Desktop replacement advice.

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xyeovillian

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#269881 12-Apr-2020 17:42

My i5 desktop has packed up 7 years old it cost $881 then!
I would like to replace it after lock down it used to run just fine with 8gb ram Windows 10.
What should I be thinking of getting its just used in the garage a 2nd computer for browsing etc bit of word processing.
Would probably fit an SSD and would like to add further drives for storage. My main PC is a Toshiba i7 laptop with 16gb ram which is plenty fast enough for my needs which is also getting a bit tired with a broken hinge for the monitor and the keyboard is also playing up the webcam is gone its 4 years old. Which will also need renewing! At some time in the future.
So unsure of what to get i7 or i9 what is Ryzen is that a better processor?

gzt

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#2460077 12-Apr-2020 17:47

Intending to spend another $881 on this project?

nzkc

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#2460085 12-Apr-2020 18:15

i7 or i9 for "a bit of browsing and word processing"? No. Absolutely no need to go to that level. Any modern base level CPU will handle that requirement.

What exactly has died? And actually what I am asking is: What is salvageable?

xyeovillian

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#2460104 12-Apr-2020 18:49

nzkc:

i7 or i9 for "a bit of browsing and word processing"? No. Absolutely no need to go to that level. Any modern base level CPU will handle that requirement.

What exactly has died? And actually what I am asking is: What is salvageable?

Just won't even boot into bios last time it was the cmos battery I have tested mine and its reading 3.2 volts. I have taken the ram out tried booting no noise from speakers I think it might be power supply!

I could try and get a battery from Countdown and test.

timmmay

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#2460108 12-Apr-2020 19:00

Ryzen gets you a better processor for less money, but an i5 would suit you fine as well.

Wakrak

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#2460175 13-Apr-2020 08:58

I have a Ryzen 3 2200g on a cheap Gigabyte ga-a320m-s2h motherboard. Despite the amount of flak it receives, I still have the option to upgrade to Ryzen 5/7 with this board. Otherwise a lot of people recommend a B450 board just for future flexibility. If you wanted to stick with Intel, I'm not clued up in that realm. What motherboard are you running? There are ways to test your psu as well. So maybe perform a couple of tests and play the elimination game.

8GB of ram is plenty considering your needs. You could get a decent 120GB SSD for $40-$50.

In regards to your Toshiba laptop, there's a bloke on trademe based in Otago who is selling all sorts of Toshiba laptop parts; hinges, cables, fans etc. Was looking to see if he had any CPUs, but had nothing.

nzkc

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#2460180 13-Apr-2020 09:16

xyeovillian:

Just won't even boot into bios last time it was the cmos battery I have tested mine and its reading 3.2 volts. I have taken the ram out tried booting no noise from speakers I think it might be power supply!

I could try and get a battery from Countdown and test.

Since you've probably got time on your hands... I'd take everything out (including RAM and CPU) and see if it boots to bios (or not). If it does, slowly start re-adding things till it fails to boot again. Does sound like PSU or Motherboard though :(

darylblake

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#2460190 13-Apr-2020 09:37

I bought a Ryzen 3000 series and im super glad I did. It is cheap, and extremely cheerful. I would not hesitate to recommend.

16Gig of ram + Ryzen + SSD. There you have it you probably dont even need a graphics card, get something with onboard graphics.