Heyo,

So my computer is... old. I bought it maybe five years ago, so you know what that means: Windows Vista.

Anyways, at the time, it was great for gaming on City of Heroes. But now, not so much, especially with all the new graphics. I lag like Hell and feel pretty useless on trials as a result. Hello, tank dying because she can't run through a door? So lame. The problem is I don't have a lot of money. Public service is not where the big bucks are, so I don't have the money to really buy a whole new computer (unless I can somehow convince my parents they should get me a birthday gift this year, but that isn't until MAY!) So, I need some help. Is it cheaper to get a whole new CPU (I would just keep the monitor, speakers, etc.) or try to upgrade? Can I even do that with a processor?

Here is what I have:

Windows Vista Home Premium
ADM Athlon Dual Core Processor 4850e
3.00 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9300 GE

Honestly, I haven't really had problems with Vista. I would like to just get a whole new computer, but I need to do a lot of pricing. Thoughts? Suggestions? Recommendations for places to go on a budget?

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You MAY be able to salvage the RAM, but depending on what motherboard you have, you may not be able to upgrade the CPU to a newer version (mainly because newer CPUs have different pin layouts). It may be time to just get a new computer.

I'd say that if you know how to build computers from the ground up, buy a DIY computer kit from an online place such as NewEgg or Tiger Direct and then buy a good video card and power supply (at least 600 Watts; DIY kits tend to cheap out on the power supply wattage and higher end video cards use a good amount of power). These kits come with RAM, CPU, motherboard, a hard drive and a case; some also come with a video card, but it tends to be a budget card which MAY have you running CoH Ultra mode at the lowest settings. I bought a quad-core kit with 4GB DDR2 RAM, 1.5 TB SATA II hard drive for $300, got an NVidia GTS 450 1GB GDDR5 video card for $120, found a 650 watt power supply at Fry's Electronics for $30 and bought a new 23" LCD monitor later for $130, all about a year ago. So I got basically a whole new system with monitor for $600. For that price (minus the monitor if you have a nice LCD monitor already) can get you a decent six-core system with DDR3 RAM and choose either a mid 500 series NVidia card or a 6000 series ATI Radeon with at least 1.5 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Ashes to ashes,
DJ Pheonyx

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DJ Pheonyx of The Cape Radio
Global Name: @Pheonyx

Thanks, Pheo! I'll check out those sites. I've never built a computer before, but my wallet would like to stick to under a grand. XD

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If you have a $1000 budget to work with, you can find a decent pre-built system at those same places. Again, you will need to upgrade the video card and power supply (since pre-builts tend to use budget/low-end video cards and cheap out on power supply also), but if that's your budget, you can get a really solid machine for under $1000.

If you buy the DIY kit, you will need to purchase one more thing: thermal paste (anywhere from $10-25). You have to put some (about the size of a grain of rice) on the top of the CPU before you install the heat sink/fan assembly on top for proper heat dissipation. This is MUST HAVE ITEM if you are doing a build from the ground up or even if you are changing CPUs.

Ashes to ashes,
DJ Pheonyx

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DJ Pheonyx of The Cape Radio
Global Name: @Pheonyx

Don't forgetto include price of Windows and other software in a do it yourself kit. By the time you are done with a Do It Yourself setip it can cost as much as a prebuilt.

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If life gives you mud..... WRESTLE!!!!
Twitter @SiliconShecky @DJ_Shecky
Blog: http://www.siliconshecky.com

I think she was going to port her Vista Home Premium over, but a new OS would be better, especially a 64 bit version since it will work better with the newer chips.

Then you have to add anywhere from $90 for Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit to $140 for Win 7 Pro 64-bit version.

Ashes to ashes,
DJ Pheonyx

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DJ Pheonyx of The Cape Radio
Global Name: @Pheonyx

I agree with Pheo. Check sites like New Egg, start with a DIY and just add on to what you want. And building a computer isn't that hard. It's literally plug and play for most of the components. All you need is a small phillips head screwdriver, good lighting and the ability to read instructions. Motherboard manuals come with all the steps on what goes where, things like Ram are notched to fit only one way. Hardest thing is making sure you have a big enough power supply (600+W) and figuring out how to make the cables fit inside.

If you want some ideas, also go check out Computer Shopper and PC Magazine, they often have DIY issues or specials showing how to do it.

I can recommend ibuypower.com as a decent site for prebuilt computers.

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http://www.asofterworld.com/index.php?id=585

Unfortunate for oems with vista , you can't port the OS without severe difficulty; if at all due to BIOS locks and no media.