Some advice required for a progressive PC upgrade please

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huxtable

107 posts

Master Geek

#181143 4-Oct-2015 14:29

Hi

My desktop PC, which has served me well for about 8 years, is grinding to a halt. Installing Win 10 on it seems to have been the final nail in the coffin, it's become close to unusable.

I bought this PC from ComputerLounge under the premise that I could progressively upgrade it (the justification to my better half); I've upgraded a couple of key components but now I'm trying to determine whether I can "upgrade" what I now have.

I certainly have some components worth holding onto. I figure I should be able to buy a motherboard/CPU?RAM bundle... I *used* to be quite PC-savvy, but haven't followed much in the way of PC tech trends lately, so don't know a Haswell from a Devil's Canyon...

Current Rig:

Lian Li PC-K& case, with 620W PSU
Asus M4N78
AMD Athlon 7750 Dual Core processor
4GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX650Ti (added a couple of years ago)
Samsung 128GB SSD HD
Old WD HDD - probably on its last legs.

Could I please have some recommendations for how to proceed. I figure I should be able to retain my Case, GFX card, & SSD in the short to mid term.

I need to be quite budget-conscious to be able to convince my better half again that this is all worthwhile :) Most of you will be seeing the CPU etc above and thinking it's a Neanderthal system that is less powerful than my mobile phone!

I don't do a lot of gaming on my PC; but do a lot of multitasking, some Lightroom processing, plenty of Chrome tabs, etc. I don't need the latest-and-greatest but of course would like something that should keep me going for at least another 5 or 6 years!

I would love any recommendations as to how I should proceed - thanks!

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107 posts

Master Geek

#1399693 4-Oct-2015 14:39

Hmmm... having found some recommendations on any forum, could anyone offer their thoughts on the following:

CPU : Intel i5 4460 - $275
Motherboard : Asus H81M-E - $90
RAM : 8GB Crucial DDR3 1600MHZ CL11 - $100

If I could get a CPU/Mobo/RAM combo for under $500, I'd be pretty stoked. Any thoughts? Wouldn't be any issues with my existing Case/GFX/SSD etc?

gzt

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#1399697 4-Oct-2015 14:47

Is the o/s on the SSD?

sidefx

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#1399698 4-Oct-2015 14:53

Your plan seems sound. Is that RAM (Your existing 4GB) DDR2 or 3 though?

I haven't been keeping up with CPU developments lately, but it looks like it might be a bit of awkward time to upgrade, because it looks like they've just moved to LGA1151, but CPU availability looks pretty limited for now, especially the cheaper ones? I was going to suggest spending a bit more on the Mobo, going for LGA1151 and getting a cheap pentium for a while and upgrading to one of the better one's when prices come down - but cheap LGA1151 CPUs look fairly few and far between...

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- Richard Feynman

huxtable

107 posts

Master Geek

#1399699 4-Oct-2015 14:56

gzt: Is the o/s on the SSD?

Yes it certainly is :) Which leads me to believe my CPU is finally giving up the ghost given the issues I'm having.

huxtable

107 posts

Master Geek

#1399701 4-Oct-2015 15:05

sidefx: Your plan seems sound. Is that RAM (Your existing 4GB) DDR2 or 3 though?

Good question... it appears to be 2 x 2GB sticks of Corsair DDR2. The RAM is actually only a couple of years old after my original stick failed. But I figure I would probably benefit more by moving to a new stick(s) of DDR3 rather than trying to combine the old with new (which I understand can be fraught with issues).

Based on the often intensive multi-tasking and stuff the RAM is going to be quite an important aspect of my system, however I guess the suggested setup I posted above with 8GB of DDR3 should suffice and is obviously a big upgrade on what I've been rocking. I certainly want a setup where I can easily add to the RAM though.

I think the fact I'm currently using 4GB which seems to be the minimum for running Win10 adequately is a big part of my current issues.

sidefx

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#1399702 4-Oct-2015 15:11

Yeah, go for DDR3.

Also, I'd look at a micro-ATX Mobo - they're usually cheaper and should fit in that case (I assume you meant to put Lian Li PC-K7 in the original post?) and unless you're planning on major overclocking they should work fine. (EDIT: Ah, I see that is a microATX mobo you're looking at already)

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

dusty42

117 posts

Master Geek

#1399705 4-Oct-2015 15:31

I made a similar upgrade recently.

I went from an 8 year old Intel quad to an i3. Bought CPU, a basic uATX mobo (Gigabyte H97) and 8gb of ram for $440.

Very happy - new motherboards do nice things like handle a bunch of hard drives easily, and it's very pleasant to have USB 3. Best of all - the system feels snappier

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jhsol

102 posts

Master Geek

#1400050 5-Oct-2015 10:30

huxtable: Hi

My desktop PC, which has served me well for about 8 years, is grinding to a halt. Installing Win 10 on it seems to have been the final nail in the coffin, it's become close to unusable.

I bought this PC from ComputerLounge under the premise that I could progressively upgrade it (the justification to my better half); I've upgraded a couple of key components but now I'm trying to determine whether I can "upgrade" what I now have.

I certainly have some components worth holding onto. I figure I should be able to buy a motherboard/CPU?RAM bundle... I *used* to be quite PC-savvy, but haven't followed much in the way of PC tech trends lately, so don't know a Haswell from a Devil's Canyon...

Current Rig:

Lian Li PC-K& case, with 620W PSU
Asus M4N78
AMD Athlon 7750 Dual Core processor
4GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX650Ti (added a couple of years ago)
Samsung 128GB SSD HD
Old WD HDD - probably on its last legs.

Could I please have some recommendations for how to proceed. I figure I should be able to retain my Case, GFX card, & SSD in the short to mid term.

I need to be quite budget-conscious to be able to convince my better half again that this is all worthwhile :) Most of you will be seeing the CPU etc above and thinking it's a Neanderthal system that is less powerful than my mobile phone!

I don't do a lot of gaming on my PC; but do a lot of multitasking, some Lightroom processing, plenty of Chrome tabs, etc. I don't need the latest-and-greatest but of course would like something that should keep me going for at least another 5 or 6 years! I would love any recommendations as to how I should proceed - thanks!

Due to your ram being DDR2 no matter which path you take to upgrading (Intel vs AMD) you will need to move up to DDR3. This means that you are going to have to take a large hit by upgrading your CPU, Mobo and Ram all at the same time.

http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=375/ID=23102/SID=20362435/productdetails.html <- $239 for an i3
http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=913/ID=22876/SID=255452782/productdetails.html <- $120 for a mobo (4 DDR slots, USB3 etc)

OR

http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=375/ID=26122/SID=1035680875/productdetails.html <- Skylake i5-6400 @ $319
http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=1296/ID=26366/SID=702184786/productdetails.html <- Mobo $152

OR

http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=696/ID=19285/SID=244862891/productdetails.html <- AMD FX-6300 CPU $179
http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=261/ID=21018/SID=586318185/productdetails.html <- AM3 Mobo $159

Then ram to match
http://playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=254/ID=15301/SID=306285679/productdetails.html <- DDR3 2x 4GB $109

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/fx-8350-8320-6300-4300_7.html CPU performance charts for Lightroom included.

$460 for the i3 route
$447 for the AMD 6300 route.
$580 for the i5 route

i3
The i3 will give you an overall better performance for single threaded apps
Upgrade paths will let you get any of the i5 based CPUs off trademe that support socket 1150 (i5-4000 series)
i5
The i5 will give you the best performance out of the 3 but obviously at a cost.
Upgrade paths are quite promising as this is a brand new socket. However Intel have a habit of changing sockets every 2 years. Expect 1151 to be around for at least 2 years if not more however.
AMD
The AMD will give you an overall better performance for multi threaded apps (including Lightroom) but will be worse performing in single threaded apps.
Your upgrade paths are quite strong here however AMD is meant to be releasing a new CPU/Socket form next year. However you have access to any of the FX 8000 series cpus and as a bonus they are all multiplier unlocked. With some simple google/youtube tutorials you can easily push your cpu above its stock speed (the FX6300 will get you between 4 and 4.5GHZ on average with serious overclockers pushing the 4.8-5Ghz).

So for you its probably best to write out a list of the applications you use heavily and then work out whether they are optimised for multi core work or not.

Sideface

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#1400155 5-Oct-2015 11:36

jhsol: ... Due to your ram being DDR2 no matter which path you take to upgrading (Intel vs AMD) you will need to move up to DDR3. This means that you are going to have to take a large hit by upgrading your CPU, Mobo and Ram all at the same time. ...

+1

Bite the bullet and go for the i5 option - best value-for-money.

Sideface

sidefx

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#1400177 5-Oct-2015 11:44

You could ping Computer Lounge for ETA on this:

http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?r=p&partid=25592

And if relatively soon, you go for that in the interim if you need to save for a skylake i5.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

Hammerer

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#1400289 5-Oct-2015 14:13

huxtable: Hi

My desktop PC, which has served me well for about 8 years, is grinding to a halt. Installing Win 10 on it seems to have been the final nail in the coffin, it's become close to unusable.

...

I need to be quite budget-conscious to be able to convince my better half again that this is all worthwhile :) Most of you will be seeing the CPU etc above and thinking it's a Neanderthal system that is less powerful than my mobile phone!

I don't do a lot of gaming on my PC; but do a lot of multitasking, some Lightroom processing, plenty of Chrome tabs, etc. I don't need the latest-and-greatest but of course would like something that should keep me going for at least another 5 or 6 years! I would love any recommendations as to how I should proceed - thanks!

jhsol has done some good groundwork for you. But it's hard to say what your best option is without having a realistic view of the budget issue. What is the likely limit and how inflexible is it? Would $580 be unacceptable but $460 OK - or are neither acceptable?

If you need better price-performance then you can also consider buying second-hand.

There's still a major trade-off between the number of cores and the performance of each so do you really require true multitasking performance? Most people have many programs running but actually need most of the CPU power for one program at a time. The i3 will give you that performance because of the higher clock speed.

If you want Windows 10 driver support then make sure it is there before you buy. Only the mobo with the i5 has it in the specs. See http://www.maximumpc.com/windows-10-graphics-cards-and-motherboard-drivers-updating/ or similar sites to check.

Running lots of Chrome tabs is primarily a memory issue (it's the main reason why I mainly use Firefox) so don't skimp on RAM, both capacity and actual. So don't consider getting a mobo with less than 4 slots because 2 slots give less options to upgrade a) incrementally and b) in cheaper increments without having to replace what you've already bought.

As to convincing her of the benefits. A consumer-level laptop for the average user would be $1000 so getting something for $500 or so would be a win.

jhsol

102 posts

Master Geek

#1400957 6-Oct-2015 12:41

I just wanted to add that all my recommendations were purely to get you looking in the right direction, not necessarily a "best bet pick".
Ill also add that the i5-6400 will outperform the FX-6300 in most (if not all) applications straight out of the box. However do note that if you are confident at doing some basic overclocking (ie just adjusting the multiplyer) with a decent cooler ($40-$70 price range) you can easily match that performance with the 6300.

Ill add to Hammerer's post and say that Windows 10 driver support is given for any brand new PC Component you purchase right now. If it has Windows 8 drivers there is a 99% chance it will work in Windows 10. His comment about budget though is spot on. If $580 is within your budget range then the i5 is probably the best choice.

timmmay

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#1400963 6-Oct-2015 12:47

Lightroom is CPU intensive and uses threads pretty well. i5 is a good bet, AMD may be cheaper and decent but I don't know anything about them these days - Intel is what most people use.

Hammerer

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#1401104 6-Oct-2015 16:08

jhsol:
Ill add to Hammerer's post and say that Windows 10 driver support is given for any brand new PC Component you purchase right now. If it has Windows 8 drivers there is a 99% chance it will work in Windows 10. His comment about budget though is spot on. If $580 is within your budget range then the i5 is probably the best choice.

The budget issue should make you more risk averse as you can't afford to have a dud install, not the least for credibility with your partner. I agree that well over 99% of people will have no problems but what happens if you do. I see the same issue with each new version of Windows where people assume that it will work and it doesn't quite. If official support for Windows 10 is not documented by the vendor then you should get the retailer to confirm that the combo will work with Windows 10 before buying. Either that or confirm to your satisfaction that the same combo is actually working without problems in other computers - just search for the product combination and see what people are saying.

huxtable

107 posts

Master Geek

#1449825 13-Dec-2015 20:51

Hi again - well I've finally saved up $700 to order my new PC components.

$700 to buy a new CPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, & HDD. I already have an SSD for OS etc, and I've decided to play it safe and replace my existing PSU as it's 8 years old.

Here's what I've got in my shopping cart at Computer Lounge:

ASUS B150M-A Intel B150, DDR4, mATX, LGA1151 Motherboard
Intel Skylake Core i3-6100 3.7Ghz, 3MB, LGA1151 Processor
Corsair CMK8GX4M2A2400C14R Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4-2400 CL14
Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200rpm 64MB Cache SATA3

Comes to $591. Going to buy a FSP 550w Raider PSU from another store for about $90 as CL don't stock them.

Anyone want to talk me out of getting what I've listed? I know the i3 6100 CPU isn't the flashest/fastest, but I feel it gives me a nice solid upgrade, with a bit of upgrade potential down the track.

Any comments appreciated - thanks!

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