you definitely want more ram... and for a system that isn't really that old, running 7 on it will definitely be an improvement over xp

Agreed on the Windows 7 point. However, I think a faster CPU would improve performance more. I know Minecraft can run well with only 2GB of RAM (running a server is when you need more). That E4300 is only 1.8GHz, and sometimes you just need more raw computing power per core. I think Minecraft currently only uses one core anyway.

Check out this: http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Hardware_performance

You have to be kind of skeptical when viewing it, since different Minecraft versions are used in it. But you can get decent FPS with only 2GB of RAM. You might see what kind of FPS your son is getting right now..

ratfink wrote:

I'm thinking of upgrading my son's box but I'm not sure what would give the best bang for the bucks. System is: […]
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I'm thinking of upgrading my son's box but I'm not sure what would give the best bang for the bucks. System is:

asrock 4coredual-sata2
e4300
2gb stick of ddr2 [so single channel]
7950gx2
running xp pro

Mostly the box is used for:

social networking
web browsing
minecraft
a little video processing

The aim of the upgrade would be to improve the minecraft experience. The board can take things like e7500's or q6600's, both common on ebay uk. Or we can put in 4gb ram, though it can only use 3.5gb max. He's been told ram is ram more important for this than a faster cpu.

Probably can't afford both upgrades atm, hence the question. Grateful for advice 😉.

If upgrading to a Q6600, just remember this. SLACR. That's the stepping that overclocks like mad. 4ghz with a top quality cooler and thermal compound is not unheard of with these, but 3.5 to 3.8ghz is more common.

Problem with OC'ing a quad is the board itself, not many boards can do it without a good cooler on the north bridge.

I have an E8500 running at 3.8ghz with volts within stock tolerance, very easy to OC, aftermarket cooler is required however. The stepping revision on mine is C0, but E0 is available now and not very expensive for this cpu, and it's a great performer. I play minecraft also, and it runs smooth as silk. But then again I have an overpowered video card... a GTX 260 would also be a worthy upgrade as a thought.

If you want to run windows 7, more ram is a must, it's pretty hungry. I have 8GB and it wants at least 1.5GB of that. I don't really see any difference in performance between win 7 x64 and XP pro SP3 either, I just have more ram available which is useful for only some things like running multiple apps or photoshop work.

more ram is always better. max it out to 4gb. (3.5 w/e) You will need at LEAST 2gb to run win7. Then throw a q6600 in it and your done.

For what you want to do with this rig, upgrading ram is the #1 thing to do. Then I would upgrade the gpu. The 7950GX2 was a great card. but modern low/mid cards stomp all over it. A GT240 or HD6670 kill that card and process video much better.

A cpu upgrade would be the third (last) thing I would upgrade. I would OC what you have before upgrading. Even older/slower C2D's can still perform very well. I still have a E6400 oc to 2.66 ghz and it plays games just fine with 3 gb of ram and a 1 gig 9800GT gpu. It runs Windows XP Media Center 2005. That rig came with 2 gig of ram and a 512 mb 7950GT gpu.It's not my main rig anymore, but it can still do the job.

i would put in more ram and over clock i'm sure it's already over kill for minecraft. maybe it's latency deal with the ISP i've not known minecraft to be demanding.