Shogun 2 Upgrade

[pikmet]

Hey
I was thinking of upgrading my computer to better run shogun 2 on ultra. But I'm really not good at this stuff. Is there any upgrades I can make that will be worth the money I spend on it?

Here is my dxdiag:
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.vistasp2_gdr.101014-0432)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: BIOSTAR Group
System Model: TA790GX A2+
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9650 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 4094MB RAM
Page File: 3733MB used, 4667MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 7.00.6002.18107 32bit Unicode
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9442)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_9442&SUBSYS_22661787&REV_00
Display Memory: 2296 MB
Dedicated Memory: 504 MB
Shared Memory: 1791 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor

I was thinking of upgrading my processor to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103921

Thanks

[Freddie]

According to your mother boards CPU support list it doesn't look like it supports the PII 840 X4 so I would go with something like this. I would also look at overclocking it Biostar's are pretty good for overclocking but I don't know how far your going to get on a AM2+ board. The Phenom II is a good value processor for gamers but the the Phenom I which your running is frankly not up to scratch due to a combination of poor performance and inherently buggy (there's wasn't much of gap between Phenom I and it's replacement).

For ultra settings you going to need to replace your video card as well you have a 4800 series Radeon which is still a very good card but running new games, DX11 and at HD its starting to show it's age so it's time to get some serious beef. I don't know how much you can afford since you already buying a new CPU but save if you have to and get a Radeon HD6850 1Gb or the Geforce GTX460 1Gb (don't bother with 768mb their crippled by less ROPS as well as less VRAM), yes its a lot of money but frankly if you not going to buy a proper card (your 4850/4870 was once an high end card you know) your not really going to see the benefits.

[pikmet]

Thanks for the reply

So you would recommend the cpu instead of the gpu correct? And how much of a performance hike do you think I would I see if I just got the cpu for now. I was able to run on ultra settings in the demo but it slowed down quite a bit when the guys where fighting. Would I be able to run it on high settings with no lag if I got the cpu.

[Freddie]

Thanks for the reply

So you would recommend the cpu instead of the gpu correct? And how much of a performance hike do you think I would I see if I just got the cpu for now. I was able to run on ultra settings in the demo but it slowed down quite a bit when the guys where fighting. Would I be able to run it on high settings with no lag if I got the cpu.

If you got lag when the there was lots of men fighting then that suggests your CPU is struggling with all the AI calculations so by upgrading the CPU you should see a lot of improvement as the PII architecture is more effective then Phenom I and the stock clock speed is another 1Ghz on top before you even think about overclocking.