Currently I have a Phenom II 2.8 ghz quad core processor, 4 gigs of ram, a radeon 4650 graphics card, and a decent motherboard.
However, this runs on high graphics, and sometimes lags there. Would replacing the graphics card with a radeon 6850 do the trick, or what I need to upgrade my processor as well? Would I need more ram? Also, could a crossfire a radeon 4650 with a 6850, or do they need to be the same card?
Sorry, I have no idea what I'm talking about, I just need to know what I should do. A lot of reviews said the 6850 is a great for its price, would that do the trick?
Swap the card, but make sure your PSU (Power Supply Unit) got the connections for a 6850, it uses 2 PCI-E feeds if I'm correct.
Your CPU is fine.
But do note, if your playing custom maps its normal they sometimes lag due using the engine in ways it wasn't really intended too.
Like a First Person view map or so will always lag a bit..
Also, make sure your motherboard supports the card. Since it uses a 4650 I'm sure it would be doable though.
I'm not a PC guy either though, but I'm pretty secure on this information provided :-)
Crossfire is equal cards yeah, pritty sure on this one too.
The reason I could answer you is I'm in the same position. Except I got a X6 core and 5xDDR3, but a poor 5570. Going for the 6850 or 6870 myself. But need too swap my PSU aswell :-)
Also, define "fine" when referring to my CPU. Would it it make a large difference to replace it with something better, say a 3.2 ghz? I could get a combo deal on newegg if that is the case.
I doubt SC2 even supports quad core really. And it seems the latest games are more graphic card heavy..
I doubt 2.8 and 3.2 will be noticeable even, it's not that much difference I bet.. If it's really necessary you could always 'over-clock' them right ?
Also, define "fine" when referring to my CPU. Would it it make a large difference to replace it with something better, say a 3.2 ghz? I could get a combo deal on newegg if that is the case.
No, it wouldn't. At this point you are very, very limited by your GPU. I would strongly recommend upgrading that first and then see how things go. For reference, my i5 750 (overclocked to 3.6 from 2.67) does the job perfectly. I have a feeling your CPU would do just fine with a single card but if you wanted to crossfire say two 6950 (in future) it would be the bottleneck.
Alright, thank you. So do you know if the two cards can be crossfired or not?
Nope, they can't. You're going to have to ditch your 4650. Even if you could you wouldn't want to because it takes on the slower speed (like if you crossfired 5830 and 5870 = 2x 5830).
Speaking of GPU, if you're comfortable with eBay then I recommend trying to find a 5870 instead. XFX has lifetime warranty that transfers so buy used without fear. 5870 is destroying SC2 on Ultra for me. The 6950 is only marginally better. The real benefit of 6950 is better handling of future games. For SC2, you won't notice any difference between the two.
Currently I have a Phenom II 2.8 ghz quad core processor, 4 gigs of ram, a radeon 4650 graphics card, and a decent motherboard.
However, this runs on high graphics, and sometimes lags there. Would replacing the graphics card with a radeon 6850 do the trick, or what I need to upgrade my processor as well? Would I need more ram? Also, could a crossfire a radeon 4650 with a 6850, or do they need to be the same card?
Sorry, I have no idea what I'm talking about, I just need to know what I should do. A lot of reviews said the 6850 is a great for its price, would that do the trick?
Thanks.
Great to be back and part of the community again!
Swap the card, but make sure your PSU (Power Supply Unit) got the connections for a 6850, it uses 2 PCI-E feeds if I'm correct. Your CPU is fine.
But do note, if your playing custom maps its normal they sometimes lag due using the engine in ways it wasn't really intended too. Like a First Person view map or so will always lag a bit..
Also, make sure your motherboard supports the card. Since it uses a 4650 I'm sure it would be doable though.
I'm not a PC guy either though, but I'm pretty secure on this information provided :-)
@Dresnia: Go
Alright, thank you. So do you know if the two cards can be crossfired or not?
Also I did check, the card is compatible.
Great to be back and part of the community again!
Crossfire is equal cards yeah, pritty sure on this one too. The reason I could answer you is I'm in the same position. Except I got a X6 core and 5xDDR3, but a poor 5570. Going for the 6850 or 6870 myself. But need too swap my PSU aswell :-)
@Dresnia: Go
Also, define "fine" when referring to my CPU. Would it it make a large difference to replace it with something better, say a 3.2 ghz? I could get a combo deal on newegg if that is the case.
Great to be back and part of the community again!
I doubt SC2 even supports quad core really. And it seems the latest games are more graphic card heavy.. I doubt 2.8 and 3.2 will be noticeable even, it's not that much difference I bet.. If it's really necessary you could always 'over-clock' them right ?
personally I would get a nvidia gtx 560 ti. I have a gigabyte one and it runs like a dream. If you favor an AMD, the 6950 is the way to go.
No, it wouldn't. At this point you are very, very limited by your GPU. I would strongly recommend upgrading that first and then see how things go. For reference, my i5 750 (overclocked to 3.6 from 2.67) does the job perfectly. I have a feeling your CPU would do just fine with a single card but if you wanted to crossfire say two 6950 (in future) it would be the bottleneck.
Nope, they can't. You're going to have to ditch your 4650. Even if you could you wouldn't want to because it takes on the slower speed (like if you crossfired 5830 and 5870 = 2x 5830).
Speaking of GPU, if you're comfortable with eBay then I recommend trying to find a 5870 instead. XFX has lifetime warranty that transfers so buy used without fear. 5870 is destroying SC2 on Ultra for me. The 6950 is only marginally better. The real benefit of 6950 is better handling of future games. For SC2, you won't notice any difference between the two.