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[lordcooper]

I can run the more recent Total War games relatively smoothly, but I'm missing out on all the shiny graphics.  That is not good.

I'm a complete retard regarding techie stuff (I even bought my pc at Argos) so I'm just gonna list the full specs and hope somebody can tell me what I need to upgrade, and what to replace it with.  The cheaper the better, but I'm willing to splash out a little.

Code: [Select]

System   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  Manufacturer MEDIONPC
  Model MS-7633
  Total amount of system memory 3.00 GB RAM
  System type 32-bit operating system
  Number of processor cores 2
  64-bit capable Yes
 
Storage   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  Total size of hard disk(s) 297 GB
  Disk partition (C:) 54 GB Free (267 GB Total)
  Disk partition (D:) 23 GB Free (30 GB Total)
  Media drive (E:) CD/DVD
  Media drive (G:) CD/DVD
 
Graphics   
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  Display adapter type Intel(R) G41 Express Chipset
  Total available graphics memory 1342 MB
        Dedicated graphics memory 128 MB
        Dedicated system memory 0 MB
        Shared system memory 1214 MB
  Display adapter driver version 8.15.10.2189
  Primary monitor resolution 1366x768
  DirectX version DirectX 10  

Any suggestions?

[RedKing]

RAM and CPU look fine. The bottleneck is the video card. Looks like an integrated video card on the motherboard, which is fine for Web surfing and spreadsheets, but for any kind of heavy-duty gaming just isn't going to cut it. The good news is that almost ANY video card is going to be an upgrade for you, so even a cheapo NVIDIA or ATI card will give you some marked improvement.

[Shades]

Not sure what actual chipset you have, however the fact it supports 64bit and you only have 3gb or ram it seems to be upgrading to a 64bit os and getting increasing the ram would be a good start. Totalwar is a ram hungry beast.

You appear to be using an onboard graphics card too so getting a dedicated one would make a very big difference. I've never been a fan of those intel onboard ones.

Is this a laptop?

[lordcooper]

It isn't a laptop, just a desktop I got on special offer at Argos (lol).

What would people recommend as far as (affordable) graphics cards go?

If there's any more info that you'd need to help with this, just tell me what and how to find it.

[RedKing]

I'm probably not the best person to ask since I haven't upgraded my rig in years. I look at what's available out there now and just want to cry ($100 for a 2 TERABYTE drive? Jesus....)

However, a quick search on Newegg.com shows that $50 will get you a decent Radeon or GeForce card, with anywhere from 256MB to 1GB of dedicated video RAM (by contrast, your current setup has only 128MB and it's slower RAM with no GPU).

Like I said, virtually any card out there is going to be a major upgrade, so there's no need to break the bank unless you just really want to have a bleeding-edge system.

One caveat: check what types of inputs your monitor has before buying a new card. Since you just got the system, it should probably have a DVI port. But if not (say, if they went with an old budget monitor) it might only have a 15-pin D-SUB port, and some newer cards only have DVI ports. (ran into this myself recently when I tried to switch my system over temporarily to an old standby monitor).

[lordcooper]

Yup, monitor takes DVI.

I'm looking at http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9800gt_us.html at the moment, is it worth grabbing / will it work?

[RedKing]

Not too shabby for $100. And looks like it meets the required specs for Starcraft II, so I'd think it could run any of the Total War games without breaking a sweat.

[Nikov]

Starcraft did not look more graphically intensive than Empire Total War, but eh. Yeah, that card will work. I'm concerned you could go higher without pushing the price up very much, and also we need to know if your power supply can handle the extra load. How many watts are listed on it? Hint; the power cord plugs into a black box with a fan somewhere.

[lordcooper]

Here we go then, opening it up...

[Nikov]

I had the sudden flashback to my Sims 2 author-hermit who electrocuted himself while repairing his computer and died.

I then moved his goth 'niece' in to finish his book. She became a lesbian with the local politician and opened a coffee shop together on the main drag.

Moral of the story? If Lordcooper doesn't come back, somehow, somewhere, his ghost gets to watch hot lesbian action. Granted its his niece, but whatever.

[lordcooper]

Lol, still alive...

Alright, I got:

AC input: 220 - 240v~,3.15A,50Hz
DC output: 250W (+12v1 & 12v2 = 180W max)

Does this mean I have 250W? 

[lordcooper]

Assuming it is, would http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/cit-500w-black-edition-pc-power-supply-unit-04775807-pdt.html be a viable replacement or is there anything else I would need to check out first?

[Il Palazzo]

It's hard to tell how much power your current rig is taking, but it'd be rather safe to assume that your "bargain" PC has got the smallest PSU output they could fit in at Argos.
The card specifications state that it can use 105W at peak load, so you'd need at least 350W PSU. Getting 500W one might be overdoing it a bit, unless you're planning on expanding the system more in the future(adding extra HDs, some "kewl lightz", extra fans, second graphic card, and whatnot).

On the other hand, 35 quid isn't that much anyway.

[Shades]

I've not heard of that company so can't really comment, however any 500w power supply should do you fine.

Personally I tend to opt for Nexus ones as I trust them (http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1681.html) and they give me lots of snazzy details about the noise and the efficiency and stability of the rails.

I should note that my current pc only actually draws ~120W on full load (measured at the plug, quad core and crossfire gfx). The reason everything demands a high power spec is because a lot of power supplies aren't very efficient so have to draw more to provide stable 12v rails.

[Frajic]

ITT: PC overhaul.

Looking forward to Christmas, getting PC money and am building a budget gaming rig. Gonna run games like a small beast.