Lt. Durden Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Alright buddy. An EMachines REALLY won't cut it. Considering the level of detail involved in JK2, as well as looking at hardware requirements for EF and RTCW (Q3A engine games, like JK2) you are looking at a pretty substantial upgrade here. First off, if this is an E Machine then it is not meant for gaming, mostly Email, hence the E in the title. It is also most likely an AT case or an ATX case, which means that you're looking at some extremely limited upgradability (asside of getting a new case and starting over, etc). See the damn sacrifices we all have to make to play new games? Except GraphicsGod of course, with his Athlon XP....... grrrrrrr........ anyways, Redwing, what's your budget for upgrading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycoglass Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 this is my system e-Machines 400Mhz 256mb Ram GeForce 2 MX 400 PCI 8 GB hardrive and guess what! I have no money!@ Help me please!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emon Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 You can build one hell of a gaming machine for only $1,000, you can get a new case, power supply, motherboard, RAM, CPU for like $500 at the MOST if you get really expensive stuff. Go AMD, they are really cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 I upgraded my machine for $400. New CPU, Memory, Videocard and motherboard. Amd is the way to go. You can get a 1.2 Ghz Duron for $50. More than enough to play games with if you're on a low budget. And I think this thread belongs in the swamp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR2000Z Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Is the purpose of this thread is to ask Redwing a question? If so : Private Messages are A-1 SUPAR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPMaximilian Posted February 7, 2002 Share Posted February 7, 2002 There is nothing wrong with ATX cases, its just a standard for what motherboards will fit in it. Granted there are some poor ATX cases though, but plenty of good ones. I'd go for a custom built machine, or you could add the following 3 parts to your system: 1 Abit KG7 Raid Mainboard $189 2 AMD Athlon XP 1800 OEM $230.00 3 Registered ECC DDR 512MB PC2100 Memory 266Mhz $229.00 Total: $648.00 Thats my rant from a person who works at a computer store, the prices might have changed though. http://www.champaigncomputer.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 7, 2002 Share Posted February 7, 2002 Wow...a topic for me? I feel so special Budget...hmmm well that depends on how much I can make working for various ppl in two months. :/ @JP: Would those need a better-than-66 MHz system bus? [/newbie question] *waits for thread to be Swamped before he causes any other disturbances* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link Antilles Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 I'm still stuck with my old 56K. Hey at least my internet acess is free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Originally posted by Redwing @JP: Would those need a better-than-66 MHz system bus? [/newbie question] *waits for thread to be Swamped before he causes any other disturbances* Well JP hasn't answered yet, so I will, because I hate to see questions go unanswered for so long Those components (mobo, CPU, etc.) do need a better-than-66MHz system bus, yes. The good news is, however, that the system bus is an integral part of your mobo, therefore if you get a new one, you get a new system bus HTH, and keep the questions coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Thanks! That's good to know now I just have to worry if my computer tower (or whatever they're called :rolleyess) will fit these things.... How do I tell that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Tower. Case. It's all the same, really... although I do prefer 'case' myself If by 'these things' you mean the stuff suggested by JP, then I can probably guarantee that your case won't cut it, most likely because of the new PSU you'll need... the mobo might not fit, either, so it'd be better to get a new case too... Give me a budget and I'll see what I can come up with that will run JK2 nicely - you'll be surprised You are able to buy stuff online, right? (However you do that doesn't matter - it's whether you can or not that counts - it's cheaper to buy online, and I can compare prices of my recommendations to tell you where's best to buy from ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Ugh...a budget...lol Yes, I'm able to buy online, or rather my mom is, if I can get the money... I'd say I should have $100 to $200 (300 absolute MAX) as a budget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Hmmm... that's a fairly tight budget, I must say, but I'm sure I can come up with something good - watch this space BTW, can you tell me the make and model of your mobo? That might possibly help keep costs down if we can still use it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Well...I could...but I don't exactly have my computer right now (I'm posting on someone else's) My friend is adding a spare hard drive to it...so I can't check till tomorrow at earliest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Oh. Okay, then - tell me when you can Is $300 the absolute limit? Would your mom perhaps lend you some? You see, I can suggest a rather good system for $308, but the video card would definitely start to hold everything else back, as it's quite old (but still reasonable performance-wise...) I've still got several other options to look at, so don't despair just yet, Redwing - I'll see what I can come up with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPMaximilian Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Sorry I didn't reply sooner, sounds like Baccy took care of things though. I suggested a top of the line system, there are still some great deals for a lot cheaper, I'll look around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPMaximilian Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Okay, heres a budget system that will still slap your old system around: 1. ABIT KT7A Mainboard $109.00 2. AMD Athlon Thunderbird 1333 MHZ 266 MHZ FSB $124.00 2. PC133 256MB $69.00 Total: $302 You could also add your old ram into this system for a total of 512 MB, which would be nice. Another option is to buy a AMD Duron Duron 950 for $65.00 and then buy an Athlon XP 1900 (1.6 GHZ) for $220.00 when you get the cash. Your video card is still somewhat limiting, but I have a GeForce 2 MX AGP, and while AGP is better than PCI, I think you'll be okay, Quake III Team Arena runs great for me on my system: Althon 1000 MHZ (Overclocked to 1.05 GHZ for fun) 320 MB PC133 Ram Hercules 3D Phrophet 2 MX Dual Display SB Live 5.1 Klipch 2.1 THX Certified Speakers (Very Soon I Hope) I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiggeBoy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Allright guys...you have invest money on your computer, afterall it is yours best friend, isn't it What I suggest is AMD athlon 1800+ XP 512 RAM and videocard could be...Geforce 3 64mt (I'm no computer expert so don't complain me about this) LOL PS. Dont buy Duron... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPMaximilian Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 That'd be great, but too bad it would cost $700+ and you still wouldn't have a motherboard that would work with it. Durons aren't as good as the Athlon XPs, but they are still good if you're on a budget, which RedWing seems to be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Your suggestion is good JP (the $302 Total one) but he'll need a new ATX PSU for all that, and quite possibly a new case as well (and you didn't include a vid card, either...) I've come up with the following from http://www.AccessMicro.com : EPoX 8KHAL Mobo (VIA KT266A chipset) 1.333 GHz Athlon T-bird (266 FSB) 128MB PC2100 RAM (Redwing- you can add to this easily when funds allow ) ThermalTake HSF (Possibly pre-fitted, which will be easier for him) MSI TNT2 M64 32MB Vid Card (Also easily upgradable) TEAC Floppy Drive (You can't de-select it ...but they are good, at least) InWin A500 ATX Mid-Tower Case + 300Watt PSU $8 Burn-in & Assembly fee (Also unavoidable...) This would give him a good base so start from that will allow him to play JK2 with reasonable settings, and also allows for a wide scope of future upgrades. The total cost (possibly excl. shipping...) is $328... The two major things that would hold this particular system back are the RAM (256MB would be a lot better) and the Graphics card - but they can both be upgraded, as I said You will certainly be able to play JK2 on this setup, but the graphics will have to be toned down a fair bit... If you can borrow some money from your mom, you could get a much better vid card and 256 Megs of RAM - which would run JK2 very well indeed... but it will cost quite a bit more ($150 more, to be precise...) I'm still checking out some other options, so don't consider this your only option just yet, Redwing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNNER Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 why does he need a new Mobo? If a celeron fits then so should a PIII. You can get a cheap PIII 550 or 600 for under $100 I would imagine then find a Geforce 2 GTS card and 128mg ram. Don't spend all his money when he doesn't need to. something else to consider. Buy used stuff, I have. Go to http://www.anandtech.com go to the community page and then to the for sale/trade forums. You can find anything there for cheap. Just about everyone there is a great trader. I have bought proccesors, video cards and fans there as well as sold some stuff with out a hitch. I'll go check some stuff for ya right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNNER Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 Ok, I just found a PIII 600 for $70 bucks, it will O/C to 800mhz. I found a Geforce 2 GTS 32mg for $65. A 256mg of mitsubishi ram PC133 for $35 An antec PS for $42 not sure how big.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 0.o *information overload* Got this site from a friend: http://www.pricewatch.com/ It does a price search and comparison on some stuff... So far I've gathered that I need: a new motherboard (because the system bus is too slow-66 MHz) a new processor (perhaps too slow, "computer guy" I talked to said (I THINK) that I might need a new one if I got a new new mobo...) And I definitely need a new video card...but which one? :/ I wish they'd post the system specs of JKII....x_x lol EDIT: Took too long to post! Thnx for the info GUNNER... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNNER Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 Redwing, you don't need a new mobo. You can turn the bus speed up and down in the set-up menu. Right now it's at 66, when you get a PIII you go in and turn it to 100mhz. When your PC starts up , as it's going through you will see a message that says something like......press Delete to enter set-up....or it might say press F2 to enter set-up.... Then you go in and look for your FSB setting and turn it to 100. I built my wifes PC with a celeron 466 which has a 66mhz bus, when I upgraded my PC I put my PIII 550 in hers, all I did was swap out the proccesors. Then turned the bus to 100, no problemo.. Do you actually think there are Mobos that only support one speed? Mobos will support all kinds of bus speeds. When you buy a Mobo the maker has to make sure that the user can install any proccesor he want so he makes the mobo work for many different combos. So any Intel board will just about work with a celeron or PIII if it's a BX board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Baccy Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 Originally posted by GUNNER why does he need a new Mobo? If a celeron fits then so should a PIII. Yes, they will fit, but he has already stated that his machine says "66MHz System Bus" on it, which would strongly suggest that his current mobo only has a 66MHz bus - most P3s that I've seen have 133 FSBs, so a P3 couldn't even be used to half its full potential without pushing the PCI and AGP clocks out of spec. Don't spend all his money when he doesn't need to. I don't intend to - I'm trying to find the best system for the least money, preferably not used, so he gets a guarantee. something else to consider. Buy used stuff, I have. That was one of my "other options", but I wouldn't recommend it due to the complete lack of guarantees. A Duron system would be okay, but a P3 system is stupid because they're virtually out of date now, and a KT266A mobo would give him the option to upgrade to an Athlon later. Athlons also have more cache than Durons (and possibly P3s - not my best area), meaning they're better for gaming. (I expect you knew that, but he probably didn't.) So any Intel board will just about work with a celeron or PIII if it's a BX board. Interesting. I admit that I didn't know that. The key phrase there, however, is "If it's a BX board" which we don't know yet. ******************** Redwing - If you get a Socket-A processor (Duron, Athlon) You will need a new Power Supply Unit as well, because the one you have now is almost certainly no more than 235Watts, and Athlons NEED 300Watts, and Durons run much better with that much. The best price to performance system with good upgradability that I can recommend is something close to this: 700MHz+ Duron Processor KT266A Mobo 128MB PC2100 DDR RAM ATX Case A 300W PSU (The Case+PSU combo I suggested above should do fine) Any Make of nVidia TNT2 32MB Graphics Card (they are cheap, and will run JK2 fairly well - mine runs Elite Force at 1024*768 with all settings at the max. and almost no stuttering) Adequate HeatSink+Fan (HSF) to cool the Processor (Again, the one above would be fine) Have you ever fitted a HSF? It's not too hard (depending on the mobo and the HSF) but it might be a little un-nerving if you've never done it before. However, if your "computer guy" friend can fit it or show you how to, you should be fine. If you don't fancy doing it yourself, then get the system (whatever it turns out to be) from somewhere that will fit it for you when you buy a mobo, processor, and HSF together (the place I mentioned above seems to do this - I'll check) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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