an old socket motherboard, and old RAM

Not complaining, Im on the same socket lol, but if I had $300, I would upgrade my platform to something modern, with a low

power requirement CPU, so as not to tax my PSU, which is certainly old, and possibly sub standard.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=15102469 

So this is a suggestion

now there is a CD burner there because almost certainly your CD drive is an IDE, type.

And Im not seeing an IDE connector on this motherboard, or any of the new gen. motherboards

So we need to be SATA there.

The CPU isn't strong by todays standards, but it is low power, and infinately better than yours.

This leaves one glaring problem, your hard drive, is almost certainly IDE, as well, and that has got me stumped, it needs to be

SATA as well.

You got access to some decent prices on parts from what you've said.

If, and thats a big if, you could get these parts cheaper, then there is room for a hard drive, money wise.

even something like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136770 

How can you tell if you burner and HD are IDE? look at them, if they have a wide flat ribbon about 2" wide going to them, then

they are IDE. If they have a small semi flat connector about 1/2' wide and about 3/16" deep, thats SATA.

Like I said just thinking out loud

if that can all happen your up and running, quite a bit better, then get the card paid off, and go for a GPU and PSU, get that

paid off, then you can look at a decent AM3+ quad CPU.

I need to verify that this CPU is supported by that board, but for some reason the Gigabyte site is giving me fits this morning

if someone can chime in here maybe double check that? OK NVM I got it working, yes it is supported, so thats good to go.

Thanks quiz and waldo for your input, but i'm done here. I found a gaming pc for 300$, no tax included from a site where i buy stuff locally(kijiji). The guy is suppose to deliver his product at my home this week. Luckily, he lives in my area so the transport is free.

I thought about it, and i prefer to not take a chance with the douane from websites like dell or ebay. I live in canada and shipping from the US is expensive enough. Currently, there's nothing good in CA when it comes to gaming computer that is cheap.

I currently got 2 choices of computer that will only cost me 300$. I won't post the link for obvious reasons, but il post the stats of these pc's.

Computer n.1

Type de système ACPI x64-based PC

- Système d'exploitation ; Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
- Type de processeur ; DualCore AMD Athlon II X2 260, 3215 MHz
- Nom de la carte mère ; MSI NF725M-P43 (MS-7597)
- Chipset de la carte mère ; nVIDIA nForce 7025-630a, AMD K10
- Mémoire système ; 8192 Mo (DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM)
- Carte vidéo ; NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT (1024 Mo)
- Accélérateur 3D ; nVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
- Carte audio ; Realtek ALC887 @ nVIDIA nForce 7025-630a (MCP68SE) - High Definition Audio Controller
- Taille total ; 500 Go

Computer n2:

I am selling my Computer tower
spec:
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 at2.40ghz
- BFG Nvidia GTX 260
- 4GB RAM
- 500W power supply
- 150GB HD
- Antec Super Lanboy Case
- Windows Vista Premium + Disk with Liscence (Product Key)
I can include a 1 year McAfee full security for 3 pcs, a HDMI to DVI cable and a couple other things.

(Number 2 claims he can play BF3 high quality graphics)