lawl@pc

Ok, so I has a comp that I want to upgrade JUST enough to play WoW on fair with decent FPS.

This is the computer. http://www.amazon.com/Presario-SR195.../dp/B000GBNBI6

What would I need to upgrade and could you list the items?

Ok lets look at its stats

1 Gig of Ram
Integrated 6150 LE
AMD 3800 single core
250 gig harddrive

IF YOU buy this PC, you're going to need to upgrade to a onboard video card, a 6150 isnt going to run anything. Hopefully, this PC has an PSU of 300 watts atleast, or 400. But its a media PC so dont get your hopes up for anything higher than 350W to be honest, they expect you to watch movies and etc on it not play games. Even WOW is demanding as you pass into expansions.
in this range you're better off getting one of these cards
9600GT(recommend the low profile)
9800GT(Recommend the low profile)
GTS 250 (NOT THE GTX)(also recommend the 1 gig version, it uses much less power).


second of all, once you upgrade to a real videocard, you're going to need a processor that won't bottle neck it. a AMD 64 x2 5xxx series is generally ideal for most games nowadays and are cheap.

Lastly, 1 gig of ram is not decent, not even for gaming on XP. You're going to have to get atleast 2 gigs (make sure you replace the ram inside the PC and not just buy an 1 gig stick) 2 gigs wont cost much, and even 3 gigs will help at times. I back this statement up from a personal experience, I bought 2x1 gig set. 1 of which was DoA(dead on arrival) and I was stuck using 1 gig of ram. AoC Ran horribly, WoW ran horribly, When they sent out the replacements Loading screens were much shorter, no sudden freezes. just normal. IT wasnt my video, it was me using 1 gig of ram on XP. and believe me WoW will run horribly in WoTLK content with 1 gig of ram.

so all in all its going to need a few upgrades. Yes its WoW, but the game is demanding even in WoTLK.

Except he already has that system. I thnk the gig stick would be enough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cereal&Milk

Except he already has that system. I thnk the gig stick would be enough.

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it probably has some crappy ddr2 400 mhz ram I bet. Running mix match ram will generaly degenerate your pc, also forces the other stick to run at the same clock, reducing its preformance. he's better off replacing the stick and throwing in two new ones.

Quote:

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Memory Installed 1 GB
Maximum allowed 4 GB* (4 x 1 GB)

*Actual available memory may be less
Speed supported PC-3200 MB/sec
Type 184 pin, DDR SDRAMMemory Installed 1 GB
Maximum allowed 4 GB* (4 x 1 GB)

*Actual available memory may be less
Speed supported PC-3200 MB/sec
Type 184 pin, DDR SDRAM

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No DDR2.

@PSU:
Hp won't tell, so you need to check by opening your box.
They probably do not even have a dedicated choice of a PSU rather than putting in the cheapest they can get their hands one.

I would suspect it being in the 150 - 200 W range.

@corasked:
Your advice might be well meant, but upgrading that PC is going to cost him and he won't get much out of it.
If he replaces the CPU, the RAM, the PSU and gets a gfx card, the mainboard is going to be holding him back massively and his build is going to cost him extra for weak performance.
Compared to getting a whole new setup for a little more that is actually worth the money; it is simply not worth it.