Need a new processor

[eversio11]

Years ago (2), I purchased a brand new custom built computer. I had a couple games on my mind so in turn I opted for a decent video card and loads of RAM. I got the ATI Radeon 8500 128mb AGP card with 512 MB of RAM.

Fast forward to a few months ago. For years I could run any top of the line PC game with ease on the highest of settings. So I picked up Call of Duty, came home and installed, boosted the settings up to max and, for the first time ever, expierenced a bit of lag. Bah.

Well, fast forward a bit more to today. Doom 3. I heard all the stories and what not about how the system requirements were brutal. Well, apparently they were true, because my system gets beat even on the medium setting for the game. Well, whats the point of playing one of the most graphically-intense game of the year if you can only play on medium setting (and thats even with 30-40 FPS)?

So I was double-checking my system specs, and, God only knows why, I only have a 1.02 Ghz processor (?!). Seems like an awful waste of 512 MB of RAM on a 1 Ghz processor. So, with the holiday season coming, as well as Half Life 2 and even more demanding games I've decided to upgrade my system. I have no idea what the procedure for finding out the motherboard, what kind of processors it can take, installing processors, etc. And, I figure, a Radeon 8500 is not the best card for Doom 3. Can anyone give me some advice on upping my card and processor?

TIA

[Neutrino]

It all depends on your money,




budget i would say get a ~2500 Barton with a nforce 2 mobo and 2 sticks of paired mem, and a 9800 Pro videocard



for "I'm Paris Hilton budget" fx 55 on nforce 4 mobo with some very low latency mem, and with 2 geforce 6800 Ultra cards in sli mode.

[eversio11]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

budget i would say get a ~2500 Barton with a nforce 2 mobo and 2 sticks of paired mem, and a 9800 Pro videocard

.

Mind translating that first part into something remotely human?

EDIT: Looking at the AMD AthlonXP 2600+ "Barton"

As for the video card, I need something a little more 'budget' besides the 9800 PRO.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by eversio11

Mind translating that first part into something remotely human?

EDIT: Looking at the AMD AthlonXP 2600+ "Barton"

As for the video card, I need something a little more 'budget' besides the 9800 PRO.

yeah sorry i got lazy and wrote shorthand. The cpu you have figured it out, mobo is short for motherboard, nforce 2 is the chipset, and you'll need to sticks of paired memory to run dual channel.

It would also help if you would give a ballbark figure on how much you want to spend.


about the 9800 pro i say don't go below that perf level, otherwise you have to upgrade again very soon.

[eversio11]

Hmm.. maybe I won't be able to get both the processor and video card at the same time.

And I can't upgrade my processor without upgrading the motherboard and memory, too? Bugger. I wasn't looking to invest that much money into this. Maybe I should just hold off and buy a whole new computer when the money is stacked up?

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by eversio11

Hmm.. maybe I won't be able to get both the processor and video card at the same time.

And I can't upgrade my processor without upgrading the motherboard and memory, too? Bugger. I wasn't looking to invest that much money into this. Maybe I should just hold off and buy a whole new computer when the money is stacked up?

well if you have a 1 ghz proc it will be too much of a generation gap to the newer ones to se the same mobo, even if your're athlons and they use the socket A

not even the mem will be good since you undoubtelly don't have DDR

but good news that if you stick with the budget combo i listed you should be well under 250 USD without the videocard though