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Thread: What should I upgrade next?
drone 02:03 02-04-2006
Looks like a decent system, the only "flaw" I see is the low memory video card.

What's your monitor setup? Maybe a new LCD screen, or a two-headed setup might be a good addition. Or you can get one of the nice Logitech cordless/optical/rechargeable mice.

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Xiahou 02:29 02-04-2006
If you're thinking of upgrading your video, do what I always do.... Find some thorough benchmarks from Tomshardware or similar site and compare the listings for the card you have with newer ones that are in your price range. It'll help you get an idea of whether or not you'll get enough performance to make it worthwhile, and if so, which card can give the best bang for the buck.

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Phatose 06:32 02-04-2006
The graphics card seems like the weakest link, but it's a matter of tastes - and your display. If you're running a 17" LCD that maxes at 1024x768, might not be such a big deal.

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TosaInu 13:11 02-04-2006
Originally Posted by Phatose:
The graphics card seems like the weakest link, but it's a matter of tastes - and your display. If you're running a 17" LCD that maxes at 1024x768, might not be such a big deal.
Good point. And that applies to almost everything: it's your computer and you have to work with it. There are always 'better' parts, but will you really notice for the things you do?

I have an extravagant 2 gig Ram. I need that to open huge database files. Otherwise only 0.5 or 1 would be fine.

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Lemur 19:13 02-04-2006
Originally Posted by TosaInu:
I have an extravagant 2 gig Ram. I need that to open huge database files. Otherwise only 0.5 or 1 would be fine.
Actually, I'm not so sure that 0.5 gigs of ram is minimum wage anymore. A lot of the newer games are dogs with less than a gig, and Battlefield 2 doesn't really sing until you've got 2 gigs (or so I've been told -- I have a paltry gig or ram in my machine).

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lars573 23:41 02-04-2006
lemur this
Originally Posted by :
Athlon 64 3200+
ASUS A8V-E mainboard
2x kingston 512 MB ram
sound blaster audigy sound card
ATI Radeon X1300 256 MB GFX card
is my current system and I maxed out all the settings (save AA) on BF2 and there are no frame rate drops during gameplay. It loads a might slow.

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TosaInu 23:54 02-04-2006
Originally Posted by Lemur:
Actually, I'm not so sure that 0.5 gigs of ram is minimum wage anymore. A lot of the newer games are dogs with less than a gig, and Battlefield 2 doesn't really sing until you've got 2 gigs (or so I've been told -- I have a paltry gig or ram in my machine).
True, 1 is recommended when you play modern games.

0.5 would however work fine/acceptable for me, apart from those huge database files.

Point is: hardware should please the user. It's costly to just upgrade because there's 'better'.

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