I'm a bit of a computer idiot.

I currently have an ASUS AX800 series video card backed by a pentium 4 cpu, 3.0 GHz, 2.99 GHz, 2.0 gb of RAM system.

From what I've heard running Age of Conan is going to be a bit of a problem for me. I've shopped a bit for some new stuff, but I'm thinking a whole new syetem may be the way to go.

So my question is: Can someone either build me a new system online that I can take a look at and buy, or offer me a few ideas on upgrades so I can save some cash and still keep a few parts.

My spending limit is anywhere from 700 to 1000 dollars.

Thanks =D

Hello Etaywah,

700-1000 dollars is a nice budget, even if you build 100% from scratch. If you can reuse your case, dvd burner, and/or floppy drive, you will be in even better shape.

The question is, are you comfortable with building a system yourself? You can get a great machine if you do it yourself for that kind of money. If you buy an already built system, it's going to cost a good bit more for equivalent specs.

If you're going to attempt to put together your own system, Newegg.com is the place to go and I can give you some good ideas for a place to start. In fact, I just built a solid machine for my brother for 600 dollars. It's built from scratch (only reusing his DVD burner). It is a dual core Athlon 64 5900+ 2.9ghz, Biostar A770 motherboard, BFG 8800GT, 2 gigs DDR2 1066 mhz, 160 gig SATA hard drive.

If you compare that to something at Best Buy say, you'll spend 1500 dollars and still not have as good specs. But building a computer can be pretty challenging if you're not experienced. Troubleshooting problems can be a pretty daunting task.

I would definitely recommend a new setup over that machine however. You'll be replacing the entire inside of the computer if you chose to upgrade anyways.

Here is the recommended specs for the Age of Conan:

OS: Windows XP SP 2 or Windows Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent
RAM: 2048MB Dual Channel DDR2
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or equivalent
Video memory: 512MB
DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive
HARD DRIVE SPACE: 30GB

Well is my processor worth keeping? I have a new DvD burner, brand new kingston ram and a brand new 19" viewsonic monitor, so I'm wondering if maybe I should set my spending limit at 500 dollars and let you just pick me out a new processor and a new video card and maybe a new hard drive.

Just give me a shopping list, my cousin whom is also my office's IT guy is suggesting anything 256MB+ NVIDIA, and a possible processor upgrade, I'll probably wind up buying more RAM, as well. Just tell me what you think I should do for 500-600 bucks and I'll do it.

Edit: Considering the post above - since the recomended is 2.4ghz processor speed and I have 3.0, should I just get a new badass video card?

I'm thinking either -

Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXOCE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

or

Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-N809-AR GeForce 8800GT AKIMBO 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Obviously the BFG seems to have slightly better specs but I can save 100 bucks with the latter. Any suggestions?

As far as your CPU, I doubt you can put anything much better in. So you can just stick with putting a new video card in and see how that does.

You'll need a 500 watt or better PSU as well. Your PSU also needs to have a 6-pin PCI-Express power cord. If you don't have one, try to find out if the video card you buy will have a molex -> 6-pin adapter. If not you'll have to buy one.

As far as video card, the GTX isn't worth the money. In fact, the 8800 GT outperforms it in most of the reviews I've seen. You don't need a 1 gigabyte version either. Save money and get a 512 meg version of the 8800gt. I'd recommend this one - Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGE88512GTOCE GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards It's $179 and has a 30 dollar mail in rebate.

The amount of memory your video card has only affects the resolution. The more megs, the higher the resolution you can play at with less frame rate loss. With a 19" monitor, you're not going to need a super high res. 1280 x 1024 should work well and 512 megs is plenty for that resolution.

As far as a hard drive, there isn't much to really worry about. Just keep an eye on the reviews and get one that fits your storage requirement. I usually recommend Seagate or Western Digital. Seagate has a 5 year warranty. That's pretty nice.

Hope that helps!

Another thing to note is your CPU and memory speed will be a big issue. Since you have a 3 ghz P4, you probably have DDR 2100 or 2700. Slower memory speed is going to be a big drag on newer games. Especially MMOs. If you want a faster cpu and memory, you need a new motherboard. You won't be able to do it with your current board.

Again, you can just start with the video card and see how it does. It may keep you satisfied for the time being. But if you really want the game to run like a champ, a new motherboard, cpu, memory, video card is obviously the recommended choice.