What should I upgrade?

[1yoyo105]

I built a budget PC and these are it's current specs:

MSi 880GM-E43 Motherboard - $71.99
AMD AM3 3-core 3.3GHZ Processor - $74.99
Patriot Memory G2 Series 4GB RAM - $44.99
BFG Tech 450W PSU - $80.99
ATI Radeon HD 4250 Graphics Card - $0.00 (on-board)
Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit OS -

With it's current specs it can run game's like Crysis, Fallout, Grand Theft Auto at Low graphics. But I want it to run at High to Very High graphics so what do you recommend I upgrade? I can spend up to $400. My guess would be to upgrade the RAM to 8 GB and to buy a graphics card but what do you guys recommend? Also my System Specs say that I have 4 GB of RAM installed which is true but only 3.25 GB is usable. What does that mean? Does that mean that the max RAM my Motherboard can support is 3.25 GB?

 

[GhOsT1321]

Your main downfall is integrated graphics.
Your second downfall would be a 32 bit OS, in my opinion.
A 32 bit operating system can only recognize approximately 3Gb-3.5Gb. You can only recognize 3.25, which is common.
Adding more RAM would be useless, your computer will not use it.

What resolution do you play your video games at? This greatly affects the required video processing power.

My suggestions would be:
Try to unlock a core on your processor (what exact processor do you have?)
OC your RAM or try to adjust it in bios to it's rated specs. If you have 1600 MHz RAM, most motherboards will default it to 1333 MHz and some will have the incorrect voltage for the auto voltage.
Buy a video card and a higher wattage PSU ( I recommend Corsair or Antec) to go along with a video card.

Edit: Pirating is looked down upon here, review the rules.
Also, most pirated software leaves you open to security vulnerabilities, this software is not safe or legal to use.

 

[1yoyo105]

I built a budget PC and these are it's current specs:

MSi 880GM-E43 Motherboard - $71.99
AMD AM3 3-core 3.3GHZ Processor - $74.99
Patriot Memory G2 Series 4GB RAM - $44.99
BFG Tech 450W PSU - $80.99
ATI Radeon HD 4250 Graphics Card - $0.00 (on-board)
Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit OS - $0.00 (Thanks Pirate Bay)

With it's current specs it can run game's like Crysis, Fallout, Grand Theft Auto at Low graphics. But I want it to run at High to Very High graphics so what do you recommend I upgrade? I can spend up to $400. My guess would be to upgrade the RAM to 8 GB and to buy a graphics card but what do you guys recommend? Also my System Specs say that I have 4 GB of RAM installed which is true but only 3.25 GB is usable. What does that mean? Does that mean that the max RAM my Motherboard can support is 3.25 GB?

I have tried to put a 64 bit OS because my computer supports it but it says my OS is newer so I cant install it. My processor is a AMD Athlon II X3 455. I dont know my video game resolution because I can't even set them up too high or the game would lag. How do you OC RAM?

 

[Roark]

32-Bit Win7 only recognizes 4GB of ram, although from what I have seen this is plenty for gaming purposes.
Your motherboard (bam?) can take up to 16GB.

Have you tried unlocking the 4th core in your CPU? Not sure if the games you listed even utilize 4 cores, but why not try.

Definitely need to upgrade the "video card" and PSU. I'll go out on a limb here and say that on-board graphics are crap for gaming.

I'd suggest Corsair TX650 V2 (74.99 w/ MiR) and an HD6950 GPU (225-300).
Not really down with AMD graphics so I will let someone else suggest a specific card.

Might want to measure how much room you have between the back of the case and the HDD cage, just to make sure the GPU will fit.
Or, just post which case you're using. mATX board makes me assume mATX case.

 

[1yoyo105]

32-Bit Win7 only recognizes 4GB of ram, although from what I have seen this is plenty for gaming purposes.
Your motherboard (bam?) can take up to 16GB.

Have you tried unlocking the 4th core in your CPU? Not sure if the games you listed even utilize 4 cores, but why not try.

Definitely need to upgrade the "video card" and PSU. I'll go out on a limb here and say that on-board graphics are crap for gaming.

I'd suggest Corsair TX650 V2 (74.99 w/ MiR) and an HD6950 GPU (225-300).
Not really down with AMD graphics so I will let someone else suggest a specific card.

Might want to measure how much room you have between the back of the case and the HDD cage, just to make sure the GPU will fit.
Or, just post which case you're using. mATX board makes me assume mATX case.

I was thinking about this one? Too much?
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/1GD5 Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Yes my case has enough room.

 

[jasonalwaysready]

with your power supply, yes, it is too much.

 

[Roark]

I believe the preferred GPU brands are XFX and Sapphire because of lifetime warranties.
That Asus card has a 3yr limited, though maybe it doesn't matter if you're upgrading before then.

Paired with the PSU I linked to power it, it would give you a huge boost to graphics.

 

[1yoyo105]

I believe the preferred GPU brands are XFX and Sapphire because of lifetime warranties.
That Asus card has a 3yr limited, though maybe it doesn't matter if you're upgrading before then.

Paired with the PSU I linked to power it, it would give you a huge boost to graphics.

Ok so with the PSU and this GPU
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity I can run everything alright? I went into BIOS and unlocked a core also.

 

[Thomas]

Have to wonder if the folks recommending Ati cards have used their drivers, or waited weeks for a fix for a new game? Nvidia might cost more on average than Ati but you have incomparably better driver support. Saving money that way only leads to bitterness.....

 

[MindoverMaster]

I own an XFX HD5770. Never had a problem.