January 7, 200719 yr So I recently got World of Warcraft, and it runs like crap. It is verrry choppy and I can't go into any major cities without having latency shooting up (10k+). So I decide to look at new parts. Anyway, I run into all kinds of stuff about sockets and crap... I have no clue about any of this. How do I find about what sockets my computer has and what is compatable with what? Plus I don't know what to get. I was thinking about getting a new video card, but I don't know what will help or not. Here's my computer: And the requirements for WoW are right here. If there's anything else you need, I can get it. And is NewEgg.com a reliable resource for new parts?
January 7, 200719 yr First off, download my little friend - it's name is CPU-Z. It comes in a zip file, so you will have to extract all of the files to your desktop or folder. Run the cpuz[Caution: ExecutableFile] and you should get a window like this: This way you know what kind of processor/socket your cpu is - and you can match it against what the requirements are. The third tab on CPU-Z is also very important, and a picture needs to be posted. This way everyone can help you figure out whether you need an AGP, PCI, or PCI Express card to go in with your upgrade (and maybe some more memory). I would recommend another 512mb of memory (1 gig is enough in this world now), and a new video card. So post some pictures back of what you've got, and yes, Newegg is a very good place to buy new parts from - I buy almost everything I need from them.
January 7, 200719 yr Sorry to tell you, but there is no upgrade path to that computer. You would need to upgrade the graphics card and it would only be AGP, if the motherboard even has that. The possessor would need an upgrade, they don't even make processors for that socket anymore. The memory you could upgrade if it's pc-100 I believe, but it wouldn't be worth it if you can't get a graphics card. Sorry if I sound like an idiot just bashing your computer, but I'm just stating facts. My suggestion is buy a new computer, even a $300-400 could run run WOW a lot better than your current computer.
January 7, 200719 yr If you're looking to buy a cheap computer, consider building one yourself. Anandtech.com had a guide on building the most "gaming" possible budget computer in November. It really still applies, but prices on some items, especially ram, should be lower. so for 550ish dollars, maybe less since all you need is the case no monitor, mouse, nothing, you could probably get a computer to run wow. http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2861
January 7, 200719 yr Sorry to tell you, but there is no upgrade path to that computer. You would need to upgrade the graphics card and it would only be AGP, if the motherboard even has that. The possessor would need an upgrade, they don't even make processors for that socket anymore. The memory you could upgrade if it's pc-100 I believe, but it wouldn't be worth it if you can't get a graphics card. Sorry if I sound like an idiot just bashing your computer, but I'm just stating facts. My suggestion is buy a new computer, even a $300-400 could run run WOW a lot better than your current computer. I'm sorry, but maybe you need to learn to look up specs before you say it won't be able to do something. *Not that I want to bash you or anything...* ------ Now, I looked up the specs of your computer, guess what - the only thing you need to run WoW (on lower res/graphics of course), is a new graphics card. You meet the other min. requirements already, here is what you need: WindowsÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî System 2000/XP OS: Intel PentiumÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî III 800 MHz or AMD Athlon 800 MHz 512 MB or more of RAM 32 MB 3D graphics card with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as NVIDIAÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî GeForceÃÆââââ¬Ã¾Ãââ 2 class card or above DirectXÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî 9.0c (included) and latest video drivers 6.0 GB available HD space 4x CD-ROM drive A 56k or better Internet connection The 2 in bold you already have - You have a PIII running @ 1Ghz, 200mhz over what you need. And you have 512mb of memory. Here are the pictures of what your board actually has (taken from the manufacturer's website): ^^ Outlined in red is what you need to look at. The board has room for 3 DIMM (memory strips), but cannot support more than what it already has - good but bad thing. Next, it can support up to an 4x AGP card, which is decent, although its not top of the line it will be able to run WoW (going to put a link it just a few minutes to a decent card for your needs). Nextly, you could also buy a PCI card if need be, but I would stay away from that as they use more system resources to run (and lower your chances to upgrade things such as sound, NIC, etc.). So, to make it all short - you need a new graphics card. I found this one on newegg, and is fairly cheap. MSI FX5200-TD128LF Geforce FX5200 64-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X If you need anything else, feel free to post back... I'll help with what I can.
January 7, 200719 yr Yea, you just need a new gfx card. Umm...When I went to start playing WoW (2 yrs ago, lawl :P) I bought a Radeon 9500 for like $60. There are probably better AGP cards out there now for the same price, but mine still runs WoW very well. I only lag for the first 10-15 seconds when entering a major city. I also bought 256 more mb of RAM, though, upping my computer to 700-something mb. I need a new 'puter. :( The popularity of any given religion today depends on the victories of the wars they fought in the past. - Me!
January 7, 200719 yr Even if you upgrade as Blacknova suggested, don't expect silky smooth play at the minimum requirements. It was barely playable on my brother's machine before he upgraded it - that was an AthlonXP 2600+, 512MB DDR333 and an FX5200, which was an AGP 8x card. Minimum requirements on games are a joke. They say what is required in theory, not in practice.
January 7, 200719 yr Even if you upgrade as Blacknova suggested, don't expect silky smooth play at the minimum requirements. It was barely playable on my brother's machine before he upgraded it - that was an AthlonXP 2600+, 512MB DDR333 and an FX5200, which was an AGP 8x card. Minimum requirements on games are a joke. They say what is required in theory, not in practice. I definately agree with this. Considering you are going to be just barely scraping by the minimum requirements does not mean you are going to have great graphics and smooth gameplay. There will still be some places where you will experience problems. Game manufactures put it as minimum because that is the lowest required specifications that could actually make the game run at all... and that doesn't mean perfect. But for $40.00 at least you won't have major game lag anymore. :)
January 8, 200719 yr Just adding this in, latency is your internet connection not your FPS [which is largly dependent on your computer] However, I would try to just get a decent AGP card. Even something such as an FX5500 would be fine.
January 8, 200719 yr Author So, to make it all short - you need a new graphics card. I found this one on newegg, and is fairly cheap. MSI FX5200-TD128LF Geforce FX5200 64-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X If you need anything else, feel free to post back... I'll help with what I can. Alright... so it can't have any more RAM... and that video card you mentioned will work with my computer? Correct? How did you find the stuff in that picture? What is important to finding that? Thanks everyone for your help. :)
January 8, 200719 yr So, to make it all short - you need a new graphics card. I found this one on newegg, and is fairly cheap. MSI FX5200-TD128LF Geforce FX5200 64-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X If you need anything else, feel free to post back... I'll help with what I can. Alright... so it can't have any more RAM... and that video card you mentioned will work with my computer? Correct? How did you find the stuff in that picture? What is important to finding that? Thanks everyone for your help. :) 1. Yes the video card will work with your computer - it is 4x/8x AGP compatible - and you're computer supports that. 2. I found the stuff in the picture by going to google and typing in your motherboard manufacturer and the chipset which yeilded a pdf of your motherboard... if you want to read the rest feel free to : Intel D815EEA 3. What is important about this? It allows us to see what kind of product we are working with. What it can support and what it won't, allowing us to give our recommendation on what you may, or may not, be able to do to your computer. And no problem, I enjoy it :)
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