Require an upgrade

[SEANo]

Hey i am looking to upgrade my PC so i can play Diablo 3. i am currently runninga

INtel Core 2 CPU 6400 2.13GHZ
MOtherboard Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus
Video card Radeon HD4350
2GB Ram

i was hoping to be able to just upgrade my graphics card and if nessissary get some more RAM. can i put a HD6850 in or am i looking at a new mortherboard and processor?

[David (PassMark)]

Yes max out the MB to 8GB, and move to 64bit if you aren't already.

If you can get a cheap quad core LGA 775 CPU, like the Core 2 Quad Q9650, then a CPU upgrade might make sense.

Check your power supply rating before upgrading the video card.

[SEANo]

cheers man would you be able to recommend a graphics card for me if i was to just increase my RAM? My power supply is a 500W output

[David (PassMark)]

Work your way down this list
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html
until you find something that,
A) you can afford
B) fits in your case
C) doesn't require > 500w PSU

I assume your PSU has a 6-pin PCI Express power connector.

For example, maybe the Radeon HD 7850

[SEANo]

thanks dude,
think im going to get a GTX 450 they use a 450w and are pretty good for there price. im running win7 on 64bit and im going to get some more RAM so will see how we go.

[SEANo]

GTX 480 i mean

[David (PassMark)]

I don't think 450W is enough for a GTX 480. They are big, noisy, hot and power hungry.

[SEANo]

looking over my power supply i think i am useing an 8 pin. what is the difference between the 8 and 6?

[David (PassMark)]

Almost all video cards that need extra power require the 6-pin connector; only very high-end video cards require the 8-pin type.

But there is often another 8pin connector that goes to the motherboard. Don't confuse the two. You should check the specs of your power supply to see what it outputs.

[SEANo]

Hey man i ended up getting a HD 7850 and some more RAM. I got a 4GB (samsung DDR2 800) but it doesnt seem to work im not sure if it is because i have a 8GB RAM capacity and i can only have a max 2GB per slot or what? Got any suggestions?

[David (PassMark)]

What makes you think it 'doesn't work' ?

As mentioned above, you need a 64bit version of Windows to use 8GB of RAM. Are you using a 64bit operating system?

[SEANo]

Yeah i am using a 64Bit operating system.
when i tried to start the computer after installing the new RAM the computer wont start and makes a beeping noise (beeeeeeep beep beep) and nothing comes up on the screen. after a little research i found out that it is a memory problem so i reverted back to my old 2 x 1GB RAM cards and it worked fine.

[David (PassMark)]

The specs for your motherboard are,

4 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR2 800/667/533/ Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory

So it should take 8GB. You might try a BIOS upgrade. Or just using the new sticks (2 x 2GB I assume) without your old sticks.

[SEANo]

It is a single 4GB stick.
I tried with and without the old ones by it did the same either way. Would there be an issue with using a 4GB single with it's 8GB max? Should I get 2 x 2GB sticks? The samsung 4GB o e I got was a DDR2 800 so it should be compatible.

[David (PassMark)]

I downloaded the your motherboard's User's guide from the ASUS web site and read it for you.

Section 2.4.2 - Memory configurations. "The motherboard can support up to 8GB... You may install a maximum of 2GB DIMMs on each slot"