Noooob

ok currently i have 2 9500gt in sli, pretty new to PC-ing so wanted to start cheap-ish incase i screwed it all up (like most of my hobbies) but installed ARMA2 today and it barely moves though COD4 runs smoooth on MAX i have a 42" full HD 1920 x 1080 screen and am looking to run Operation Flashpoint 2 when released current specs are---

-COOLER MASTER CM-690 PC TOWER CASE
-AMD 64 x2 DC 3800+ 2.01 GHz
-4 Gig transcend 800 RAM
-ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard
-850 w Qfan Thermaltake Toughpower
-2X 9500gt in Sli

so i guess my question to anyone kind enough to help is... what needs an upgrade to play OF2 and other new high end games on MAX!!! i know my GPU does (thinking 295GTX any advice, will it even fit the slots??) but i think also my CPU as any reviews i can find are dated 2005

Thanks .............

emosun

Yea that cpu is pretty old. It's basically two old athlon 64's in one.

You can probably play both those games with just a cpu upgrade alone. heres your cpu support list

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/c...roduct=1&os=17

I would probably go for a phenom

Noooob

Thanks alot emosun have never posted a question before big help will go for Phenom X4 9950 then as they all pretty cheap so should get a good'un (is it a good'un?) and i still think i'll need to upgrade GPU as really wanna play OF2 and Battlefield BC2 on MaaaX on 42" and think my 2 GPU's are like $60 each New i think, but then like i said am a Noob ......

Noooob

do you think any other upgrades stick out? from my rig

emosun

Other then a new cpu and gpu , your rig is pretty much set for gamming for a while. The power supply should cover any gpu upgrade.

Noooob

Thank you Very much i will pop all that stuff in and play away - really appriciate advise thanks emosun - will i need to enter Bios or anything complicated like that or just update drivers for cpu and gpu also should i do it in any order or just one at a time?

Phædrus2401

Your CPU doesn't need drivers, as for the GPU you'll need to uninstall the old drivers before installing the new card and drivers.

Noooob

i have 850 w Qfan Thermaltake Toughpower- do i just pull out old cpu and pop new one in its place and attach fan with glue- how do i uninstall current drivers for gpu and will i still be able to see images after i do ?? Sorry i still PC apprentice thanks you for info Phædrus2401 !! will a 295gtx fit in same slot my 9500gt does?? also is GALAXY a decent make for my gpu?? and last one is the Phenom X4 9950 a good choice for my rig (SEE TOP OF PAGE)

Phædrus2401

YouTube - Installing a Processor and Heatsink

You can disregard the part at the beginning about wearing antistatic straps. Simply keep a part of your body in contact with the metal of the computer case at all times when installing and uninstalling the CPU/HSF.

After uninstalling your video drivers you will still be able to receive basic output, like the desktop and windows, but it will be at a very low resolution, and any attempt to play games or watch most videos will cause an error. To uninstall the drivers, go into device manager, find your graphics card under "display adapters" or some such, then right click, properties, then uninstall device. Then reboot. Use DriverSweeper (http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D--...%29_d1655.html) to remove any leftover driver components, then reboot again.

Shut down and unplug the computer and install the graphics card like so:
YouTube - Tiger How-To: Install a Graphics Card in Your PC

Both the GTX295 and the 9500GT use the same PCIe x16 slot, though the GTX295 needs PCIe 2.0 to use its full potential. You're not thinking of putting a GTX295 in your computer, are you? I wouldn't recommend it.

The Phenom is a good processor, but incompatible with your motherboard. It requires an AM2+ socket, and you only have AM2.

emosun

The phenom is shown as supported.

Phædrus2401

Is it? Oh. I guess that would work then. :P

Noooob

so if i should'nt put a 295gtx in her then what??? is my MOBO well dated ? have just done a XP reboot and she needs a little pick me up - though money no major issue please recommend given my rig what YOU would upgrade Please - thanks for all the help

Noooob

Both the GTX295 and the 9500GT use the same PCIe x16 slot, though the GTX295 needs PCIe 2.0 to use its full potential. You're not thinking of putting a GTX295 in your computer, are you? I wouldn't recommend it.


like i said I AM NEW TO ALL THIS JAZZ!!!!!

Phædrus2401

Sorry--a GTX295 would be bottlenecked by your CPU. The card would be really great, but your performance would be limited by your CPU, so there would be a lot of wasted potential.

I would recommend a GeForce 9800GTX+. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143162

Noooob

thanks alot so its agreed then 2 x 9800gtx + in sli and a Phenom X4 9950 cpu and we're rolling i also just been readin a forum says my MOBO (ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe) pretty crummy too should i grab new one of them too while i'm at it as they only around $200? and also which one?- don't want to upgrade whole rig !!! maybe in 18months or so........

Phædrus2401

We don't really recommend SLI. Two mid-range cards will never perform as well as one high-end card, and cost twice as much. You'll notice hardly any performance improvement of two 9800GTX+s over one, and if you do want that extra performance you can save $80 and just move up to a GeForce GTX260 or GTX275.

grimx133

Depending on what bios you have, you may need to update before
installing the 9950. It require bios 2207, which is the latest, for
the cpu to be recognized. Check what version you have now.

Noooob

so what we're saying is.....update to latest MOBO Bios get the phenom put it in then pop a 260gtx in update the latest 200 series Nvidia driver and that should be Sweet to run OFP2 on MAAX on my 42" 1920x1080 FullHD screen in DX10...............and that should do me for another year or so then build a new one??????

By the way thanks to you all for making my first post an educational and enjoyable one...

Phædrus2401

I don't know what OFP2 is, but the GTX260 should manage most any game on the market at 1920x1080 at at least a playable frame rate. If you want absolutely smooth gameplay you may want the GTX275, but that's $100 more. Your call.