Upgrading Computer

[beanymattd]

Hi, basically i'm wanting to upgrade my Dell Dimension 4600i
Current specs are:
3.06GHz - CPU
3GB RAM
HD Radeon 3650 AGP

I'm looking to get a new motherboard, CPU, power supply etc, for as cheap as possible.

The game i mainly play is World of Warcraft and i'm having trouble with Frame rate issues.

In conclusion i'm looking for a new system/upgrade that will increase my frame rate dramatically.

Thanks and if you need any more information, give me a shout!

[KarmaKiller]

What's your budget for the upgrade?
With you wanting a new CPU/Motherboard/PSU/GPU, you might as well just build a new system, your pretty much there already.
I'd maybe see if you can sell your current PC, and maybe use that money with the money your talking about already spending and just get a whole new PC.

But if that's not feesable, at least give us a budget to work off of.

[beanymattd]

Budget is around £200

[beanymattd]

Basically im looking to get the most effective FPS upgrade but still keeping it money efficient.

[KarmaKiller]

Well I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be tough with your budget. That said, if your going for the most FPS you can, then a new GPU is most likely where you need to place the money. But of course you have to make sure your CPU doesn't hold back the GPU to much.
I'll look around and see what I can come up with.

[beanymattd]

Even as a temporary upgrade i'm looking to replace/upgrade parts in my computer that will give me the biggest FPS increase, which is all im concerned about currently.

[athlonxpguy]

You are not going to get much for 200 quid. Maybe a better video card.

[KarmaKiller]

Even as a temporary upgrade i'm looking to replace/upgrade parts in my computer that will give me the biggest FPS increase, which is all im concerned about currently.

I understand what your wanting, but what we're trying to tell you it's almost not feesable. I doubt a new motherboard would fit into the Dell case, because most of those boards are BTX form, and not ATX. So that means you almost need a new case also. Even then, with a CPU/Motherboard/RAM/PSU upgrade, your still gonna get minmial FPS with your 3650, so your probably still not gonna be happy with it in the end.
As long as you know that, then I don't mind offering up suggestions.

Cheapest decent rig I could put together is this:
AMD Dual Core Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz 2MB Socket AM3 - Retail : novatech.co.uk : AMD-X2240

Asus M4A785D-M Pro AMD 785G Micro ATX (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard : novat : ASU-M4A785

OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit : novatech.co.uk : OCZ-2GBSLI

OCZ StealthXStream 400w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply : novatech.co.uk : OCZ-S400

That comes in a hair under your budget, but again, you really wanna upgrade your GPU, as that's one of the most important peices of hardware when gaming.
Hope I helped.

[beanymattd]

can you find me a GPU upgrade also then please?

[KarmaKiller]

And keep it under 200? Not possible.
But I'll recommend a great bang for buck GPU.

Novatech ATI Radeon HD4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI PCI-Express : novatech.co.uk : NOV-4850
That is the minimum I'd put into any gaming rig.

[beanymattd]

I only have an AGP slot as far as im aware

[KarmaKiller]

Oh, you meant just a GPU upgrade. I didn't know that.
And here's the problem with that. AGP cards are few and far between now-a-days. The most powerful card AFAIK, is the ATI 3850, which isn't really all that fast TBH. And then the pricing comes into play. You can pick up that PCIe equivalent for ~$50. The AGP version is gonna cost you at least $80, if not more. Mainly becuase nobody makes AGP cards anymore, so there is a price premium for it. (Much like DDR RAM)

Novatech ATI Radeon HD 3850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI 8xAGP - Retail : novatech.co. : NOV-38505A
That would be that card I'm talking about. And for the same price, you could get the much much faster PCIe card.
Not only that, but your still gonna have to upgrade your PSU more then likely. (Although I really don't know that because you haven't posted the specs of it)

So again, I would recommend selling your current PC, and trying to start over.

[nickslick74]

Frankly speaking, you are dealing with a pretty old cpu (Pentium 4) and 2 generation old ram (DDR). The fastest AGP card out right now is the 4670, which is at best a midrange card when flipped over to the PCIe standard.

With your current set up you might see a slight increase in frame rates, but your P4 and DDR ram are really going to hold you back. My advice to you right now is to put up with what you have for a little while longer, at least until you can afford to build yourself a nice budget gaming rig. £300 - £350 may be doable.

[nickslick74]

Oh, you meant just a GPU upgrade. I didn't know that.
And here's the problem with that. AGP cards are few and far between now-a-days. The most powerful card AFAIK, is the ATI 3850, which isn't really all that fast TBH. And then the pricing comes into play. You can pick up that PCIe equivalent for ~$50. The AGP version is gonna cost you at least $80, if not more. Mainly becuase nobody makes AGP cards anymore, so there is a price premium for it. (Much like DDR RAM)

Novatech ATI Radeon HD 3850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI 8xAGP - Retail : novatech.co. : NOV-38505A
That would be that card I'm talking about. And for the same price, you could get the much much faster PCIe card.
Not only that, but your still gonna have to upgrade your PSU more then likely. (Although I really don't know that because you haven't posted the specs of it)

So again, I would recommend selling your current PC, and trying to start over.

Is the 3850 more powerful than the 4670? I'm to lazy to check the charts...

Oh, and his Dell came stock with a 250W psu.

4600i specs