What can be done to my comp. to bump it up to par?

[patonb]

According to the link provided there is a PCIe slot. I'd say add a graphics card for sure. And a PSU if you need to. You will have to be careful what you get though because from the pics it looks like there isn't a lot of room or airflow in that case. make sure to check the dimensions and don't get something that puts out a lot of heat.

Seen that little case, hence the smaller gpu fan/cooler.

I think the e5300 should handle SC2 shouldn't it? Incase he doesn't want to go all $400.

I think the biggest limiter is the case... It'll stiffle the airflow as nos said. That might be a 3rd upgrade point.

 

[Johnny 5]

Yeah, I'll definitely be needing a new PSU. Most of the video cards I'm lookin' at require at least 400 - 450 watts. When it comes to the space inside my case, there's not an abundance of room but there's enough to let a medium-sized card breathe well. I'm not too worried about size or cooling issues - Just as long as the card isn't bulky or an oven. When it comes to swapping out the motherboard and buying a cooling system, it would be cool, but I'm not looking to overclock or make a gaming PC, so I'll save purchasing those components until the day I build my own rig.

The PSU patonb suggested is very nice. Lots of cables for versatility, so if any other PSU doesn't catch my eye, I'll snag it.


The video card is the only thing I'm not settled on yet. I was searching around NewEgg the other day and came across the POWERCOLOR AX5770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16, which seems to be an updated version of the POWERCOLOR AX5750 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16, which was suggested.

The 5770 looks like it has a better cooling system, and is slightly different than the 5750 in specs. Do you guys think that the 5770 is worth the extra $35?

 

[Druid]

Benchmark Results: Far Cry 2 : Radeon HD 5770 And 5750 Review: Gentlemen, Start Your HTPCs

You can see benchmarks comparing the two cards and other across multiple games there. The 5770 is decently more powerful.

 

[patonb]

Yha as Druid said, the *70 card is worth 35 bucks... I was getting you a baseline in you price range, as its more affordable than some think, from there you can play.

On the psu, if you want to spend abit more, and not change your case, maybe look At a modular psu, swo you can remove the cabling you don't need.

 

[Johnny 5]

I've settled on the 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5770 1GB for my GPU and BFG Tech GS-550 550W for my PSU. So that's around $200, which is very nice. I didn't know that they had modular PSUs, that's pretty nifty.

I'd like to thank you guys for your help. This is a very helpful forum.

 

[patonb]

Good luck with it..... Modular psus are soooooooooooooooo handy with smaller cases.