Time to upgrade my computer!

Hey everyone, I am looking to begin playing Star Wars The Old Republic, and before the game is released, I want to upgrade my computer to the proper standard to have good FPS, and load time. Below are the motherboard and components I have currently installed. As far as budget is concerned, it is very low, and I have about maybe $3-400 to play with. I am available to consider many options within this price range, but would like to have some money saved as well. Your feedback and input would be amazing!

Motherboard - ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe (AM2+)
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+ 2.71GHz
RAM - Corsair 4GB RAM (2x 2GB sticks)
Operating System - Windows 7 Professional 32-bit

Thanks so much for your help guys!

 

I won't advise on upgrading systems as everybody's needs differ. I will point out though that graphics is an extremely important component for gaming and you haven't listed yours (or are you using on board?).

 

Guh! Forgot to list that!

Graphics Card: NVidia GeFore 9600GT

 

TomsHardware.com > Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,3018-7.html

TomsHardware.com > Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-sandy-bridge-cpu,3030-5.html

 

I don't understand this...

 

From the swtor website:

Your system seems to have adequate specs. wildfire and SpywareDr mentioned the graphics, games are mainly dependent on the graphics adapter.

Note that if your system was originally built with a somewhat "balanced" hardware system, then you drop in a massive graphics adapter, the rest of your system could get stressed. The graphics are run through the motherboard chipset. The CPU is involved, as is the system RAM.

Can you turn off or reduce programs running in the background? I have minimal programs loaded during games (I have minimal programs loaded anyway ).

The game probably doesn't have much higher hardware requirements than previous versions. You need to provide a system that can run it adequately. If your system meets the requirements, you might want to save your money towards your next computer. You could run a minimal system, that might mean having low background programs, or reducing the "pretty" parts of the game by reducing the settings in it's Options. "Live with it" until your you can afford a new computer?

Matt

 

I would get 64-bit Windows even if only getting 4Gb of RAM. That said, I would get 8Gb of RAM.

 

I plan on getting a new processor for the game, as I have come to the conclusion that my processor may be the problem. I think that if I boost the processor from the 'workstation processor' that I have to an actual gaming processor, the other parts that are with it may work more efficiently. I feel like my machine is working too hard because of the CPU that I currently have.

I plan on purchasing an: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

With the 4Gb of Ram that I already have, and the limited budget that I have, I think this will do be well until I can build a new rig that will last me another 3 years like this one faithfully has. I think for now to just improve on what I have will be more cost efficient. Would any of you recommend that I get some additional ram at all just to be on the safe side, like another 4gb stick? I would love more advice on how to upgrade the MotherBrain (Computer's name) if you can. I would really appreciate it folks!

 

There's no such thing as "gaming" processors. They are just processors. It is how they are used (motherboard, RAM, OS and programs) that determines their function. If it says "gaming" on the box, that is just marketing "fluff ".

I would not spend money on a new CPU now if planning on building a new system in the near future. There is no guarantee the CPU will be compatible with the new motherboard.

As repeatedly suggested above, graphics is critical in today's graphics oriented world. While the 9600GT is a nice GPU, you did not tell us which card you have. Many 9600GT cards came with only 512MB of RAM. Your best bang for the money, while ensuring future-proofing (because PCIe is not going away anytime soon), is to get a better graphics card.

I know I said more RAM above but I take that back. Your motherboard only supports DDR2. Your future motherboard will (or better!) support DDR3. So buying RAM now would be a waste as you will not be able to carry it over to a new build.