Upgrade suggestions?

[Lazerbeak]

My system is somewhat old, and in need of an upgrade. FS9 looks pretty good on it, but it can definitely look a LOT better, and my FPS could stand to see some improvements. It's not just FS though, my system's currently using a GeForce2 MX400, which basically means that virtually none of the latest games will even run on it.

Now, I'm extremely computer illiterate. When I read specs for a certain part, I might as well be reading Chinese. From what I've seen, there's a lot of knowledgeable, computer-savvy people here. I was wondering what kind of upgrades I'd need to buy to make FS look and run a bit better, and also make my comp an all-around better gaming machine.

Keep in mind that I'm on a stiff budget, and would prefer to not spend more than $150 on any given part, if possible.

Also, if more information about my system is required, ask and I'll post it.

Thanks in advance.

[Saitek]

You can't buy a card if your computer board and stuff is old. You will end up with a bottleneck and probably it just won't work.
We really need to know your specs and if you have an AGP or just a PCI thingy on your motherborad.

[Lazerbeak]

We really need to know your specs and if you have an AGP or just a PCI thingy on your motherborad.

Right, my specs are as follows, it's a bone stock Dell Dimension 8200 with:

- Pentium 4, 1700 MHz
- Stock Dell motherboard (PCI, I believe)
- 256 MB of RAM
- GeForce2 MX

I think that's it. I am an absolute idiot when it comes to specs, so I may have missed something.

[GunnerMan]

I hate to say it but a new system is in order. Its really just to old to make any money wise upgrades, you have below par ram size, video card that is about 5 generations old, and same goes for the cpu. You can upgrade the ram but your video card would still slow everything down etc etc. So really unless you replace everything you will see very SMALL improvement, nothing worth spending 150$ on.  :(

[Lazerbeak]

Hmmm, I was afraid of that. But, I'm not surprised.

Sadly, my budget won't allow for a new system (at least one that's any good for gaming), so I guess I'm stuck in the past for quite a while...

Either way, thanks for the reply. You probably saved me a lot of trouble, and a lot of cash.

[GunnerMan]

Glad I could help but sorry to rain on your day.... A good machine can be had in the price range of 1000 - 2000 dollars.