Starcraft 2 PC upgrades.

[Krovus]

Hello, i am posting here to request help in upgrading my old computer to play Starcraft 2.
My specs are:
CPU - Intel Pentium E5200 2.5Ghz (2 cores)
Ram - 2GB
300w PSU
Onboard graphics.
1080p monitor, i can play at 720p aswell.
I don't really know what else i have but i do know that my motherboard has an available PCI express slot.

I did a little research and i think that with a couple upgrades that i can run this game on fairly decent settings. The only other game that i'm interested in playing besides Starcraft 2 is Diablo 3 when that is released so that's what my computer will be used for.

I can't post links, items are from Newegg.
The upgrades that i was looking at are:
*Evga GTS 450 video card $125 ($95 after rebate)
*Corsair builder series 600w $65.00 ($55.00 after rebate)

The GTS 450 is a lower end video card i know but it only requires one 6pin power connection compared to the GTX 460 which requires two 6pin power connections. The power supply i listed has two 6 pin power connection cords so i think that i can maybe do a SLI setup with two GTS 450 later down the road when i get the chance to upgrade the motherboard and processor without having to upgrade the PSU. I'm not sure if 600w is enough for SLI GTS 450 though.

Would i be perfectly fine with this upgrade path or would you recommend something different? The only games that i'll ever be playing within the next ten years is Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3.

[Nitsuki]

You have a pretty decent processor there, what i would recommend is upgrading your ram as well considering that the games require 2gbs in order to run properly iirc.
The vid card and psu will give you good enough power to run the games at mid-high settings.

[fishstix]

600w is kinda pushing it for SLI, also i'd try to spring for the gtx 460 if possible.

[Shojin]

I'd recommend the 460 too, it's a brilliant mid-tier card that will last you a while, doesn't use much power, and runs very quiet and cool. Starcraft 2 last I remember is pretty CPU intensive, but the most important thing right now is what you're doing, getting an independent graphics card and upgrading from on-board video.

Before doing any of this though, make sure your motherboards available PCI-express slot is a x16 slot, because that's what these graphics cards use.

[CoronA1979]

Before doing any of this though, make sure your motherboards available PCI-express slot is a x16 slot, because that's what these graphics cards use.

You're not going to see any hit in performance on a PCI-E x8 slot w/ a GTX 460. In fact, you will only see loss in performance on a PCI-E x8 slot with a GTX 480 or above GPU.

[Shojin]

You're not going to see any hit in performance on a PCI-E x8 slot w/ a GTX 460. In fact, you will only see loss in performance on a PCI-E x8 slot with a GTX 480 or above GPU.

Uh, no. A PCI-E x8 slot is a completely different size to a x16 slot. A x16 slot running at x4 or x8 mode is a completely different thing and wasn't what I was talking about.

http://linuxtidbits.files.wordpress....lots.gif?w=600

EDIT: Also, don't confuse PCI with a PCI-e x16 slot as they look a little similar in length.

[Krovus]

Thanks for the feedback.
I've found a GTX 460 768MB version on Newegg for a good price so i think i will go with that.
edit There is what looks to be a X8 slot also on the motherboard and the sizes are similar but what i think the X16 is looks different from it so i'm fairly sure that it is indeed a X16.

edit Alright, i hit a wall now because i discovered a GTX 465 and i'm really interested in it now as i found one with a very attractive low price currently. It requires minimum 550w and 38A on +12v rail.
Will a Corsair CX600w builder series 40A on single +12v rail be able to handle this? I don't want anything blowing up.

[Binkie]

GTX465 isn't much better than a GTX 460 1GB. i'd go for a 460, it's an overall better card.

[Shojin]

Stick with the 460 unless you want to shell out for a proper upgrade to the 470 or the ATI/AMD equivalent (probably a 5850/5870 or a 6850). 480/570/580 is probably out of your price range.

[Krovus]

The GTX 460 1 GB is a little bit more expensive and i'm on a tight budget, unfortunately. All of those are in the $200 price point and i can get the GTX 465 for $150 free shipping or a GTX 460 768MB for $150 with a $20 rebate. Those were the very best deals that i've seen on Newegg.

[sruon]

Fuck the 465, really don't know why Nvidia released it. Get the 460.

[CoronA1979]

That's where the confusion came in, then.. I know the difference in the slots I assumed you meant the speed of said slot