Best RAM upgrade for Intel Pentium D 2.80?

I don't have nearly enough free time to dive deep into all the technical reading on this stuff, so I’m hoping some of the experts here might be able to point me in the right direction. I'm trying to figure out which RAM would be my best bet for this specific processor—my motherboard has room for 4GB total, and I was originally thinking about picking up a 2x2GB DDR2 800MHz kit on eBay. However, I have this nagging suspicion they might not actually be compatible with Intel processors or their respective motherboards.
Since my board features a PCIe x16 slot, I was also wondering if pairing it with this graphics card would actually work as a complete setup.
Thanks for the help.

What motherboard are you running?

You're looking at maybe $200-$100 for 4GB of RAM, plus whatever you drop on a GPU, which puts you around the $600-$233 mark. Honestly, for $300, you could probably just grab a brand new CPU, motherboard, and RAM combo with integrated graphics that performs about the same as that card—only you'd get a much faster processor and everything would be brand new with a warranty.

Exactly my thoughts... Honestly, what you're looking to pull off just doesn't make any financial sense at this point.

Not even going to get into how this processor is absolute garbage—it runs hot as hell and the performance is just pathetic...

For instance...

Crucial DDR3 4GB 1333MHz, JM1333KLH-4G, bulk
Intel Celeron G1820
ASRock H81M-VG4, 1150

Total:$271

The integrated graphics on this processor might actually be better than that GPU you linked.

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm wondering if there are any other paths I could take to stretch this out toward something like $500—though, honestly, I wasn't really planning on spending that much. I'd probably end up needing a new power supply anyway.

I honestly can't believe the integrated version on this motherboard actually outperforms the one I suggested—it’s safe to say my computer knowledge is clearly lacking.

The graphics aren't actually built into the motherboard anymore; they're integrated directly into the processor itself. It’s been that way for years—most modern boards just rely on what's inside the CPU. Either way, neither of those GPUs is really meant for gaming. 😉

Intel Pentium G3420 (3.2 GHz, 512KB, 3MB, Socket 1150, 54W), box
Kingston DDR3 1600MHz, CL11, SR, 4GB
Chicony HPA-350W, Advanced Highly HPA Series (Active PSU), ATX2.31, 12CM Fan, 20 4P, 3xSATA, 1x6P(PCI-E), 1x4P(CPU), HDD HDD HDD FDD(1pc), I O Switch, bulk package, no power cord
ASRock H81M-VG4, 1150

Price: $385 plus a little extra for shipping Newegg

Is your drive a SATA drive?

It’s not a SATA issue—what kind of GPU would you guys suggest so I can at least run this thing on low settings? (I was originally just planning on picking up some extra RAM, but now this game is looking like it'll cost me half my paycheck 🙂 )

You’re going to need a SATA hard drive for this... since most modern motherboards just don't support those old PATA connectors anymore. They've pretty much become relics of the past—so you'll definitely want to make sure you pick up a SATA drive instead.

crimsonstag84 said:It’s not actually integrated into the motherboard anymore; it’s built right into the processor. For years now, we haven't really seen boards with onboard graphics—everything has shifted to being on the same chip within the CPU. And honestly, neither of those GPUs are meant for gaming, I guess. 😉

Intel Pentium G3420 (3.2 GHz, 512KB, 3MB, Socket 1150, 54W), boxed.
Kingston DDR3 1600, CL11, Single Rank, 4GB.
It’s a Chicony HPA-350W from the Advanced Highly HPA Series—an active PSU following the ATX2.31 standard. It features a 12cm fan and comes with 20 4P connectors, 3x SATA, one 6P (PCI-E), and one 4P (CPU) connection. It can handle one HDD or FDD, includes an I/O switch, and comes in bulk packaging without a power cord.
ASRock H81M-VG4, 1150

The total amount is: $385 Just some small stuff arriving in the mail. Amazon.com

Is that drive SATA?

Would this HDD work with this rig?

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this listing, but it looks like some kind of budget hardware deal. I guess it might be worth a look if you're hunting for something specific, though maybe it's just one of those random finds.

The integrated graphics should be able to handle older titles pretty well. It really just depends on which games you have in mind, I guess.

I’ve been playing WOT, and everything was running smoothly until the latest update—now it’s just stuttering constantly. I think I’ll probably end up picking up the hardware recommended above, and then maybe later on, I'll look into grabbing a decent graphics card.

Maybe try dropping the in-game resolution a bit... Honestly, until you've got enough cash saved up, just pick up something like an HD 7770—those things are actually pretty solid.

Why not just grab one of these motherboards?

$133

$100

$123

The cool thing is these boards have those older PCI slots. You could pair them up with this card so you can keep using your old hard drive. The card is $32

Grab this processor

$93

Some memory

$100

Then dump the rest of your cash into a GPU. Even a used one would work, maybe a new power supply too...

For example, an HD 5770 is a solid used graphics card for about $167 (don't quote me on that, I'm not exactly an expert)

An HD 7770 is roughly $267 brand new

Bryan Taylor6 said:Maybe an HD 5770 would be a solid used card for about $167 (though I'm not exactly an expert here)

an HD 7770 is roughly $267 brand

Well, it's possible, I guess... by the way, that H61-DG3 motherboard doesn't have PCI Express. The tricky part is that the integrated graphics on Haswell are way better than on Ivy Bridge, so he might actually be able to run some games that way.

The HD 5770 goes for about $133 in some places, while an R7 250X (HD 7770) is $233 or maybe just a couple of bucks less 😉

crimsonstag84 said:I mean, technically it’s possible... btw. The H61-DG3 board lacks a PCI slot. The catch is that the integrated graphics on a Haswell chip are way better than on an Ivy Bridge one, which would at least let him run some games.

An HD 5770 is sometimes about $133, while an R7 250X(HD 7770) is $233 or maybe just a couple of bucks less 😉

You've got a point regarding http://www.bestbuy.com/example-link. But they slapped a picture of a Gigabyte board with a PCI slot on there, and I was just looking at the photos... 🙂

It can work on the 1150 socket too

http://www.newegg.com/example-link1 $133

http://www.newegg.com/example-link2 $147

http://www.newegg.com/example-link3 $163

Those boards have the old PCI slot, so you could plug that old hard drive card into them. There are other boards like that too, they're just a bit pricier... and you could use the G1820 for $95

crimsonstag84 said:Intel Pentium G3420 (3.2 GHz, 512KB, 3MB, Socket 1150, 54W), box
Kingston DDR3 1600, 4GB
Chicony HPA-350W, Advanced Highly HPA Series (Active PSU), ATX2.31, 12CM Fan, 20 4P, 3xSATA, 1x6P(PCI-E), 1x4P(CPU), HDD HDD HDD FDD(1pc), I O Switch, bulk package, no power cord
ASRock H81M-VG4, 1150

There’s really no point heading over to Best Buy when they charge so much more. Let him decide what he actually needs. Honestly, if he’s looking at an 80-120GB drive, I’d probably just grab a new one. This motherboard could work:

http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=618&page=1

...and a controller:

http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=164&page=1

The thing is, the combo of the board and the controller is already half the price of a new drive, so I guess it might not be worth it.

+ Most of those controllers run into trouble if you try booting an operating system from a drive connected that way.
He should just grab a new drive right away—something larger and faster, especially since the price difference is negligible.

Also, if his monitor has a DVI port, he really ought to get a motherboard with a DVI output; the improvement in image quality is massive. He could go with something like http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H81M-...0/index.us.asp or even http://www.msi.com/product/mb/H81MP33.html

Yahoo, my bad. I was under the impression it had HDMI, so... whatever, I'll just go with the H81M-DGS instead. 🙂