Guild Wars 2

Hey, new here. Wanting to play Guild Wars 2, I just need a new processor and a new video card to play the game efficiently. I’m also hoping I can play WvW, not really great, but at least moderately well. My computer is a Compaq Presario SR5908F. Like I said, I only need a new processor and a graphics card, as per the minimum spec requirements.

So, according to my computer’s motherboard, I can upgrade my processor with these:
AMD Phenom II Quad-Core
AMD Phenom II Triple-Core
AMD Phenom Quad-Core (A) 9xxx series (AM2+)
AMD Phenom Triple-Core (T) 8xxx series (AM2+)
AMD Athlon X4
AMD Athlon X3
AMD Athlon X2 (B) (AM2+)

Suggestions on what’s the best one, or if you have any other suggestions. Also, as for Video Card, my computer has this to say about it:

“Integrated video is not available if a graphics card is installed.”

Thought that was important, so I’ll leave that there. Speaking of video card, how would this do? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049MPQA4/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=04YZMQXNS7YS1HSWGYMS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

Any feedback is appreciated.

In all honesty all those CPU’s r rather slow and GW2 is incredibly CPU intensive. They will allow u to ‘run’ the game ..but playability will be..difficult. AMD CPU’s u should look at the FX6xxx and FX 8xxx series, preferably the later. Intel wise ur looking at ether a 2500k 2550k or 3570k for the i5’s.

GPU wise a AMD 7770 or Nvidia 650ti r good choices for medium settings.
The linked card would be really bad for Gw2. its old and wasnt even a proper gaming card back when it was new.

SolarNova.1052:

In all honesty all those CPU’s r rather slow and GW2 is incredibly CPU intensive. They will allow u to ‘run’ the game ..but playability will be..difficult. AMD CPU’s u should look at the FX6xxx and FX 8xxx series, preferably the later. Intel wise ur looking at ether a 2500k 2550k or 3570k for the i5’s.

GPU wise a AMD 7770 or Nvidia 650ti r good choices for medium settings.
The linked card would be really bad for Gw2. its old and wasnt even a proper gaming card back when it was new.

For the AMD FX series, it looks like they only support the AM3 socket. My motherboard can only run AM2+ sockets, so what would be the most powerful processor that can run on AM2+?

As for those video cards, how can I tell it’s compatible with my motherboard? This is the name of my motherboard for easier use:
M2N68-LA (Narra5)

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=6&sort=d1

but stick to 95watt.
so that leaves this as your only viable option for gw2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-adx460wfgmbox
and even it will not work well if you want to do dynamic events/dragon events(anything with lots of players on screen)

honestly with that board, your not gonna get decent perf out of gw2…im sorry to say that but its true…..your best bet would be to upgrade the board/cpu/ram
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZkK
lowest upgrade I would do, the onboard video would be better then the videocard you linked, this should be a drop in upgrade (no new case or psu needed)

the M@N68-LA is honestly a piece of kitten poo……..I have replaced many for people for just that reason….

the partpicker link above would give you the ability to oc the apu to 4.4or so ghz as well as overclock the built in gpu(part of the APU package) (apu is a cpu with gpu built into the same socket)

later you could add a 7750 for a cheap (but major) perf boost.

I went with 2133 ram because, the video chip built into these APU’s REALLY REALLY beenfits from faster ram.

i know its not as cheap as you hoped but, nothing you do cheaper then this, will give you the same performance as this upgrade.

I do mean nothing, the 3 core cpu and a new videocard woudnt make your current build even close to as fast as this upgrade…..and no an 8400 is not a card worth buying…..

Jazhara Knightmage.4389:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=6&sort=d1

but stick to 95watt.
so that leaves this as your only viable option for gw2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-adx460wfgmbox
and even it will not work well if you want to do dynamic events/dragon events(anything with lots of players on screen)

honestly with that board, your not gonna get decent perf out of gw2…im sorry to say that but its true…..your best bet would be to upgrade the board/cpu/ram
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZkK
lowest upgrade I would do, the onboard video would be better then the videocard you linked, this should be a drop in upgrade (no new case or psu needed)

the M@N68-LA is honestly a piece of kitten poo……..I have replaced many for people for just that reason….

the partpicker link above would give you the ability to oc the apu to 4.4or so ghz as well as overclock the built in gpu(part of the APU package) (apu is a cpu with gpu built into the same socket)

later you could add a 7750 for a cheap (but major) perf boost.

I went with 2133 ram because, the video chip built into these APU’s REALLY REALLY beenfits from faster ram.

i know its not as cheap as you hoped but, nothing you do cheaper then this, will give you the same performance as this upgrade.

I do mean nothing, the 3 core cpu and a new videocard woudnt make your current build even close to as fast as this upgrade…..and no an 8400 is not a card worth buying…..

Ah, I see. You think it’s possible if I can replace my motherboard completely so I can get the other specs?

If not, then how would this do for a processor? I already outruled the video card I linked btw.
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-HDX920XCGIBOX-Phenom-2-8GHz-Processor/dp/B001NFT1R4/ref=cm_wl_cp_al_pt

Jazhara Knightmage.4389:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=6&sort=d1

but stick to 95watt.
so that leaves this as your only viable option for gw2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-adx460wfgmbox
and even it will not work well if you want to do dynamic events/dragon events(anything with lots of players on screen)

honestly with that board, your not gonna get decent perf out of gw2…im sorry to say that but its true…..your best bet would be to upgrade the board/cpu/ram
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZkK
lowest upgrade I would do, the onboard video would be better then the videocard you linked, this should be a drop in upgrade (no new case or psu needed)

the M@N68-LA is honestly a piece of kitten poo……..I have replaced many for people for just that reason….

the partpicker link above would give you the ability to oc the apu to 4.4or so ghz as well as overclock the built in gpu(part of the APU package) (apu is a cpu with gpu built into the same socket)

later you could add a 7750 for a cheap (but major) perf boost.

I went with 2133 ram because, the video chip built into these APU’s REALLY REALLY beenfits from faster ram.

i know its not as cheap as you hoped but, nothing you do cheaper then this, will give you the same performance as this upgrade.

I do mean nothing, the 3 core cpu and a new videocard woudnt make your current build even close to as fast as this upgrade…..and no an 8400 is not a card worth buying…..

The fastest memory the A10 supports is 1866!
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-A10-Series%20A10-5800K.html

i suggest you read reviews and forums, official support is 1866, but most enthusists push it well past that, many even push it to 2400, 2133 is not hard to get from these chips at all.

they are also unlocked, these are enthusiast level apu’s.

and a note: my 8120 is rated for 1600mhz ram or 1866 with 1 stick, i am running 4 sticks at 1866 without issue.

my 8350 is rated for 1866, Its perfectly happy at 2133+ but in my case, there no point as the timings lead to no gain(they would if i had an APU because the APU video would make use of the extra bandwidth)

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2047/18/

http://www.behardware.com/articles/878-12/amd-a10-5800k-and-a8-5600k-the-second-desktop-apu.html
The Radeon HD 7660D that you find within the A10-A5800K gives similar levels of performance to the Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 or the GeForce GT 630, which come in at between €60 and €70. To recap, coupled with DDR3-2133 instead of DDR3-1600, it would give another 15% or so. (thats a quote from the linked review)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2012/10/03/amd-a10-review/7

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/46073-amd-a10-5800k-trinity-needs-faster-ram/?page=3
pay close attention to this one(above), it shows how much dif just changing ram and ocing the gpu(apu-gpu) makes.
But enthusiasts always want a little more for free. Appreciating that the built-in Radeon HD 7660D graphics need fast system memory to function at an optimum level, it really does make a lot of sense to look at DDR3-1,600-plus RAM. Pay the £10-15 premium for an 8GB DDR3-2,133 dual-channel set and there are substantial performance improvements to be had over DDR3-1,600 memory.
above is a quote form the review summery.

in short, I know what im on about, having build over a dozen APU based systems for people, theres ZERO issue running 4 sticks at 2133 with these chips, you may have to do a small bump to the volts on the memory controller but nothing even approaching unsafe levels.

kboyrulez.7316:

Jazhara Knightmage.4389:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=6&sort=d1

but stick to 95watt.
so that leaves this as your only viable option for gw2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-adx460wfgmbox
and even it will not work well if you want to do dynamic events/dragon events(anything with lots of players on screen)

honestly with that board, your not gonna get decent perf out of gw2…im sorry to say that but its true…..your best bet would be to upgrade the board/cpu/ram
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZkK
lowest upgrade I would do, the onboard video would be better then the videocard you linked, this should be a drop in upgrade (no new case or psu needed)

the M@N68-LA is honestly a piece of kitten poo……..I have replaced many for people for just that reason….

the partpicker link above would give you the ability to oc the apu to 4.4or so ghz as well as overclock the built in gpu(part of the APU package) (apu is a cpu with gpu built into the same socket)

later you could add a 7750 for a cheap (but major) perf boost.

I went with 2133 ram because, the video chip built into these APU’s REALLY REALLY beenfits from faster ram.

i know its not as cheap as you hoped but, nothing you do cheaper then this, will give you the same performance as this upgrade.

I do mean nothing, the 3 core cpu and a new videocard woudnt make your current build even close to as fast as this upgrade…..and no an 8400 is not a card worth buying…..

Ah, I see. You think it’s possible if I can replace my motherboard completely so I can get the other specs?

If not, then how would this do for a processor? I already outruled the video card I linked btw.
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-HDX920XCGIBOX-Phenom-2-8GHz-Processor/dp/B001NFT1R4/ref=cm_wl_cp_al_pt

that chip would blow your board, its 125watt, also it wouldnt be VERY slow for gw2, gw2 needs high clocks even on intels best chips.

and yes its very possible to replace your board, that board in your system is a standard MATX layout, the biggest flaw with them is that their power/voltage regulation system is VERY weak, they cant take a chip thats got a TDP higher then 95watts, they also have very poor bios(due to it being a board made for an OEM rather then retail)

Honestly what i suggested would be a good upgrade, then when you decide to put a videocard in, I would honestly also toss a new PSU in such as the HEC 585watt (its cheap but quite solid) the psu’ used in OEM systems for the most part are very close to their limits, they do this to save money(makes their profit margin bigger and limits your direct upgrade options).
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/F4Bc
thats got the PSU I would suggest for an “on the cheap but decent” upgrade.

the video thats built in will be a huge upgrade, and when you save more up, grab the PSU and a 7850 or 7870XT and your all set for a couple years.( as long as you oc the chip a bit in that time, and as i said clocking these is easy)

dont mind the guy above, alot of people love to talk with authority despite lack of experience .

@Jazhara Knightmage, Ah dang, your right. I looked up some reviews for my motherboard, and it’s not looking to good. Man, can’t believe I have to get a completely new board to play the game.

well, truth be told, you systems not worth upgrading below board/chip/ram, if it was 2 years ago, it would be worth upgrading but now……

it sucks BUT, this upgrade, then upgrading a bit at a time to better psu, videocard, and another ram kit would give you a few years more without a huge outlay up front.

I have been where you are, this is why building custom is better then buying prebuilds, prebuilds are designed to try and force you to upgrade every 2-3 years, custom builds can last 2x that due to the upgrade-ability they can have.

but, look at it this way, once you get the new parts, you will be able to play other games like tera and such

Yeah that’s true. Well, I’ll go by what you say then. Thanks for the help, and hope to see you in the game.

your welcome, and its not a problem, if you want a better upgrade build let me know your budget, can let you know whats out there within your limits, note though, the link i gave you is the best starting point for low cost bang for the buck, and all the parts are good stuff( i dont recommend a build/upgrade I wouldnt use myself EVER, unlike some shops you will run into….saw an old client of mine get ripped off hard recently, he went to a shop down the road from his place to avoid a 15min drive, they “upgraded” his 6core amd rig to a i5 dual core with HT….(2 real cores 2 fake) it was slower for his main use then the 6 core they gave him a horrible trade in value on(200bucks for an 1100t@3.95 and top end gigabyte 890 board, he tried to get the stuff back they already resold it online…..he tracked down the listing they got 400 for the board+cpu combo on ebay…..+shipping……)

but yeah, if you need more help toss me a line, there are no intel options worth talking about at this price range…intels video is horrible…(being kind here)

Going to have to bump this topic back up. Jazhara Knightmage, do you think it’s possible I can just upgrade my PSU without completely replacing the motherboard?

you can, but the board will still not take a decent chip, this isnt about the psu not being able to take a decent chip(over95watt) its about the board itself not being able to deal with the load of a chip with a TDP of 125watts.

the psu gives the board voltage, BUT the board has to regulate it, the voltage regulation modules or fets on that board cant deal with the load of higher chips, I have seen stacks (i mean literal stacks) of that board that where blown because a 125watt cpu was put in them, they worked fine for short time, then, the boards just smoked, the worst part is, quite a number of times they killed HDD’s, cpus and/or ram when they blew.

think about it this way, if you where to plug a high draw item like say a welder or clothes dryer or kitchen stove into a normal 115-120v wall socket what would happen?

answer in many cases is the breaker trips, sadly no breaker in this case, instead it will work for a while then burn out the board.

your really stuck…..now, on the other hand, Like I think I said, you can upgrade your board/chip/ram without getting a new psu right away.

An A10 5800k+board+cpu would be FINE on an OEM psu, I would still replace it when I could afford it but, it would work in the mean time.

so no, you cant just replace teh psu and have things work like you hopped.

but look at it this way, even if you have to save up a bit to upgrade to an a10/mobo/ram, at least it will give you a few more years at a reasonable cost…..

and next time you get a system, you will know to build your own or have somebody you know help you build….OEM box systems are never the answer for a gamer.