Drunkard's Walk Forums

Full Version: ...okay, I give! I give, dammit!
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
So, this thread has a couple core things, since my main tech consultants post here anyway.

My aging dinosaur of a computer has about had it as far as being able to run the New Hawtness of games. It seems to be the theme to upgrade these days, so I
figure I can duck into the collective wellspring of experience for tips.

My current machine is a Frankengraded Pavilion a706n, with the upgrades being a nVidia 6200
graphics card, a CD/DVD burner drive, and 2 gigs of RAM.

This is, as of 2009, a 5 year old box and just not able to be enhanced anymore without replacing the motherboard entirely. So I need a new machine. I'm
fairly financially limited(my current job's "rather large" paycheck from Christmas madness amounts to $359 and change, and that's gonna be
slacking off now that the Christmas rush is down and they start cutting hours back, and that doesn't even factor in school and a planned move), so used is
pretty much my only option without bankrupting me.

On the plus side, I'm not a tech elitist, so being up to, say, Wire or Terrence's tech standards isn't a big deal. I'd settle for being able to
actually mount PCI-E graphics cards at all.(my current one has multiple PCI cards and an old AGP slot) Also, I just need a tower, really. I've got all the
relevant peripherals covered fairly handly.

On the second hand, I recently scored Mass Effect for the PC(which has yet to arrive in the mail) and a recheck of specifications notes that I'm missing
600 of the necessary GeForces to run it according to the *stated* minimums(nVidia GeForce 6800GT), however my current card supports Pixel Shader 3, which is
apparently the make or break necessary ability, so perhaps I could run it, like CoH, at lower performance settings and still have it operate properly? Or do I
just wait till post-upgrade to install it?
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
That card you put in is that things one saving grace, Ops.

I don't have much to offer and we've talked over most of it already, but one thing that I'll point out is that you'll almost certainly need to
factor in memory in your equation; according to the spec sheet, it's using stuff that no modern motherboard is going to want to even look at.

Memory's cheap, though, so that's not that bad, really. Just a reminder. Smile

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16856167030

http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16814150320

http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16820148164

http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16819115132

$328.69 + shipping. use your existing HDD, CDrom, monitor, moose, keyboard. You're on your own for an OS.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
Hmm. Got a source for an OS, and assuming I'm lazy and just buy a new HD, is it worth the kickup to buy a Seagate instead of this one here?

http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16822136113
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
http://www.newegg.com/Pro...aspx?Item=N82E16822136149
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies