Need help on what hardware to choose

[RZSTANCE]

Hello all.

Hope you guys can help me, im trying to upgrade my computer. I bought it last year and i think its time to upgrade =P.

specs (on the paper that came with it)

EVGA NFORCE 680I SLI MB REV D Motherboard
WFD, INTEL E8200 CPU,2.66/1333.6m,2C Processor
2gib memory (already bought better memory)
Seagate HDD 250GB SATA 7200 RPM 16mb systemd rive
Nvidia GEFORCE 8800GT 512 MB PCI-E Rev 1

Now i dont know wth those things are. heck, the only experience i have with computers is upgrading memory and software upgrades.

Heres my thing, im playing sims 3 on 1680x1050 but, i cant play it all the way, i have to turn draw distance to low (which makes it feel like sims 2) what exactly should i upgrade so i can run the game better?

Better video card? if so what should i get? (i googled but it was a bit confusing =P)

Thanks all

edit: budget is $250-$300 USD

 

[Muffin Man]

hi there,

the best thing you could upgrade with would be a better gfx card, but depending on your power supply, you might have to upgrade that too to acomidate a better card.

what power supply do you have?

 

[RZSTANCE]

Thanks for the reply =D

Heres the power...

750 Watt OEM ATX PSU

 

[Muffin Man]

meh... would it be possible for you to check what brand name and model number it is?

its just that you wanna know what psu it is because not all of them are reliable, especially enough to power higher end cards.

but with $300, you could easily replace the psu with a better one and still get a really good gfx card.

 

[Pinscher]

Ya the brand makes a big difference.

Just open up your case and look on the label. Its not difficult and you can't mess anything up.

Here are a few things to give you an idea though:

Newegg.com - XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[RZSTANCE]

Well, this is weird, my psu doesnt have a label...

 

[Muffin Man]

it probably does but on a side that you cant see. you would have to unscrew it and take it out to look for it all the way around.

just to give you an idea though, for $300, you could these

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

this card is a lil cheaper than the xfx plus you can get a rebate and you get a quality power supply

 

[RZSTANCE]

FOUND IT. other side of case XD.

Says...

Newton Power
model no N750 E-00
input 100-240 v
output...a bunch o numbers

oh and for the price, if i save up about 1-2 weeks i can most likely add another $200-250 to that.

so new budget would be about $500 give or take

 

[Trotter]

Up your RAM:
Newegg.com - Transcend JETRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model JM2GDDR2-8K - Desktop Memory
$28. If your operating system is not 64-bit you won't get the whole 4 gigs, but it will still be a boost.

Up your GFX. All of these are between $180 and $195 with at least a $15 MIR and lifetime warranties:
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - XFX GX260NADFF GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
All of them are Core 216, too (the better 260).

 

[Muffin Man]

newton power? .. the ef is that?

you'd defenitly be better off with the above power supply and gfx card.

if you want a double-lifetime warranty, get the XFX 4890 that pinscher linked above. for either choice, it be right at the $300 line

edit: just saw your edit, $500 gives more options for upgrading