Should I upgrade my CPU?

J

jziese

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Jan 14, 2012
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Hello,

I'm used to console gaming, but I wanted to play Star Wars: The Old Republic for the PC. I bought it, only to realize that my CPU isn't fast enough to handle the game. I was on a budget when I bought this PC, and I have a Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E6700 @ 3.20GHz. Apparently, I need an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0 GHz or better. My chip socket is a LGA775, (which I was discouraged to find out is rather out of date). Are there any consumer processors out there that would work well?

Thanks much, y'all.
 
With a decent video card you should be able to play no problem. Look for a nvidia gtx560 or gtx570 , I'm sure ati has something to offer as well.
Now if you want to upgrade your whole pc that would cost significantly more.
 
you should try to find a used Q9550

the cpus are hard to find new your only hope is to look in the forsale section.
 
From the sounds of it, this is a OEM computer, which you will need to find out what CPU's the borad supports, also what rez you game at matters, and the fact you have no GPU really hurts you. Also of note, your CPU meets the requirements you listed, however, as stated, the lack of a GPU is killing you, however, most OEM computers do not have a PSU that can support a GPU of any real power. But, even a low end GPU would help you out more than a CPU upgrade of any kind.
 
the core 2 duo chips are also socket 775 I do believe.
have you actually tried to play the game? unless its refusing to start or runs like complete crap, system "requirements" are not always set in stone.
 
Your E6700 essentially is a Core2Duo.

Less cache than a "Core 2 Duo"-branded chip, but the same otherwise. 3.2GHz 2MB L2 > 2.0GHz 6MB L2

I don't know anything about SWTOR other than one of my co-workers is content playing it on a E6750 @ 3.2GHz with a GTX 260 216sp
 
Aaron_ATX said:
the core 2 duo chips are also socket 775 I do believe.
have you actually tried to play the game? unless its refusing to start or runs like complete crap, system "requirements" are not always set in stone.
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I would be willing to bet it will not play at all really, as it sounds like he has a white box system, and no GPU. So frame rates will be so low it will be pointless.

Also, OP, you might want to take a look at this:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=3898
 
I have tried to play the game, and it's ridiculously choppy. It loads, certainly, but it goes at about 2 FPS. So what y'all are saying is that my CPU is sufficient (though not optimal) to handle the game, but I'd need a better graphics card, which would subsequently require a different power supply? It's a straight-out-of-the-box Dell. (I'm not a big computer hardware junkie, so I've been just stabbing in the dark a bit).
 
jziese said:
I have tried to play the game, and it's ridiculously choppy. It loads, certainly, but it goes at about 2 FPS. So what y'all are saying is that my CPU is sufficient (though not optimal) to handle the game, but I'd need a better graphics card, which would subsequently require a different power supply? It's a straight-out-of-the-box Dell. (I'm not a big computer hardware junkie, so I've been just stabbing in the dark a bit).
Click to expand...

From what the list on the other forum says, the cpu should handle it just fine, it's kind of upper middle of the pack for dual cores, its the lack of gpu thats killing everything. You will need to open the case and look at the PSU and see what kind of power its rated for and what your system is pulling, most OEM PSU's have the bulk of the amps on the 5v rail, while a GPU will need more power on the 12v rail. If it supports enough, you might be able to fit a small GPU in the power output, but its not going to support the cards someone else suggested, like the 560 etc, that will need a new PSU for sure.
 
Oh, yes, I agree entirely now. Probably using the integrated video card....yeah, thats typically not good for any gaming, unless you like torturing yourself.

You may be able to get away without needing a new psu depending on the card you buy. Need more info on the powersupply you have currently.
 
Power supply, according to the owner's manual:

Wattage 300 W
Maximum heat dissipation 1574 BTU/hr
Input voltage 115/230 VAC
Input frequency 50/60 Hz
Rated output current 7/4

That help?
 
need to get the information off the powersupply itself. It should list things like 12v 5v 3v and give amp numbers. However, being that it is a 300w dell unit, its not looking so good :(
 
300w is not TO bad, you can run a low end card on that, as the rest of the system does not pull much power, however watts alone is not enough, you need to know how many amps are on each rail, the more on the 12v rail the better, this will be listed on a sticker on the side of the PSU, take the side of the case off and look, or take a photo and post it, that will be much more help to members here than just wattage. I would suggest a PSU like the corsair 430W they have a MIR on right now, with MIR its like 25 bucks and would open up allot more GPU options, like buying a used 460 off someone on the forums here etc, which would play SW quite well.
 
Aaron_ATX said:
need to get the information off the powersupply itself. It should list things like 12v 5v 3v and give amp numbers. However, being that it is a 300w dell unit, its not looking so good :(
Click to expand...

You need to change that PSU to add any descent graphics card in your system.
 
Rody said:
With a decent video card you should be able to play no problem. Look for a nvidia gtx560 or gtx570 , I'm sure ati has something to offer as well.
Now if you want to upgrade your whole pc that would cost significantly more.
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You can find very cheap and great used hardware from Amazon, even from official amazon retailers.

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Just a warning on jimmy-rigging parts into an old Dell... I've done this a few times with some old Dell's and run into weird issues due to the fact that they tend to do some weird customized stuff for their own boxes. Take a look inside the case before you start buying parts to see if it even seems feasible to change out the parts you want to.
 
Since it sounds like you are not a power user like most of the people here I would recommed leaving the processor you have. Get a good GPU like 560TI / or HD 6950 hell even a 6750 and that will make a world of difference. Save a lot unless you want to get a new board/chip/graphics card then let us know and the recommendations will really start to fly in fast.
 
I would recommend a i3-2100 as I used the same chip to build a rig for my sister. It is less than $120 and might be able to get a steal for $100 on one. It's a really good gaming chip for the price.
 
matrix2000x2 said:
I would recommend a i3-2100 as I used the same chip to build a rig for my sister. It is less than $120 and might be able to get a steal for $100 on one. It's a really good gaming chip for the price.
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Except for the fact a CPU upgrade would do him little to no good, and he has a LGA775 system and the i3 is a 1155 socket, which would mean getting a new motherboard and ram on top of it all, for no reason at all, when he could pick up a $100 or under GPU and see gains far greater than any CPU would give.
 
like other have written, get a new video card (GTS 450 or Radeon 5770 or better) and a power supply and at least 4gb RAM and i bet your Dell CPU will handle SWtOR just fine. it's not one of the more hardware demanding games.
 
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