I wanna upgrade...

I am happy with my PC ATM I just wanna make it faster both in gaming tearms and general usage I guess. What do you think of this?...

Mobo: ASUS M3A

RAM: X2 1GB DDR2 667MHz (who knows what brand)

CPU: AMD Atlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz

GPU: Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB (Zotac Amp Edition)

HDD: 1, Samsung 320GB 7200RPM SATA2 (Storage)
2, Samsung 160GB 7200RPM SATA2 (Backup)

Audio: Realtek HD Audio (Onboard)
Connected to JVC 600Watt Sterio x2 Speakers

Moniter: Hannspree Xm 19' widescreen DVI 720DPI 1440x900 Max Res

If you want anymore details I can provide them but a quick google can yeald the answers you will be looking for

Basically I just got GTA IV and I can't play it max settings at 1440x900 res, in fact I can't play it 800x600 with all details lol my GPU just can't do it. As Xmas is all over and done with (money wise) I now have some cash to do something bout it, the only question is how much wallet pain will I have to endure to solve this little dilema?

And what do I need to get?

Oh yes and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

First thing I would do is upgrade your RAM. 2GB is pretty much standard these days and as games get more intensive you'll want more RAM. Shop around, 2GB of a decent brand can be had for $30 or less. I just picked up a 2X2GB of Corsair DDR800 for $29.99 after a mail in rebate, so deals are out there. Just make sure your motherboard can support it.

If you don't want to spend a lot of cash, a nvidia 9800GT is a great card for the money. **edit reread your post and saw that your currently have a 9600GT. A 9800GT would be an improvement, but I don't know if It would be enough to warrant the upgrade to that particular card.** They're priced around $100 now. If you upgrade much past that, you're CPU will become a bottle neck and the extra power wouldn't be worth it unless you upgraded everything (motherboard, processor, memory, graphics etc).

 

I made a bit of a rash decision :banghead

I got myself the ATI Saphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5, GPU 750MHz, Core Clock 1000MHz for £206.00 a great deal really, the thing is GTA IV still won't run on top graphics. What else can it want?

Like I said I have:

Asus M3A DDR2 *Upto 1066 RAM with quad core* PCI-E 2.0 16X , AMD 770 + SB600, 5200MT/s, SATA RAID 3GB X4.

2GB of DDR 667 RAM

Could it be my OS holding me back? I have XP Home SP3

I'm out of ideas except DDR2 800 RAM?

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

That's a great card, so my next guess would be the processor. It is a tad dated, and the minimum requirement for the game is a AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4Ghz. So you meet that requirement but not by much. An AMD Phenom processor or Core 2 Duo/Quad is recommended. Right now, the processor is a bottleneck for you. Your card can handle the game no problem, but the processor can not keep up.

XP isn't holding you back, its a great gaming platform. It might be a driver problem. Since you had an nVidia card before you bought an ATI card, the left overs from the nVidia drivers might be causing problems with the ATI ones. Check out a driver cleaner tool from the Majorgeeks.com home page and clean out any remaining nVidia display drivers and then install the latest ATI drivers for your card from ATI.com download page.

 

Many newer games still choke at high settings (Crysis, BioShock, FlightSim X, etc) even when run on top end equipment. I would add a 3rd gb of RAM, and upgrade all the RAM to DDR2-1066, a Phenom CPU wouldn't hurt but the X2 6000+ is pretty freekin' fast. Of course, do all the regular maintenance to keep the hard drive clean and defragged. Cleaning out all remnants of the video drivers is a good suggestion, but don't be surprised if the game still doesn't run perfectly at the highest settings.

 

I was able to run everything top settings with my 8600GT for ages, I changed up to the AMD 6000+ to keep upto date, then I get the new moniter with a huge resolution and had to get the 9600GT again great card but it couldn't handle GTA IV top end. Little bit of back story for you lol

I just find it so frustrating having to throw so much money at my PC just to play games on top graphics

Before I did anything I got rid of my nVida drivers in add/remove programs & last night did a full virus check & defrag overnight

I'd have to get the new processor before the RAM 1066 only works with AMD Quad cores on my mobo. ok I just had a look at my local cheap PC shop's prices for Quad core's they have 1 lol and it's the "AMD QUAD-CORE 9750 PHENOM RETAIL AM2" 2.4GHz for £125.87 not bad in my opinion, what do you guys think? And for "AM 1GB DDR2 PC8500 1066MHZ KINGSTON HYPER" £53.64 for the 2GB. So thats £179.51 all together :banghead OMG more money :confused

Thats will be done over 3 or 4 weeks pay then, after I pay a couple of people back, febuary most likely.

I could have gone the whole "Intel I7 3.0GHz, Quad Radeon 4870 X2 in crossfire" overkill by now if i'd had all the money iv'e spent so far in one go :-D

Do you think another GB of 667 will help bearing in mind I have XP Home, does that run 3gb?

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

P.S. The URL for that pc shop is http//:www.computerorbit.co.uk/ for those in the North East Uk looking for a good price & service, No I don't work for them it just took me ages to find them so I thought i'd pass on the possible great deals to be had

 

Just get 4 gigs of ram, even if your computer can't run it, it'll at least use 3.37 gigs. And ram is so cheap now, it's worth it. Just use Newegg.com

 

I'm guessing it's the processor , I mean you got enough RAM and a more than enough graphics card that you just bought.

But most people I know who have GTA IV are also having problems running it on full settings..

So don't worry about it , unless your a hardcore gamer who needs to get it running..

 

I would like to be a hardcore game lol, I can run detail high, render quality very high, draw distance about 30, the rest 100 (top) oh yeah resolution is 1440x900 it's ok just the draw distance is a bit crap.

I think for now i'll just get another 1GB of 667 RAM, anyone know for sure XP Home Edition can run 3GB?

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

Yep XP 32bit recognises up to 3.5GB ram but don't bother upgrading RAM anyways because the problem is your processor..

minimum requirements for GTA IV:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 /AMD Athlon64 X2 4600+
Display Card!: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 256MB /ATI Radeon X1900 256MB
Memory: 1536MB
Free Disk Space: 16GB
Operating System: Windows Vista SP1 / Windows XP SP3

And recommended requirements:
Processor: AMD Phenom X3 8450 /Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Display Card!: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 512MB /ATI Radeon HD3870512MB
Memory: 2048MB
Free Disk Space: 16GB
Operating System: Windows Vista SP1 / Windows XP SP3

So it is obviously your processor which seems to be a AMD Atlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz.

 

I agree with Dacads. Your processor meets the minimum requirements by just a tad. It's a major bottleneck to your graphics card. I wouldn't worry about memory yet. The 2GB you have is fine, and adding another stick in there would not let you run the memory in Dual Channel mode.

If you want to run the game at max settings, start seriously considering purchasing a new motherboard and processor. You can use your existing memory for now until you get something faster, its just the memory will run slower than what your system will want. Shop around, you can find some great 2X2GB DDR2 800 kits for dirt cheap.

 

The AMD Quad-Core 9750 2.4GHZ Phenom HT3 AM2+ is supported by my motherboard and is rather cheap at £125.87 then I probably get 3 sticks of 1GB DDR2 PC8500 1066MHZ KINGSTON HYPER for £80.46 but not right away

How does that sound?

I may be able to get the CPU tomorrow but we will have to see.

Thanx for your input guys much apreciated
I will keep you guys updated.

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

But you already have 2GB RAM so just another another 2GB stick

And £80 for 3GB KINGSTON is obviously good because of the bus speed and its PC8500 but you can get 4GB RAM for like £50

 

This one will be relatively short as it's a little late & I have work tomorrow.

Basically I have the AMD X4 9750 2.4GHz, it's not "that" much faster than the AMD X2 6000+ 3.0GHz if at all, although I am aware i'm still running on DDR2 667MHz X2 GB of So I need to get myself a couple of those Kingston Hyper I was talking aout earlier 2 or 3GB of them.

I found a rather "Interesting" post on the GTA IV website earlier: http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=378730

Thats just evil, it nearly impossible to play GTA IV on PC on top graphics. I belive I have one last problem with this expensive waste of time of an upgrade, I "think" my PSU maybe overloading or overheating. Can someone confirm or deny this from my syimtoms...


*5-10 mins of GTA IV on more reasonable settings & the screen goes black with no response at all.

*At that point "a" fan either my PSU fan or GPU fan goes mental, louder than any of the fans I have in my pc (x2 12cm, x2 8cm).

*If I re-start my PC the fan keeps going at the same rate unless it is powered down.

*There is a smell of burning, so I turn off my PC ASAP.

* If you actually "sniff" :-D the PSU after turning it off it smells of burning & is very hot.


I think it's either my GPU/PSU overheating or my PSU running out off electricity :-D

Here is a little run down of my current rig...

CPU: http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=397

Mobo: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=149&l3=592&l4=0&model=1934&modelmenu=1

RAM: 2X 1GB of DDR2 667MHz (unknown brand)

GPU: http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=250&grp=3

PSU: http://www.colors-it.com.cn/03_prod...d_search=301&max_id_search=5&min_id_search=21 [600W ver, gold colour choice :-D]

OS: MS XP Home SP3

Case: http://jeantech.com/nitro.htm [I also have the side pannel off ]

I hope you guys can help solve my never ending problem with this PC, you have been a great help so far.

Need any other info I can try to provide it for you

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

Nobody got any Idea's?

I have a little more info to share on the subject...

If I run an OpenGL Benchmark program called FurMark v 1.4.0, it's made by ozone3D. If I run that on a stability test after about 5mins my GPU shows temps between 70-80C, it's the cooling fan in my opinion it's.. lazy it only spins at 41% to cool itself down, under heavy loads like GTA IV it must not be cooling enough, also my commit charge doubles from around 300M/3939M to around 600M/3939M.

I'm not to familliar with the commit charge tbh but I belive it is linked to the power output/usage am I right?

Please any info would be great :confused

I really need to return my system to a stable one before I burn something out

I'm willing to buy a new & more powerful PSU if I need to but I need to know if that is the issue.

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

GPUs can get pretty hot. Your temps are high but still not unheard of for a card being put to the test. I believe the temp will go as high as 120C before the breakers trip and shut down the card. You can try running the computer with side of the case off. That will get cooler air in there and drive temperatures down. See if that resolves anything. If it does, you might want to look into better cooling for the card.

I'm not very familiar with your brand of power supply, but from what I've read its more of a lower quality generic unit. It might have enough wattage to power all your components but it might not be delivering enough voltage per rail to properly power your computer. I would say your problem lies there, and a brand name power supply might fix your problems. I'd recommend something from Tagan, Antec, CoolerMaster. You're probably going to spend at least $70 on a solid PSU that accommodate your power needs, but it will be worth it. It supplies power to everything and a serious failure there could fry everything. I learned that the hard way when my generic, $30 PSU failed and friend my motherboard, processor, and memory in a puff of smoke.

 

Yep most likely the PSU buy a decent PSU of good make that is at least 600w.

I don't think it's your new AMD Phenom processors fan but it could be.

Also get those Kingston sticks of RAM u were talking about.

 

Excellent advice, I have had a quick look at a couple of suggested PSU's and they are a bit expensive but not too bad I suppose. Here are 1 I found at my local cheap PC shop & the other isn't a suggested brand but it's cheap and looks good to me:

1, http://www.computerorbit.co.uk/item...desc=800W~TAGAN~TG800-U33~2FORCE~PSU~RET.html I know there isn't any info about it but it seems ok.

2. http://www.falconcomputers.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=3086 This one looks good, it's cheap and looks cool too lol

I'd rather go for te cheaper option at this point, is it any good?

And as for cooling my GPU, I found a program called Rivatuner, that lets me set the GPU fan speed. I'm still trying to find a percentage that works with GTA VI but it looks promising. I have already tryed taking off the side pannel & it doesn't make much of a differance.

I think I need to tackle one problem at a time, (for financial reasons) so PSU is the most important, then extra cooling if I need it & finally the Kingston Hyper 1066 RAM I need. Then hopefully I will have a nice stable PC again :-D

I am selling my old Zotac 9600GT 512MB GDDR3 to my m8 for £60 lol, so that will pay for the PSU hopefully. The rest will have to wait till the weekend as I get paid on friday

Please get back to me on that PSU as I need to get it ASAP for obvious reasons :-D


:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

I'd go for the Tagan, I don't know if I'd trust EzCool. Keep in mind if the PSU fails it could damage everything its connected to. Best to get one from a reputable brand.

 

Yep go for the 2nd one

 

Just a little information for you. Here's a link to certified power supplies for ATI graphics cards. These are the power supplies they recommend to power your system with a ATI graphics card. All these power supplies support enough wattage and amperage per 12 volt rail to provide consistent power to all your components. Fluctuations on a rail could cause problems or hardware failure so its good to buy a name brand PSU with a good reputation. Just keep in mind, with power supplies, you do get what you pay for.

http://ati.amd.com/products/certified/powersupplies.html

 

It may sound like i'm ignoring your advice here :confused. But i'm not I'm just strapped for cash atm & I obviously need a new PSU ASAP, The EzCool PSU has short circuit protection, doesn't that mean if it goes it won't take anything with it?

I'd like to get everything as soon as I can, PSU,RAM & any extra cooling needed after that. That adds up

Thanx for the help guys.

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

hope you dont think i'm trying to wind you up at all, but i used to have this problem constantly keeping up to meet the demands of new games, in the end i bought an xbox, i'm regularly on GTA and obviously have no problems. I'm not suggesting this to annoy you, but you seem to have spent a lot of money and on the forum you've been told that you'll never run it at full graphics.

 

I know, I like to keep upto date with gaming, since GTA IV is a high spec game I thought i'd try to match my pc to the game. It's dissapointing at annoying that the game is so badly coded that it requires "future" technology to run on full graphics, but I have bought the parts now. My new aim to is to get my computer stable & efficient again :-D

But on the bright side I can run it better than the consoles, they suggest certain medium settings and I "can" run it on high settings, once I have my Graphics card overheating issue sorted then I can run it like that allI want

So I am better off on a PC but it costs alot more than a console to do so :confused

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

I still wouldn't trust the EZCool PSU. Even with the advertised short circuit protection, you might save your other components but the power supply could fail in 3 months and you'll be out looking for a new one. Then again, it could last you 3 years and you'll be fine.

You get what you pay for; this rule is extremely applicable when it comes to power supplies. The EZCool could very well last you the life of the PC but you're putting your computer at a higher risk with it. I learned my lesson the hard way, but then again I understand you're strapped for cash. I looked around on the site you liked to and found something in the middle of the two power supplies you were looking at. I'd say it was a better choice over the EZCool and its not as expensive as the other one.

http://www.falconcomputers.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=2049

 

So thats £58.67 on the new PSU and £53.64 for the Kingston Hyper 1066 RAM 2GB, that brings the total to...
*does sums in head* £443.31 :eek

Thats an expensive upgrade, this better be it otherwise I think i'll just give up & sell this unstable PC lol

Thanks again for all the help guys :clap As usual I will keep you guys informed.

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

Excellent news this time

I just got that new PSU (CoolerMaster extreme power Duo 650W), it's far heavyer than my old PSU (good sign) and it has fixed my problem :clap

I played GTA IV On all top setting except draw distance, 46-100 which is great. It ran perfectly for the whole 4 hours I spent playing on it, where as I couldn't get past the half hour point with my old PSU :-D

Thank you for all your help, I will be getting new RAM tommorow x2 1GB DDR2 1066MHz Kingston Hyper,to see if that helps my system start any faster and/or operate in genral faster .

Top advice ppl :celebrate

:major2-Bit-Geek:major