turning old into new

[mrnotu]

I aquired an older desktop in a trade and want to upgrade it to play STO Online. I donot know much about computers or this one since it didnot come with a spec sheet and I am unable to log in right now cause I was messing around in the specs and now it wants and old password that the previous owner can not remember. (Any way for me to find it?) Anyway it is in a Apevia X-Discovery case. Has a ASUS M2N32-SliDeluxe wireless Motherboard. A eGeforce 8600 GT graphics card. 450w PSU. XP Pro. And I think it has 2 gigs of ram. I have the Mobo box and it has alot of left over wire connectors and parts. Any ideas on how to get this to play STO? I am waiting on a XP Pro re-install disk to get back in and start with the fresh install. Thanks.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Well, the system requirements of STO:

The minimum system requirements are:

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 3800+
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 / ATI Radeon X1800 / Intel HD Graphics
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 10GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

The recommended system specifications are:

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+
• Memory: 2GB RAM+
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 10GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

You should be fine in that respect.

 

[mrnotu]

No, my system does not play STO very well. Any suggestions for my first upgrade to it? New graphics, new power supply, new cpu? Thanks

 

[Trotter]

Download and run Belarc Advisor to see what CPU you are running (as well as a lot of other useful info):
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

As for what CPUs you culd possibly use, go here (note that some may require a BIOS update first):
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe/Wireless Edition

A video card would definitely help you out. If you can give us a budget we will see what we can find for you. depending on the card and its wattage requirements you may also have to upgrade your PSU.

 

[mrnotu]

HiYa. I could not get the 'code of conduct' to download and install. I do have the AMD 64 3500 CPU according the the specs in the Bios. It runs at 100% while trying to play STO. And again according to the specs in Bio I have 3.5mb of ram. Budget? I do not know but i want to have alot more than I need in the end. I do not need to do this by tomorrow if you know what I mean. If I have to I will buy one piece at a time till I get it all. I do have another computer to use but am looking to build this one for high end gaming. And I mean High End. I want to have one that really looks and plays with a wow in there. I am not talking about alot of $ but to just do it right the first time and to use most of what I already have. Thanks for the help. Oh and I want to do it in the right order.

 

[Trotter]

Sorry, I posted a bad link (was at work and not on my own browser). This is the one you need:
Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit

You are running a single core CPU, so no wonder it is running like crap. It says 3.5GB because 32-bit XP can only handle 3.5GB (including the memory on your graphics card).

The biggest CPU you can run in that board is this one:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDX945WFGMBOX
You would have to update your BIOS to the 5002 version to do so.

 

[mrnotu]

HiYa Trotter, I did order 'that' CPU. 142 dollars in all so when i get that installed and up and running I am sure I will need more advice. Again thanks for the help. I just hope I can do the update BIOs thing. And the Belarc Advisor did just fine.

 

[mrnotu]

HiYa, Can you recomend a power supply? I was thinking something in the 750 or 850 watt range. Currently mine is a KWI 450 watt and I know I will need better before I am done. Just thought I would get that out of the way now. And will that be enough? I could go larger if I had to. "Thanks"

 

[mrnotu]

HiYa, Can you recomend a power supply? I was thinking something in the 750 or 850 watt range. Currently mine is a KWI 450 watt and I know I will need better before I am done. Just thought I would get that out of the way now. And will that be enough? I could go larger if I had to. "Thanks"

Oh And I want to go with the modular type.

 

[mrnotu]

After the CPU swap I cannot get the computer to boot up. It will run for a few seconds and shut off. Thanks