Computer Upgrade help.

[elLOCOmutha]

Hi

I have a friend that just bought a new computer and gave me the old one they used to use.
I do not know much about the workings of hardware or what is the best but was wondering if you could give me some suggestions on upgrading my memory and vid card. I play alot of MP PC games and want to get a decent FPS while online.
Here are the specs I copied from the users manual she gave me with the computer.

Motherboard: Intel D925XCV 925X
CPU: Pentium 4 3.4GHZ 1MB 800FSB LGA775
Memory: Crucial 512MB DDR2 PC4200
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 160GB 8MB Cache Serial ATA with NCQ HD
Video Card: ATI Radeon X600 XT 128MB PCIE
DVD Drive: 16X Dual Layer DVD+-R/W Recorder
CD Drive: Lite-on 52/32/52 CD-RW
Floppy Drive: 1.44MB
480 Watt Power Supply

any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

 

[MikeReiner]

www.newegg.com <---- if you live in the US, this is a great place to shop for computer components.

look for ddr2 memory under the "computer memory" section.

you should also be able to find plenty of video cards there too.

if you have trouble finding something suitable or don't understand, just post in this thread again and i'll help you out.

 

[elLOCOmutha]

I would like to stay with the AIT vid cards spending around $200-250...

So do you think adding another 512MB of RAM would be good?

 

[Kage]

Yeah, another 512mb of RAM would be good, and also yeah, paying that much for a video card would get you a really good one.

 

[joxley1990]

Yeah, definetly, how many slots for memory does the motherboard have?

That motherboard has got four memory slots, so im guessing the 512 mb is split into 2X256mb?

If so, buy another 2x256 RAM, or buy a stick of 1GB ram, just try get it as high as you can with your budget, thats a nice motherboard, I like the CPU fan, thought intel made little poo ones, but thats nice. (if its the orignal fan)

 

[mammikoura]

I would like to stay with the AIT vid cards spending around $200-250...

So do you think adding another 512MB of RAM would be good?

Yes, another 512mb of ram is a must.

And if u want ati I'd take a look at the x800XT cards.

 

[elLOCOmutha]

Someone suggested the Powercolor ATI x850xt Platinum what do you guys think about that card?

I have no idea how many slots are inside the case for RAM. Is it easy to install these items into a computer?

Do you know any good sites to purchase online for these items? (besides newegg)

 

[Jamxx]

I think TigerDirect is pretty good, but I've always used the Egg. I'd say stick with it if you live in the US, the shipping is unbeatable and their customer service is incredible!

That ATi card is pretty good, but I don't know much about them. I'm an Nvidia guy. Personally, if you were willing to branch out, I'd get a 7800GT for just a few more bucks. That'll really make your system fly. I think they're about 300 bucks right now. Worth every penny.

But, you said you wanted to stick with ATi. I do believe that's a great video card, though! Wait for some expert opinions, though.