Planetside computer upgrades

[ChickenLips]

Hello all, currently I'm running a P4 1.4 with 1.2 Gigs of (rambus)RAM. I have an old SoundBlaster live and a Geforce 3 video card. Currently I'm running XP Pro. My connection is via ADSL.

During beta I played Planetside in 1280X1024 with all graphic settings set pretty low as well as the clip plane and it ran very well, with almost no lag. What I would like to accomplish is getting similar performance, with higher detail settings as I'm missing alot of eye candy.

What, if anything should I upgrade my computer with to achieve this? I figured a better video card would help, but which one? There are a lot of choices out there and I'm not up to date on which is performing best at the time. Is the sound card an issue as well? Thanks!

[vawlk]

damn, and I thought my 1ghz with 640mb pc133 ran pretty well

1024x768 low detail (but max viewing distance)...can you guess my role?

[Dingo]

it depends on how much money you got. i don't think you have any probs with ram. radeon 9800 pro, 9700 pro 8500. i got the 7500 lower end deal. then there's always nvidia ti4200 and the like for under $200. check out ebay you can get good deals. also check out the sites. in 5 mins you can have a good idea of what's good. even better go to pc gamer site for comaprisons with benchmarks

[ChickenLips]

Money isn't really an issue at the moment, I'll happily spend a couple hundred or more on a card if its worth it.

[Jarlo]

I recently read up on this myself and most reviewers conclude that the current best power for $$ is the Sapphire Radeon 9500 Atlantis Pro. This sucker runs about 160-180 but has really glowing reviews and it is what I will get if/when I can convince the wife I need it.

Enjoy!

Radeon Review

[ChickenLips]

Thanks Jarlo, and as for the wife, something I was told a long time ago by my father regarding the spouce...

"its far easier to ask forgivness than to ask permission"

/bow

[Prowler]

My new computer which will be arriving this week. Should be able to run PS pretty well:

P4 3.06 GHz
2 GB of PC3500 Ram
GeForce FX 5800

If this can't run PS Full settings.........

[Kaltagesta]

sheeeeet, bro.

[SpaceDrake]

ChickenLips, the ONE thing holding you back is your processor. I use mostly the same parts (less RAM, in fact) and I'm capable of playing almost full detail, because I have a P4 2.53ghz. Just get yourself a processor upgrade and you'll be fine.

And @ Prowler: die thx

[ChickenLips]

Id love to upgrade my proc, trouble is that damned rambus RAM that came out as the "best RAM ever" and then was abandoned for its cost like 4 months later. I don't believe it's compatable with any of the newer motherboards

[SpaceDrake]

Uh, is your processor soldered to the motherboard (I.E. it's a HP/Compaq/Sony?)

If so, then you're in trouble. That processor's looking anorexic ATM, and you'll need to upgrade within the next 6 months anyhow. However, if it's not brand-name you should be able to remove it without too much trouble.

[ChickenLips]

Well Im not much of a hardware person so I have no clue, but I highly doubt it as I had this computer built a few years back as a gameing machine for half-life etc. The guy that built it used quality parts on her.

Shoot me an email if you dont mind taking the time, Id be interested into looking into this. If I can upgrade my CPU without having to buy another gig of RAM Id be very happy!

[email protected]

[bdomz]

you can definitely upgrade your CPU. Your motherboard probably uses the old socket 423 so you may need an adapter in order to use one of the newer socket 478 processors. There is a good adapter called powerleap, it might be worth checking out. Depending on your motherboard you may be able to go as high as 2.6ghz (the highest processor with a 400mhz FSB) But definitely do some research first.

[Destroyeron]

It's gonna be your processor, and if money's not a problem, get an uber graphics card. lol.

[malaphar]

i haven't played ps yet, but from my experience with current games that look better id say that your vid card is more likely to be a problem than your cpu. there are many options out there right now so its kind of a rough time to be buying a new card. i personaly am going to wait to see what some of the new benches bring to the table.

currently the fx 5900s seem to be the absolute best cards but with a price of 400 - 500.

i agree with the guy who said the ati 9500 pro is the most bang for your buck, but im personally an nvidia fan boy myself.

my problem is that i cant afford the fx but dont want to go ati until more benches come out which might make me go ahead and save for the fx 5600 or something ..... i dunno.