New computer: Should I upgrate processor and RAM?

[Lion]

Time to buy a new puter. Is Dell Inspiron 580 good to handle TS3 (and maybe TS4)? Link here

Does it make sense to upgrade its Intel® Core™ i5-650 processor(4MB Cache, 3.20GHz) to i5-760 processor(8MB Cache, 2.80GHz) for $70?

And upgrade its 6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 3 DIMMs to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs for $60?

I'm going to use Windows7 Professional, 64bit.

Many thanks.

[J. M. Pescado]

Don't buy a Dell POS.

[bloodredtoe]

At this point in time 8GB RAM is absolute overkill. I've got 4GB and when playing the sims, running Win 7 x64 with couple of apps in the background it's using slightly above 2GB total. I suppose that by the time you actually need 8GB you'll need to replace the whole computer. (also, check if the motherboard is dual or triple channel. Don't install 3 modules in a dual or 2 in a triple, because that'll lead to performance loss)
Also, consider AM3 instead of Intel. Last time I checked they were cheaper for comparable performance.

[spockblock]

Whatever you do, don't downgrate. The cheese comes out weird.

[Aimlak]

d00d, don't get a Dell, Just don't. They are a crime against humanity. (As I type on my shitty Dell that died 2 weeks after the warranty ran out. Well, the screen died 8 days before, but I yelled at them enough to force them to fix it even though they tried to get out of it. The rest died as soon as it was back though.)


Edited for word fail.

[Lion]

hmmm. ok. which should i consider then? I'm not going to build myself/my friend. It just is not going to happen.

[bloodredtoe]

Very basic question is what are you gonna use it for: just sims/other games or maybe mainly graphic processing tasks, because that calls for different config. I'm sure forumers can share knowledge and experience, but basic info is required.

[wizard_merlin]

Find a good computer shop and get them to build what you want, if you don't want to do it yourself.

[Lion]

Very basic question is what are you gonna use it for: just sims/other games or maybe mainly graphic processing tasks, because that calls for different config. I'm sure forumers can share knowledge and experience, but basic info is required.

Gaming mainly.

[ElectricSimmer]

Stay away from Dell! I used to have one and eventually it just got so fucked up, I 'lost' it. Go for a custom built one.

[Aimlak]

Custom built, like everyone else said, is the best way to go. However, if you absolutely insist on not going custom (I have no idea why), according to my brother HP are the best of the shitty. (Shitty meaning non-custom. Brother works in the computer field so my bringing him up isn't completely random.)

[pinklovehammer]

If you're only going to be playing games like Sims then the set up you've chosen looks waaay too advanced when you can get something lesser for a lot less money. There's no point having a super computer you're not going to use to it's full advantage when you can get something else.

I run Sims very well off a computer of half that spec. In fact I play a lot of games and run them all very well off something lower spec.

[JamesNine]

I'm wondering this too as I'm getting to the point where I need to upgraDe my computer for better gaming experience. My question is where do you go to get custom computer systems built cheap? I live in the south (came from the north) and, frankly, I don't know too many people around here who know what a PC is or does much less build one. Lastly, what would be a good and relatively inexpensive gaming laptop to obtain and where would I find it?

Also, I've seen the Pescado speak of a RAM Disk for improving performance and was wondering what one would recommend for getting one of those?

[Skadi]

Find a computer store near by that has a good rep. Custom builds in Aus are $99 for labour including OS install/driver install/etc. Most will offer you a warranty, it can be a good idea to take it.

I am running an AM3 6core with 6gb ram and I still want more, so go as high as your budget allows - that way in 2 years time it will still pull it's weight. Video cards and ram are easy upgrades. If you go amd, make sure the board is AM3 - don't settle for EOL stuff, it will be cheaper now, but will kill you when you need to replace your mobo as well as your cpu.

Where are you geographically Lion, and what is your budget? I now do this stuff for a living, so I am happy to give you pointers.

[Patrick]

Also, I've seen the Pescado speak of a RAM Disk for improving performance and was wondering what one would recommend for getting one of those?

On a laptop? Good luck with this.
On a desktop? Not normally. For one thing you need a good motherboard to handle this much ram (Sims 3 is like almost 20GB now, that makes at least 24+GB RAM). Plus it costs quite a decent amount of money which might be better spend on a SSD drive (which are not as fast, but seriously fast nevertheless).
I see how it makes sense for him, seeing as when he debugs his Mod he has to launch and relaunch it thousands of times and ten seconds more or less of loading time each launch can make a difference, but for the common folks I don't really see much of a point in spending the extra bucks.