Planning to upgrade CPU/Mobo/Ram

d3moliti0n · 16 May 2008 at 14:42

Hey there

Well I am interested in upgrading the CPU/Mobo and Ram on my PC, here are my current specs:

Athlon X64 3200+ (2.00GHz rated at 3.20GHz, 512KB Cache)
2GB DDR Ram
HD3850 256MB (PCI-E X16)

My question is, can I get a decent Core2Duo upgrade containing the three components I need for around £115? The main reason for upgrading would be gaming, specifically Age of Conan, I want a machine that will be able to run it on High settings with a decent framerate so could you recommend anything or do I need more money to get that game running well on High? Or, would it be worth going to Athlon route and getting an Athlon dual-core as I notice they are a bit cheaper.

Thanks for your help and time.

Edit: Oh and I'm going to need a Micro-ATX mobo as my case says the current one is Micro-ATX.

split · 16 May 2008 at 15:12

I think the answer here may depend if your existing motherboard can handle a dual core AMD CPU.

Micro-ATX is not easy at all.

d3moliti0n · 16 May 2008 at 15:15

Well my existing motherboard is some stock Asus one that was in my PC when I got it, it's a socket 939 which can handle Athlon dual-cores but I am not prepared to upgrade my CPU when the socket is really old, I would rather have up-to-date technology.

split · 16 May 2008 at 15:34

Well all the Micro ATX mobos are here.
This is cheapest @ £49.34 inc VAT
then say ram here @ £29.36 inc VAT leaving you £36.30 for something here.
You can only afford the Intel Celeron E1200 1.6Ghz Dual-Core @ £30.54 inc VAT
I guess that is upgradable though.

Ethics · 16 May 2008 at 15:36

Think there was some confusion since you said you want CPU/mobo/RAM but you didnt list the mobo as current specs (i know i had to look twic before i suggested you'd need a mobo that can do 2)

Can that game even run high atm? i heard it was buggy and hell and with the debugger running full time alognside the client, it crawls.

d3moliti0n · 16 May 2008 at 15:44

Would it be worth going the AMD route then? Something along these lines:

split · 16 May 2008 at 15:55

If you look here you can see the Celeron E1200 is beaten by the Athlon 64s though I reckon mileage would vary depending on the game.

The Celeron E1200 overclocks very well, but your budget doesn't allow a decennt 3rd party cooler.
I'm not sure what they are like on the stock one.

ukbrainstew · 16 May 2008 at 16:52

Go with this setup, £15 over budget but worth every last penny. That Akasa fan is cooling my E2180 @ 3.2ghz and never gets over 50C even when running Orthos.

You should have no trouble running that chip at 2.8-3ghz, where it'll decimate your current rig and run rigs around the Athlon X2 setups posted previously. No game currently released or planned for the foreseeable future should give that processor any trouble once its clocked.

Edit: Oh for some reason I though your budget was £130, still, the point stands, for the extra £30, the amount of performance you stand to gain is really substantial.