Currently in the process of upgrading my old dell xps 420 computer, hopefully to handle the PA alpha (cheaply mind). At the moment I've replaced the old nvidia 8800 GTS with a GTX 650 and am waiting on 2x2GB of ram (hopefully upping the RAM from 4GB to 6GB). Although I think I have a rudimentary understanding of what impact both these upgrades have on the computer. I was just wondering what role the processor played in the computer, and whether mine was due an upgrade (its an old intel core 2 duo quad). Not sure if this was the right place for this, just you guys seem to know your stuff.
Your motherboard is likely a LGA775 socket. They haven't made CPUs for that socket type for about 3 years, though the last new CPU to be released for it was about 5 years ago. They're still available (either used or at excessive premiums), but the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 in the Dell XPS 420 was already near the top of the line for that socket. If you buy an inexpensive new desktop motherboard and CPU available right now it'll be at least 2 to 3 times faster than anything you could possible stick in your current machine. A new motherboard and CPU probably mean you'll need a new power supply and RAM as the ones in the Dell won't work with it. Not that it matters since Dells of that era used proprietary motherboards so no modern motherboard will fit in the case anyways. So, in short, if you're looking to upgrade that Dell apart from replacing a harddrive or the video card you'll want to chuck the whole thing and start over. note: I'm curious what RAM you bought. 2x2GB RAM dimms that work in that machine probably cost you about $100. $100 of RAM spent on modern hardware can get you 16GB (2x8GB).
I got the two 2gbs of RAM off of ebay for around £26, i intend to fit them both together (along with 2 1GB). On the topic of motherboards and/or cases, do you have any recommendations?
There are plenty of guides for building gaming PCs out there ranging from $300 to the several 1000s range. Find a budget you're comfortable with and search for that. Specific motherboards these days generally don't mean too much unless you're looking for specific features (you really need 15 USB 3.0 ports, or plan on doing 8 SSD drives in a RAID, etc.). If you don't know what those are or why you'd want them, you don't need it. Often the cheapest option does 90% of the features the most expensive ones have with little or no difference in performance in the general case.
One disclaimer, the $300 or $400 range gaming PC probably won't be enough to play PA, at least during the alpha. $500-$600 range is about the bottom for a surprisingly decent gaming PC.
Don't mix RAM. Make sure every stick is the exact same make and model if you won't want to run into potential stability and performance issues.
