Increasing the amount of RAM you have (well, within reason; if you already have 4GB you really don't need more) is always gonna be the cheapest method of breathing life back into an old rig. Increasing the amount of available physical memory your system has will reduce usage of virtual memory, which in turn significantly reduces the load on your CPU. For games like WoW, which are generally extremely CPU-intensive (it's why you're seeing such significant gains with multicore procs), this can make all the difference in the world, though Shattrath/Dalaran are gonna perform for crap no matter what kinda rig you're running.
For folks still using DDR1 RAM (my old box uses it), NewEgg's selling 2x1GB of Corsair ValueSelect for $65 ($25 after rebate.) It doesn't get much better than that. My old box was running 512MB, and upgrading to 2GB was by far what made the most difference, even though I did upgrade its decrepit 9600XT to a slightly more youthful X1550.
Replacing CPUs, mobos, and even GPUs can sometimes be more trouble than it's worth - you can build a brand-new rig for about $500 USD these days, and it'll run anything out there (yes, even Crysis) at solid settings and dependable framerates. If you recycle peripherals like keyboards, mice, and monitors, just building yourself a new rig may end up being cheaper than upgrading an existing one, especially if your existing one is behind the times when it comes to card slots (like my old box, which only has AGP x8 and no PCIe.)
For folks still using DDR1 RAM (my old box uses it), NewEgg's selling 2x1GB of Corsair ValueSelect for $65 ($25 after rebate.) It doesn't get much better than that. My old box was running 512MB, and upgrading to 2GB was by far what made the most difference, even though I did upgrade its decrepit 9600XT to a slightly more youthful X1550.
Replacing CPUs, mobos, and even GPUs can sometimes be more trouble than it's worth - you can build a brand-new rig for about $500 USD these days, and it'll run anything out there (yes, even Crysis) at solid settings and dependable framerates. If you recycle peripherals like keyboards, mice, and monitors, just building yourself a new rig may end up being cheaper than upgrading an existing one, especially if your existing one is behind the times when it comes to card slots (like my old box, which only has AGP x8 and no PCIe.)
ArrayPaladins were not meant to sit in the back of the raid staring at health bars all day, spamming heals and listening to eight different classes whine about buffs.[/quote]
The original Heavy Metal Cowâ¢. USDA inspected, FDA approved.
The original Heavy Metal Cowâ¢. USDA inspected, FDA approved.