Recommend a Decent PC Build for D3?

[zzzz24]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently using an old 2006 Intel Dual Core Pentium D 2.8 ghz. I have 4 gigs of ram and a radeon 3400 graphics card.
The PC is fine for regular internet browsing, but I would like to be able to play D3. I downloaded the beta and it was quite choppy on low settings.

Is there anything I can do to upgrade this PC or is it best to just start from scratch? Ideally, I would like to be able to play D3 on max settings, but I assume I would need a new PC for that.

Thanks!

[scar]

You could probably get away with just buying a new videocard something like a hd6850 which can be found for 110$-150$ and run the game max settings without a hitch, the game isn't cpu intensive at all.

[cloakster]

Your are at the minimum system requirements for the CPU, so even with a better video card, there is no guarantee for how it will run.

[JasonCao]

i dont think the motherboard he have got any pci-e 2.0 x16, so he have to upgrade

[OctaneChicken]

I just upgraded a PC with a E6300 (Pentium D 2.8Ghz) for my son to use. I upgraded to motherboard to this (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_343&item_id=044349)(old MB was ITX and didn't have PCIx16) and picked up a 6750 (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_557_558&item_id=039129). The only other item i needed was a power supply that has the 6 pin connector for power to the graphics card. I tested the beta on that computer and it ran on the highest settings. Although I didn't try walking into a large mob of monsters yet. Maybe i'll give that a try tonight and see if there's any significant slowdown.

[OctaneChicken]

Well I went to try it this evening but no luck. The beta has ended. But from what I could remember when I was running it before, load times were ok, graphics were on high. I guess I should have turned on the FPS to see how the card was running. Nothing compared to my i7 with a 6850.

[zzzz24]

Seems like I will probably have to start from scratch, kind of seems like a waste for one game

[SLX4]

Buy a video card and probably a new power supply unless you already have a decent one. Once d3 comes out, try running it and see how the game runs. If you feel that it does not run smoothly enough at the details you want, then you'll have to do a full upgrade.

A good thread on decent deals for graphics cards:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/best-video-cards-100-250a-hd6870-140ara-gtx560ti-188ara-448-core-230ara-hd6950-230-a-961129/

[zzzz24]

How about this setup?

SSeagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 3.5IN 16MB Cache SATA3 Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 63468 $89.98 $89.98
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $77.61, source url: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC0275&vpn=ST500DM002&manufacture=Others
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$77.61 $77.61

Add NCIX EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN What's this?

Coolermaster Haf 912 Black Mid Tower ATX Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound
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In Stock 55583 $49.99 $49.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 57953 $58.29 $58.29
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $48.09, source url: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.SKILL
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$48.09 $48.09

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Intel Core i3 2120 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB
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In Stock 59192 $142.60 $142.60
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Competitor's price: $120.39, source url: http://www.hookbag.ca/product/H3C06KSV9/
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$120.39 $120.39

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PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
PC Assembly & Testing does not include servers and requires an additional 4-5 business days to ship once all parts are in stock. NCIX will install aftermarket heatsinks or pre-filled CPU liquid coolers. 1 Year Limited Warranty on installed system par
In Stock 7842 $41.09 $41.09

ASUS P8H67-M PRO/CSM REV3.0 H67 mATX LGA1155 2PCI-E16 2PCI HDMI DVI Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 59325 $114.99 $114.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $107.49, source url: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD2881&vpn=P8H67-M%20PRO/CSM%20REV%203.0&manufacture=ASUS
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$107.49 $107.49

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Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 500W ATX 12V V2.3 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 35940 $44.99 $44.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $37.95, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/207795/COOLERMASTER/RS500_PCARA3/
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$37.95 $37.95

Add NCIX EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN What's this?

XFX Radeon HD 6850 Fansink 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI Display Port HDMI PCI-E Video Card
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
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ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black
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In Stock 49597 $17.99 $17.99
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Total BEFORE Price Match $699.91
YOUR TOTAL $640.59

[cloakster]

NCIX has that ram already for a dollar less: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57953&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G%2ESkill&promoid=1058
For the PSU, spend a little extra and go with this: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60329&vpn=CMPSU-500CXV2&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1058
NCIX's weekly sales start again tonight....the price of the RAM will stay the same, but the PSU might change.

Pricematch Canadacomputers to save a $3 on the mobo: http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_722&item_id=036791

[1LuckyGuy]

What motherboard do you currently have? It might be able to support a relatively recent graphics card, cheaper than going all out with a new PC.
Also, what resolution is your monitor?

[zzzz24]

How do I tell what motherboard it is? It's an HP desktop, so I did not build it. It does have a pci express graphics card in it that I put in years ago, but there is an older version of that?

I also replaced the dvd burner last year, so I could probably salvage that too.

As I said, I tried the beta and it definitely was lagging, even on low settings. I am wondering if I put in a good graphics card, would my older cpu basically still bottleneck everything?

Monitor is 1680 x 1050, so not HD.

[cloakster]

The Corsair 500W is on sale for $45 this week: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60329&vpn=CMPSU-500CXV2&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1018

No matter what video card you add, the CPU will be very limiting and there's no guarantee if it will run D3 or not.

[zzzz24]

Ended up ordering this, which I think meets my needs:

Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM
65758 1 $79.99 $79.99
LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM
66853 1 $14.99 $14.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory
57953 1 $46.99 $46.99
Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU
67322 1 $38.88 $38.88
Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFireX SATA3 HDMI Motherboard
66936 1 $109.99 $109.99
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $92.94 $92.94
Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 500W ATX 12V V2.3 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan
35940 1 $44.99 $44.99
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $37.95 $37.95
XFX Radeon HD 6850 Fansink 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI Display Port HDMI PCI-E Video Card
63985 1 $144.99 $144.99
PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)
Electronics Recycling Fee $3.50 Per Item
Note: PC Assembly & Testing does not include servers and requires an additional 4-5 business days to ship once all parts are in stock. NCIX will install aftermarket heatsinks or pre-filled CPU liquid coolers. 1 Year Limited Warranty on installed system par
7842 1 $41.09 $41.09
Intel Core i3 2120 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB
59192 1 $142.60 $142.60
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $116.57 $116.57
Electronics Recycling Fee : $3.60
SUBTOTAL: $617.99
HST(13%): $80.34
YOUR TOTAL:
All quoted prices are in CANADIAN DOLLARS $698.33