increasing computer speed

[allstar]

my computer has:
128mb ram
intell pentium III processor
598mhz
windows xp
20gb hdd

I would like to make my computer be able to play new games like half-life 2 and world of war craft, but these new games require your computer to have at least somewhere in the 700mhz. I was wondering if I increased my ram to either 512mb or a 1gb or ram if that would speed my computer up enough to be able to play these new games without having to buy a faster processor?

[saphalline]

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!! :D

Sorry to break it to you, but no. The developers put those min reqs where they are for a reason! In fact, even at the min reqs most games aren't what I would call playable. For a decent gaming experience, take the min reqs and double them. Intense, I know, but that's what I recommend.

Here's a rundown of a modern gaming system at the minimum:

2GHz CPU (or AthlonXP 2000+)
512MB DDR RAM
128MB DX8-class vid card (GeForce3 or Radeon 9200 or better)
60GB 7200rpm hard drive
WindowsXP (Home or Pro)

Here's a rundown of a new gaming system (new build):

3GHz CPU (or Athlon64 3000+)
1GB DDR400 or DDR2-533 RAM
128MB DX9-class vid card (GeForce 6 or Radeon X series)
160GB SATA hard drive w/NCQ
WindowsXP Pro

Looking at your specs, and knowing what I do about hardware, I'd say there's very little chance that you can get that old system up to par for playing HL2. You're better off starting over at this point. Even the cheapest CPU's and vid cards these days are going to be much more powerful than what you have now. PC gaming unfortunately requires money for hardware.