Hey guys,
So I'm still rocking the old Dell XPS 400 and am thinking about upgrading to something that'll run TOR a bit smoother. I'd like to keep some of the parts I've put it in it:
I put some ram in it (honestly I can't remember how much and it's down at my apartment, but ram is cheap. someone will make a joke of that)
I also have:
I'm just toying with the idea, but do you guys think anything is worth keeping or start fresh or *shrug*
I'm fairly poor, but got some cash today, and feel like I'm mostly held back by the XPS 400's processor. I don't need it to "smoke" but I want to play TOR well.
Thanks!
Well the Motherboard is going to be the limiting factor. You can't drop the latest processors in it because it's not compatible. The XPS 400 used an Intel LGA775 processor socket. Unfortunately Dell doesn't go into exact detail on chipsets so I can't tell you upfront what processors would be compatible.
Tell ya what, download Sandra Lite HERE (the free one) and run it on your computer. Look at the Motherboard screen and post what the exact processor you have is and what the North and South bridge chips are under the Chipset. Then we can give you a more definitive answer.
Sorry I should've been a little more clear:
I'd be scrapping the XPS 400 and wondering if it'd be cheaper/effective to use some of the components on a barebones system or to just buy something new. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Your GTX260 should be fine for TOR. I'm sporting a GTS250 and it played the beta's with ease. The power supply in that particular box is completely inadequate. Though I wouldn't trust that you can pull the Dell powersupply out and reuse it. Dell has been known in the past to use a variant pin out on their motherboard power slots. I don't know if they're still doing that but it was done in the past.
Other than that $50 for 4GB of memory, and an operating system and your up and running. You should be able to pull the optical drives out the Dell. The 3.3Ghz i3 is plenty to run TOR smoothly. Tomshardware.com did some tests and found that any recent dual core over 2Ghz is capable of running the game fine.
Good to hear! Actually the 650w power supply isn't from Dell-I replaced it a few years back, so I'd take that out.
I'm basically looking over Tigerdirect's barebones section: here
Anything else stand out to you BKG? Or whomever else would like to chime in?
Very much appreciated!
I would consider This.
The Proc is not quite as fast at 2.6Ghz though it's a 6 core instead of 2 core. The bundle gives you memory, a DVDRW, and a 60GB SSD drive! Replace the PS with your 650 watt and drop the GTX260 in there. You can also move your existing HD/s over for storage. Just put the OS and TOR on the SSD drive.
Brian I pulled the trigger and ordered that. I've got Win 7 32 and 64 bit back at my apartment. I'm slightly embarrassed to say I don't know the difference, just that 64-bit can support more RAM.
Should I install the 64-bit on this SSD?
After some more research from Brian and myself, turns out that SSD they include is a real lemon! Luckily I was able to return only that component and keep the rest. My current HDs will work just fine until HD prices go down as factories recover from the floods in Thailand.
New parts should be here this week!
All built and rocking ~50fps in TOR. Thank you again Brian!
Also added two 120mm fans---glad it's cool, but damn this thing is loud. I'll get used to it.
Didn't get used to it, haha. Took those fans back and ordered 2 new ones from Newegg that rock and are whisper-quiet. Also got a little stand for the tower so it's off the ground sucking in cold air.
Wise choice.
