Help. Worth Upgrading?

[rjm6542]

So I came across a Dell Vostro 220 computer and the only problem with it is a dead HD. I currently play WoW on my laptop which sucks for games, Core 2 Duo @ 2.2ghz, 4gigs ram, but integrated graphics. I have to play on lowest settings with low frame rates. The Vostro has a Core 2 Duo and 2gigs of ram so I was thinking of grabbing a decent graphics card and hard drive and playing WoW on it. I figured it would be much better than what I am currently using. Not looking for high settings or anything, just decent settings with stable framerates. I haven't had a chance to really play with the Dell all I know is it has a open PCIe port for the graphcs card. Not sure of processor speed. I also thought about 2x the ram from 2 to 4 gigs. Think that would make a difference in WoW? Thats what I will use the PC for 95% of the time. I want to spend roughly $75 on the card and $50 on the HDD. Can you guys give some suggestions? Thanks.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Yeah, it has a PCIe X1 and PCIe X16 (graphics).

How much money on the RAM? You have only two slots, so you have to buy new 2 x 2gb sticks.
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBNT (free shipping)

Graphics, I'm not keen on.

Can get this HDD
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (free shipping)

 

[rjm6542]

I opened the case for a quick glance last night and it looked to have 4 slots, 2 used with the 1gb sticks. I don't want to spend more than $150 period on the system since it's already old. Chances are that budget will only allow for a gfx card and HDD. If the additional memory would really help that much I might consider it.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Ah, ok. The specs for the Vostro says it's two.
Vostro 220 Mini Tower | Dell

Unless you have a different version.

 

[rjm6542]

Yea I looked at the specs there last night but I could have sworn it had 4, maybe it's one of the older Vostros? Regardless, with that setup having 2gigs ram and I'm assuming a lower end Core 2 Duo, what would be a good gfx card that wouldn't be bottlenecked? I saw some on NewEgg with great reviews in the $79.99 range. I'll post some links in a few and you guys can give input.

 

[Sniper_13]

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100293DP Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card w/ Eyefinity

you should be able to max out your game with this, if anything medium no problem with good frame rates.

 

[Trotter]

You have a 300W power supply. Almost any card will require upgrading it.

 

[Sniper_13]

when i owned a dell XPS 8100 they sent it with a 320w PSU to power a 5770, 12gb , i7 and it run fine, but then i figured out that the underclocked the gpu

 

[rjm6542]

That card for $79.99 would be great but if the power supply wont push it I'll go with something else. Like I said, this Dell is old and dumping more than $150 into it would seem foolish to me. Any other card that the 300w would push and I could get decent detail/framerates? Remeber, I am currently using integrated thats barely playable, I just want a simple upgrade that will make the game playable. Medium settings, low/no shadows, low/medium particle effects... Granted, I would spend $20 extra if I could find a combo deal that included either the HD or GFX card with a PSU. Thanks a lot guys.

 

[Sniper_13]

your 300w psu should be fine for a 5570 , just dont plan on adding anything else later on, it consumes very little power, take a look for your self.

ATI Radeon HD 5570 Review > Power Consumption & Temperatures - TechSpot

Ati does recommend a 400w PSU , but people do run it on 300w i mean if my older dell ran a 5770 on a 350w psu im pretty sure a 300w will do a 5570 fine.