Upgrading

[FrostSniper]

Specs:
2.8 GHz Pentium 4
512MB RAM
nVidia Geforce FX5200
Windows XP HE

I currently play HL2 on medium with little spurts.

I need to know if it would help my PC run high-end games better if I were to purchase more RAM? Also, would it help if I were to get another video card and could I run them at the same time?

I have two more PCI slots, one 4x/2x AGP slot, and two more slots for RAM.

I really just want to know when I will hit my processors limit, if I haven't already done so.

Thanks in advance,

Jake

 

[idiotec]

If you went to a 6600GT and another 512mb of memory, you would see a HUGE difference...

Probably a about a $200 upgrade in total...

 

[Juice Daddy]

If you really want to see a boost in performance get an Nvidia geforce 6600 gt or higher...

and as for the ram, do you know how fast it is already? run everest

http://www.lavalys.hu/index.php

your specs are very much like mine except for the gfx card...

I also have an agp 4x/2x

for me Halo runs perfectly - full settings

 

[FrostSniper]

Thanks. The 6600GT model is only in pci express, correct? I used Everest and found that I have a pci express in port #2 and it is empty. Is this literaly the second pci slot down?

BTW, this is a dell dimension 4200.

 

[macdude425]

PCI-E and AGP 4x/8x only. Are you sure its not just a regular PCI slot, because I don't know that Dell puts PCI-E on that model...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220

BTW, this is a dell dimension 4200

 

[FrostSniper]

I stated earlier that I have a 4x/2x agp, and not a 8x/4x.

Does this SS mean I have a PCI Express slot?

Would I still see a good difference if I just upped my RAM?

 

[macdude425]

...I stand corrected.

There would be a good difference, but probably not the one you're looking for. It would be, IMHO, wiser just to up the vid card if you can.

 

[FrostSniper]

Sorry to be picky, but to summarize the questions I still have left:

Also, would it help if I were to get another video card and could I run them at the same time?

I used Everest and found that I have a pci express in port #2 and it is empty. Is this literaly the second pci slot down?

I'm trying to be as helpful as I can so I can get some definite answers.

 

[macdude425]

1. No. Onboard doesn't support SLI, which is the art of running two nVidia cards at the same time for better performance, and I believe they have to be the same card.

2. Don't know. Google a picture of a PCI-E x16 slot and match that up to the connector on your mobo. Before you buy, you should probably become familiar with the inside of your PC.

 

[FrostSniper]

Ok, major correction. I found out that I do not have an AGP 4x/2x, and it is, in fact, a pci-e x16. Sorry for the computer newbie-ness.

Thanks for the help people.