Help upgrading my PC!!!

[travlnfreakshow]

I recently received a dell desktop from my father that he specifically bought me for gaming. I have been playing WoW on it yet I find that it is very blocklike, non detailed, and it lags. Even when I put it on the lowest settings there is still a lag. It is very annoying. I ultimately want to build my computer to prevent this. My DirectX Diagnostic shows:

System Model: Optiplex GX270
Processor: Intel Pentium 4CPU 2.4GHz
Memory: 1543 MB RAM
DirectX Driver 9.0c
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce FX5200

Please tell me how I can repair this problem by upgrading or replacing any items!!

 

[Yami]

A new video card would be the best option, and going to 2GB couldn't hurt, either.

Now, the problem with upgrading the video card is finding out whether your power supply will support an upgrade, and what slot your computer's motherboard has for video cards.

 

[Muffin Man]

you currently only have an agp slot, but tbh, i doubt it would improve the performance. the 50$-60$ you spend on a new video card could go towards a whole new build.

 

[Black Falcon 921]

Honestly there is not really a lot you can do to gain more performance on that rig. You might be able to upgrade your graphics card, doubtful for the money it would be worth it. I also agree with Yamikotai you could up the memory a little more as well.

 

[Thilly]

I have an older single core AMD build lying around with a 7600gt that runs world of warcraft pretty smoothly other than in crowded areas such as Dalaran. I know my card is better than yours, but a big factor in getting it's performance up was going from 1gb ram to 2gb, as a lot of that game is cached due to it's seamless zoning. If you can't afford a new build and insist on upgrading that specific computer, start with some more RAM, then maybe something like

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100175L Radeon X1650PRO 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

To boost your graphics memory. Going from 128mb to 512mb will help in that game.

Should show a noticeable improvement, although it still won't be silky smooth I imagine

Good luck either way =]

 

[Pinscher]

I agree with the above posts. The gain you get for the money you put in won't be very good.

I hope your dad didn't pay anything over $100 for that build. I wouldn't pay to own that personally but I know sometimes you just gotta use what you can.

 

[akthe21]

I hope your dad didn't pay anything over $100 for that build

I would imagine it costing about $200 if its new....they rip you off, unless if you don't live in Canada. Also a video card upgrade might help but before you can do that you have to check your slot and power supply first. an extra 512 mb stick would help.

 

[Thilly]

My bad, I recommended one with a power connector. Ignore that, how about

Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR76512GSOC GeForce 7600GS 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

plus some more ram should be enough for most WoW encounters.

 

[Trotter]

The 7600GS requires a 350W PSU. Trust me on that one.

The problem is that any GFX card better than the one you have will require more juice. My wife is currently running a 6600GT and it takes a 300W.