[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

coastie65, on 15 January 2012 - 05:16 AM, said:

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 14 January 2012 - 05:52 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 14 January 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

What's your PSU brand (probably Lite-ON), wattage, and 12V rail? You will likely need a better cpu, maybe a phenom x4, and for the gpu, something like an ati 6770 or nvidia geforce 550ti (which I have) should be good enough for a lot of games at 1920x1080. (the 6770 is about $110, the 550ti is about $130) You will need at least a 400W PSU to run either of those.

where/how do i find those information you just mentioned? i just went to canyourunit.com to check my pc specs.

thanks for the reply!

Hi, The information for the Power Supply would be on a label on that. Just take the cover off and the power supply will be at the top / rear with all the wires coming out of it. I suspect it is a 300w Lite-On. Look for a label on the back or side of the case for the Model number of the computer.


@ Brian, the MOBO specs are readily available with what he has given us. Unfortunately the p6000 used both an AMD socketed MOBO and Intel ( Socket 775 ) and we don't know which one it is. The worst thing is that it is a maximum of 4 Gb of DDR2 Memory. The 4 Gb is fine, but the DDR2, with the narrower bandwidth, will bottleneck things.

i only found my model number: p6604f
thanks for the reply!

[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

ElfBane, on 15 January 2012 - 04:14 AM, said:

If we're talking new CPU, PSU and video card... then you may as well get a whole new PC.
A Win7 x64 machine w/8GB RAM and a modern video card will be a dream.

i just bought mine a year ago. is it outdated already?
thanks for the reply!

[LiveBrianD]

You have a 250W power supply (that's all I could find on HP's site), which is definitely not enough for a dedicated card. I have a seasonic S12II 520W, which costs about $60 and it pretty quiet. I'd recommend it, and for most single GPUs it's enough. You have a PCIe x16 slot. You might want to look into a Sapphire Radeon 6770 or an EVGA Geforce 550ti. The 550ti costs more, but I find nvidia's drivers to work better with some things than ati's.

For the CPU:Max TDP: 95WMotherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
NOTE:Only Socket AM3 processors are supported with this motherboard.
AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core)AMD Phenom II X4 9xx/9xxe/8xx Quad-Core (Deneb core)
AMD Phenom II X3 7xx/7xxe Triple-Core (Heka core)
AMD Phenom II X2 5xx (Callisto core)
AMD Athlon X4 6xx/6xxe (Propus)
AMD Athlon X3 4xx/4xxe (Rana)
AMD Athlon X2 2xx/2xxe (Regor)
AMD Sempron Single Core 1xx (Sargas core)

Note the max TDP they mentioned. I'd look at something like this: AMD Phenom II X4 960T

[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

LiveBrianD, on 16 January 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

You have a 250W power supply (that's all I could find on HP's site), which is definitely not enough for a dedicated card. I have a seasonic S12II 520W, which costs about $60 and it pretty quiet. I'd recommend it, and for most single GPUs it's enough. You have a PCIe x16 slot. You might want to look into a Sapphire Radeon 6770 or an EVGA Geforce 550ti. The 550ti costs more, but I find nvidia's drivers to work better with some things than ati's.

For the CPU:Max TDP: 95WMotherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
NOTE:Only Socket AM3 processors are supported with this motherboard.
AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core)AMD Phenom II X4 9xx/9xxe/8xx Quad-Core (Deneb core)
AMD Phenom II X3 7xx/7xxe Triple-Core (Heka core)
AMD Phenom II X2 5xx (Callisto core)
AMD Athlon X4 6xx/6xxe (Propus)
AMD Athlon X3 4xx/4xxe (Rana)
AMD Athlon X2 2xx/2xxe (Regor)
AMD Sempron Single Core 1xx (Sargas core)

Note the max TDP they mentioned. I'd look at something like this: AMD Phenom II X4 960T

will i be able to play the game smoothly at max settings?
thanks for the reply!

[waldojim]

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 16 January 2012 - 07:25 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 16 January 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

You have a 250W power supply (that's all I could find on HP's site), which is definitely not enough for a dedicated card. I have a seasonic S12II 520W, which costs about $60 and it pretty quiet. I'd recommend it, and for most single GPUs it's enough. You have a PCIe x16 slot. You might want to look into a Sapphire Radeon 6770 or an EVGA Geforce 550ti. The 550ti costs more, but I find nvidia's drivers to work better with some things than ati's.

For the CPU:Max TDP: 95WMotherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
NOTE:Only Socket AM3 processors are supported with this motherboard.
AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core)AMD Phenom II X4 9xx/9xxe/8xx Quad-Core (Deneb core)
AMD Phenom II X3 7xx/7xxe Triple-Core (Heka core)
AMD Phenom II X2 5xx (Callisto core)
AMD Athlon X4 6xx/6xxe (Propus)
AMD Athlon X3 4xx/4xxe (Rana)
AMD Athlon X2 2xx/2xxe (Regor)
AMD Sempron Single Core 1xx (Sargas core)

Note the max TDP they mentioned. I'd look at something like this: AMD Phenom II X4 960T

will i be able to play the game smoothly at max settings?
thanks for the reply!

Skyrim and a 6770, no. I have both the cards that he listed, and no - they cannot run Skyrim with max quality @ 1080p. You can get close, but not quite.

You really need a 560Ti or 6870 to get there. The Phenom II X4 960 is a good choice in processor as well.

[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

waldojim, on 16 January 2012 - 07:29 PM, said:

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 16 January 2012 - 07:25 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 16 January 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

You have a 250W power supply (that's all I could find on HP's site), which is definitely not enough for a dedicated card. I have a seasonic S12II 520W, which costs about $60 and it pretty quiet. I'd recommend it, and for most single GPUs it's enough. You have a PCIe x16 slot. You might want to look into a Sapphire Radeon 6770 or an EVGA Geforce 550ti. The 550ti costs more, but I find nvidia's drivers to work better with some things than ati's.

For the CPU:Max TDP: 95WMotherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
NOTE:Only Socket AM3 processors are supported with this motherboard.
AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core)AMD Phenom II X4 9xx/9xxe/8xx Quad-Core (Deneb core)
AMD Phenom II X3 7xx/7xxe Triple-Core (Heka core)
AMD Phenom II X2 5xx (Callisto core)
AMD Athlon X4 6xx/6xxe (Propus)
AMD Athlon X3 4xx/4xxe (Rana)
AMD Athlon X2 2xx/2xxe (Regor)
AMD Sempron Single Core 1xx (Sargas core)

Note the max TDP they mentioned. I'd look at something like this: AMD Phenom II X4 960T

will i be able to play the game smoothly at max settings?
thanks for the reply!

Skyrim and a 6770, no. I have both the cards that he listed, and no - they cannot run Skyrim with max quality @ 1080p. You can get close, but not quite.

You really need a 560Ti or 6870 to get there. The Phenom II X4 960 is a good choice in processor as well.

based on what you guys said,i think ill buy Phenom II X4 960T, EVGA Geforce 550ti. i also need to change my power supply to seasonic S12II 520W, right?

[LiveBrianD]

As waldojim said, the 560ti is a bit more powerful, but it also costs quite a bit more. If you're not willing to spend the extra money and are willing to tone down the details in games a little bit, the 550ti is fine (remember that you can always overclock it with a tool like MSI Afterburner). Yes, go with the Phenom II X4 960T, and the Seasonic S12II 520W (you can run a geforce 570 or 2 550tis on this, so I'm not putting all that much load on it with one 550ti here).

[waldojim]

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 16 January 2012 - 08:56 PM, said:

based on what you guys said,i think ill buy Phenom II X4 960T, EVGA Geforce 550ti. i also need to change my power supply to seasonic S12II 520W, right?

It doesn't have to be Seasonic, but a solid power supply is a must. For most people who don't need a whole lot, I suggest the Antec EarthWatts 380. It provides plenty of power for the 550Ti and 960T, and is fairly cheap. Other options are out there though. Just don't buy a cheapo power supply that looks too good to be true.

[BLuRR]

Hello Alfonso. I am sure you are already going in a better direction with help from the guys and gals here. I am a little late to the party but I am an AVID Diablo fan and I am chomping at the bit for Diablo 3.

I have seen that EXACT computer setup at Costco (not sure where your source is though) and it should run Diablo though im not sure about Skyrim BUTTTT my thinking is you will have to play it on low graphics settings. That computer is basically a Windows Professional setup (IE Word, Excel, Microsoft Professional software) and not really for gaming.

Gaming stresses your Graphics Card and Central Processing Unit or CPU (basically, the brains of the computer) and that computer that you first posted will not handle that well or for very long IMO.

I am not sure if your upgrading a rig or building your first one but I would suggest something better. AMD with about 3.0 GHz and a graphics card from 2007-2008 or Intel with about 2.8 and a graphics card from 2007-08 should run Diablo BUT again you will NOT get the best, you will get low to medium settings. Anything 2009+ will handle Diablo on medium to MAYBE high (if you get really new components)

For reference Diablo runs about the same as Starcraft2 (which I own) graphics wise and stress wise. Their engines were both started about the same time Diablo 3 is just taking forever.

Feel free to ask me anything or for you or any of these guys to correct me if I am wrong. I will see the message in my inbox and reply.

Also, for everyone commenting here is a list of graphics cards that will run Diablo 3: http://diablo.incgam...ted-Video-Cards

The ones higher to the top can run the game on LOW settings, the middle of the list can run on MEDIUM and the bottom of the list can run it on HIGH/ULTRA.

Again, similar to SC2 if your a Blizzzrd fanboy like me.

Hope that helps

Late Edit: Skyrims engine is a custom engine they made just for that game. That game is more stressful on your computer (especially for long time periods) than Diablo ever would be. I would suggest a graphics card from 2009 at least (or later) and an Intel CPU with 3.0 GHz or an AMD with 3.3.

Sorry for the general explinations of things, not sure how familair you are with computers or games, just trying to make it easier to read and for others to contribute.

This post has been edited by BLuRR: 17 January 2012 - 06:28 AM

[coastie65]

Hey BLuRR, they kinda screwed up with that engine too. had a problem with the PS3 version at the 30 hour mark where it started lagging. Fortunately, I got the PC version, although I got the PS3 version for my Nephew at Christmas. I got the Diablo Battle Chest way back when and was never able to play Diablo II although I could play the expansion.

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 17 January 2012 - 03:49 AM, said:

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 16 January 2012 - 08:56 PM, said:

based on what you guys said,i think ill buy Phenom II X4 960T, EVGA Geforce 550ti. i also need to change my power supply to seasonic S12II 520W, right?

It doesn't have to be Seasonic, but a solid power supply is a must. For most people who don't need a whole lot, I suggest the Antec EarthWatts 380. It provides plenty of power for the 550Ti and 960T, and is fairly cheap. Other options are out there though. Just don't buy a cheapo power supply that looks too good to be true.

The only thing is that the Earthwatts 380 won't leave you with much upgrade room.

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 17 January 2012 - 01:19 PM, said:

The only thing is that the Earthwatts 380 won't leave you with much upgrade room.

Not everyone feels the need to go SLI or Crossfire.

The EarthWatts 380 will take on any performance card out there. Just not the enthusiast level cards. Even in 5 years, should the op decide to move on to a new performance level card, the 380 should prove more than adequate - assuming ATX specs don't change.

[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

BLuRR, on 17 January 2012 - 06:25 AM, said:

Hello Alfonso. I am sure you are already going in a better direction with help from the guys and gals here. I am a little late to the party but I am an AVID Diablo fan and I am chomping at the bit for Diablo 3.

I have seen that EXACT computer setup at Costco (not sure where your source is though) and it should run Diablo though im not sure about Skyrim BUTTTT my thinking is you will have to play it on low graphics settings. That computer is basically a Windows Professional setup (IE Word, Excel, Microsoft Professional software) and not really for gaming.

Gaming stresses your Graphics Card and Central Processing Unit or CPU (basically, the brains of the computer) and that computer that you first posted will not handle that well or for very long IMO.

I am not sure if your upgrading a rig or building your first one but I would suggest something better. AMD with about 3.0 GHz and a graphics card from 2007-2008 or Intel with about 2.8 and a graphics card from 2007-08 should run Diablo BUT again you will NOT get the best, you will get low to medium settings. Anything 2009+ will handle Diablo on medium to MAYBE high (if you get really new components)

For reference Diablo runs about the same as Starcraft2 (which I own) graphics wise and stress wise. Their engines were both started about the same time Diablo 3 is just taking forever.

Feel free to ask me anything or for you or any of these guys to correct me if I am wrong. I will see the message in my inbox and reply.

Also, for everyone commenting here is a list of graphics cards that will run Diablo 3: http://diablo.incgam...ted-Video-Cards

The ones higher to the top can run the game on LOW settings, the middle of the list can run on MEDIUM and the bottom of the list can run it on HIGH/ULTRA.

Again, similar to SC2 if your a Blizzzrd fanboy like me.

Hope that helps

Late Edit: Skyrims engine is a custom engine they made just for that game. That game is more stressful on your computer (especially for long time periods) than Diablo ever would be. I would suggest a graphics card from 2009 at least (or later) and an Intel CPU with 3.0 GHz or an AMD with 3.3.

Sorry for the general explinations of things, not sure how familair you are with computers or games, just trying to make it easier to read and for others to contribute.

im not really familiar with computers.

[BLuRR]

coastie65, on 17 January 2012 - 06:58 AM, said:

Hey BLuRR, they kinda screwed up with that engine too. had a problem with the PS3 version at the 30 hour mark where it started lagging. Fortunately, I got the PC version, although I got the PS3 version for my Nephew at Christmas. I got the Diablo Battle Chest way back when and was never able to play Diablo II although I could play the expansion.

Whud up Coastie. Yeah the engine has had its flaws, and they released it too early IMO. They had to patch so many things, I can remember all the Skyrim fail videos when the game first opened up. Things like flying horses, horses getting stuck in the ground, no physics when hit by a giant, infinite dragon spawns ectera. But that is a great game nonetheless and with the patches it should be fine now, seems like the number of fail videos have gone down. Or people finally figured the game out.

Also FYI Skyrimmers there is a mod being worked on where you can see and talk to other players on Skyrim on your screen, only they appear as naked characters. Would be nice if they fixed this so you an see them with full gear.

This post has been edited by BLuRR: 18 January 2012 - 05:27 AM

[BLuRR]

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

This post has been edited by BLuRR: 18 January 2012 - 05:30 AM

[AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo]

BLuRR, on 18 January 2012 - 05:29 AM, said:

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

hmmm i cant really decide on what power supply and video card to buy. but ill definitely get the Phenom II X4 960T unless you could recommend something cheaper and/or better.
i was confused on what you said about the 2007-2008 2009+ models...
thanks for the reply!!

This post has been edited by AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo: 18 January 2012 - 11:47 AM

[coastie65]

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 18 January 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

BLuRR, on 18 January 2012 - 05:29 AM, said:

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

hmmm i cant really decide on what power supply and video card to buy. but ill definitely get the Phenom II X4 960T unless you could recommend something cheaper and/or better.
i was confused on what you said about the 2007-2008 2009+ models...
thanks for the reply!!

I would take a look at this processor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103808

[waldojim]

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 18 January 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

BLuRR, on 18 January 2012 - 05:29 AM, said:

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

hmmm i cant really decide on what power supply and video card to buy. but ill definitely get the Phenom II X4 960T unless you could recommend something cheaper and/or better.
i was confused on what you said about the 2007-2008 2009+ models...
thanks for the reply!!

That wasn't meant to make sense apparently...

If you go 550Ti or better from Nvidia, or AMD 6770 or better, you can play at 1080P with most quality options turned on. TO get the most out of your system, I would still recommend the 6870 or better, or the 560Ti or better.

As for a powersupply, look for a 350 to about 500 watt power supply from Antec (earthwatts or HCG series), Seasonsic, PC Power and Cooling, Corsair (TX, AX, or HX series), or SilverStone.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 18 January 2012 - 12:07 PM

[LiveBrianD]

coastie65, on 18 January 2012 - 11:55 AM, said:

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 18 January 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

BLuRR, on 18 January 2012 - 05:29 AM, said:

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

hmmm i cant really decide on what power supply and video card to buy. but ill definitely get the Phenom II X4 960T unless you could recommend something cheaper and/or better.
i was confused on what you said about the 2007-2008 2009+ models...
thanks for the reply!!

I would take a look at this processor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103808

That's out of stock and has an 125W TDP (HP says to limit it to 95W).

[BLuRR]

AlfonsoThaddeusCorrelo, on 18 January 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

BLuRR, on 18 January 2012 - 05:29 AM, said:

Quote

im not really familiar with computers.

Alfonso if I may, are you a Blizzard fan? Do you have any more questions? I have been a Blizzard gamer since 2000 so I have quite a library of knowledge of them and their games if you need to know. Any other computer questions?

hmmm i cant really decide on what power supply and video card to buy. but ill definitely get the Phenom II X4 960T unless you could recommend something cheaper and/or better.
i was confused on what you said about the 2007-2008 2009+ models...
thanks for the reply!!

OK haha. All I meant is look at the manufacturing date of the models (simple google search) and make sure the graphics card was released to the public after 2007 if you want to play Diablo IMO. I would say any graphics card from about 2009 should do Skyrim as well. The simplification was posted by Waldo:

"If you go 550Ti or better from Nvidia, or AMD 6770 or better, you can play at 1080P with most quality options turned on. TO get the most out of your system, I would still recommend the 6870 or better, or the 560Ti or better." <---This is what I was trying to convey.

Also, the list of graphics cards I posted was pretty big and if you went looking through there I didn't want you to end up picking an older card and being dis-satisfied just because it can run Diablo 3. You will need a mid range card (Price point of $120-$200 - depending on your budget) For Skyrim.

You don't want to go with an older graphics card if you are going to be playing games from 2011-12. Especially Skyrim. Also you might also wanna future proof yourself if you want other games that release this year...there are a TON coming out. I am sure we all will!

Coastie Suggested the AMD 955 and I would say that is a great idea along with the 975 as well. Those were my general choices for AMD as I was looking into an AMD build myself. Links to those:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103923
^975

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103808
^955

"Black Edition" means Unlocked, if you plan on overclocking.

Basically, AMD and Intel compete and the "newest" AMD model CPU is called "Bulldozer." They were just released last year...continuing on...

You might want to look at the new AM3+ "Bulldozer" Processors if they ever got their BIOS fixed I know they were not performing well when they first came out last fall, not sure if there is any improvement there. Links:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103996

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103962