Okay, what you've got there is the beginnings of a kick-ass gaming machine. But it's going to need some TLC.
The Dell Optiplex line is _awesome_, in my opinion. I have one. It's a beast. It handles everything I throw at it, and mines an -old- one -- single-core
3GHz P4. So you're outclassing mine already, except in the graphics department.
My advice is to keep the Dell and invest in a good graphics card. Your rig -should- support PCI-E, and you can get good graphics cards for cheap. That thread
you link? Right off the bat it lists a nVidia 9800GT as an under-$100 way to make the magic happen. I can testify that a 9800GT with a gig of video RAM
handles CoH as-is at max pretty, and they state that it can handle ultra mode with 'reduced quality settings'. So that's a starter option there.
Here's the deal. I'm not sure what my PSU is rated at, but my 9800GT runs just fine and I didn't have to upgrade from the stock one in the
machine. If you -do- have to upgrade, it's still a better option to keep the dual-core Dell system.
I don't know the pricing situation in AU, but here in the US you can get a 9800GT for $70. I personally would see if I could have someone in the US
purchase a card and ship it to me, because I suspect price+shipping will still come out to less than price alone in AU, but I could be wrong. Regardless, you
want to keep the dual-core machine if you intend to keep gaming. You don't *need* a new PC with that Dell rig; you just need some graphics horsepower and
possibly (I stress *possibly*) a new power supply.
And more RAM wouldn't hurt, but 2GB runs most games just fine in my experience
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
The Dell Optiplex line is _awesome_, in my opinion. I have one. It's a beast. It handles everything I throw at it, and mines an -old- one -- single-core
3GHz P4. So you're outclassing mine already, except in the graphics department.
My advice is to keep the Dell and invest in a good graphics card. Your rig -should- support PCI-E, and you can get good graphics cards for cheap. That thread
you link? Right off the bat it lists a nVidia 9800GT as an under-$100 way to make the magic happen. I can testify that a 9800GT with a gig of video RAM
handles CoH as-is at max pretty, and they state that it can handle ultra mode with 'reduced quality settings'. So that's a starter option there.
Here's the deal. I'm not sure what my PSU is rated at, but my 9800GT runs just fine and I didn't have to upgrade from the stock one in the
machine. If you -do- have to upgrade, it's still a better option to keep the dual-core Dell system.
I don't know the pricing situation in AU, but here in the US you can get a 9800GT for $70. I personally would see if I could have someone in the US
purchase a card and ship it to me, because I suspect price+shipping will still come out to less than price alone in AU, but I could be wrong. Regardless, you
want to keep the dual-core machine if you intend to keep gaming. You don't *need* a new PC with that Dell rig; you just need some graphics horsepower and
possibly (I stress *possibly*) a new power supply.
And more RAM wouldn't hurt, but 2GB runs most games just fine in my experience
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs