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Upgrade my pc or buy a new one?

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pewoin

PCHF Member
Aug 2, 2018
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#1
Hi all,

I'm wondering if I should upgrade my desktop pc (+/- 2011, maybe even 2009 or earlier), or simply buy a new one?
--> At this moment (2018/08) I believe I could still use it for a few more years by upgrading: "buy new ssd + format c (or buy windows 10) + buy 2 hard drives for data (one of those that will backup the others automatically somehow)", but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm new to pc troubleshooting/building/upgrading/..., and I prefer to keep things budget friendly, and I have no real idea what (type) ssd would be compatible with my motherboard.
  1. If upgrade current system --> What kind of SSD would work, and/or what kind of upgrades should I do?
    1. Would this work for knowing what I can upgrade it with? http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/MSI-H67MA-E45-B3-MS-7678/2688
  2. If buying a new pc is better --> What do you recommend and why?

System Information:
  • Operating system: Windows 7, 64-bit
  • System Manufacturer: MSI
  • System Model: MS-7678
  • Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
  • Memory: 16384MB RAM
Display Devices:
  • Card name: AMD Radeon HD 6670
  • Display Memory: 4095 MB
  • Dedicated Memory: 1003 MB
  • Shared Memory: 3092 MB
  • 2 screens:
    • Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
      • Output Type: HDMI
    • Current Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
      • Output Type: DVI
Disk:
  • Total Space: 953.9 GB
  • File System: NTFS
  • Model: SAMSUNG HD103SJ ATA Device

PSU: (edit on 20180808)
  • 500 W
  • Brilliant Power
  • Model: LPK19-30
  • K110700720 (sticker, no idea what this means)

RAM: (edit on 20180808)
  • 4x the following: Kingston KVR, KVR1333D3N9/4G, 1.5V
Case: (edit on 20180808)
  • No info on case, but seems to have space for extra hard drives. My guess = Mid tower (since it's 40 cm high).

Greetings,
pewoin
 
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#3
pewoin said:
2 hard drives for data (one of those that will backup the others automatically somehow)", but maybe I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Make sure that the drive that you use for backups is detachable and that you detach it when you are done using it.

This will prevent your backups form being infested with something should the primary drive get infested.

The other thing that you need to look at is the Power Supply Unit. Is it going to supply enough power to run everything at full capacity. Some Display Cards require 300 or more watts minimum to run.
 
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#4
your processor was launched 2011, so unless you have upgraded that in the past, your PC is 7yo.
which isn't young, so you have to justify if spending money on it would give more productivity and longevity than the expenditure in time and money.
if it has any problems currently; errors, failing hardware etc, that would be further nails in the coffin.

but assuming it's all working fine (albeit somewhat slow) I think all you would need to consider is getting a SSD (any would do, purely capacity versus price driven) and installing Win7 (or Win10 if you like but no need) on the SSD. The current drive then becomes an internal secondary unit for data storage or backups. of course it could always be put in an external caddy if the new SSD is large enough for all your needs.

which brings up the next question - are your usage needs of that PC changing?
if yes, a new rig may be the best option - latest and greatest and all that.
if not, a simple, cheap upgrade to a SSD will give an awesome speed boost for the least price, couple that with a fresh install of the OS and you have virtually a new PC - with the caveat of course - physically it's 7yo and the gamble is will some hardware fail soon? (but that's just as possible on a new PC)
 
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#5
Bruce said:
I think all you would need to consider is getting a SSD (any would do, purely capacity versus price driven)
Click to expand...
I like your post, thanks, but don't there exist multiple kind of SSD?
I'm not sure what kind would be compatible with my pc, and I also don't know for sure where I should probably order one.
 
#6
Couple of questions, a couple of observations and a couple of follow up questions;

What will be the main use of the computer.

What is your maximum budget and in which country will you be purchasing any potential upgrades.

Looking at your specs we can see that you have the smaller micro ATX type of motherboard, these are often used in small form factor cases (SFF) which not only limits the maximum size of any add on video card you can upgrade to but also the amount of additional drive bays there may or may not be, something already mentioned by Rustys is the PSU, SFF cases will also most often only have the bare minimum output PSU and quite often not the best of quality/brand either.

Observations.

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
Memory: 16384MB RAM

Plenty of RAM so no need to add more but you need to be aware of the following, the fastest RAM that is compatible with your CPU is 1333MHz, this will slightly reduce the speed of any SSD and new GPU that you may add, depending on the intended use as long as your RAM is 1333MHz and not 1066MHz you will be ok for gaming as the difference between the speed of 1333MHz and the previously more widely used 1600MHz is not too different.

Follow up questions.

What is the brand and model name or number of the present PSU.

What is the brand and model name or number of the case, if an unknown brand can you let us know if the case is a SFF, mid tower or a full size desktop tower.
 
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#7
The highest strain on the pc will probably be a game or 2, nothing too big of a deal I think, I'll post the min.req. below.

I prefer to keep my budget as low as possible, that's why I thought of just upgrading to an ssd, and do a reinstall of windows, since my processor & ram should be sufficient enough. The graphical card can run everything I'm running atm, so that shouldn't be an issue either I think. I figured the pc could still be used for a couple more years then, but I could be wrong.

Country would probably be somewhere around Belgium/Netherlands/Germany, I guess, unless someone tells me I should let the part fly in from somewhere else, then any country is possible offcourse.

No idea atm what my PSU is atm, same for the case or my RAM, I'd have to look when I'm back home in a few days.

Thank you already for all the info, updates will follow.

--- (1)
MINIMUM SPECS​
2 GHz processor (supporting SSE2 instruction set or higher)​
1 GB RAM (2 GB of RAM for Windows Vista and newer)​
8 GB available hard disk space​
Shader version 2.0 capable video card​
Screen resolutions up to 1920x1200​
Support for DirectX v9.0c or better​
Windows XP (Service Pack 3 ONLY), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10​
​
RECOMMENDED SPECS​
3 GHz processor​
2 GB of RAM (4 GB of RAM for Windows Vista and higher)​
12 GB available hard disk space​
Nvidia GeForce 8800/AMD Radeon HD 5670 or equivalent video card (Dedicated GPU with 512MB or higher Video Memory(VRAM))​
Support for DirectX v9.0c or better.​
Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 with the latest service pack installed​
The latest update to .NET Framework from Microsoft​

--- (2)
Minimum System Requirements​
OS: Windows XP SP 3 or higher​
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo e6400 or AMD Athlon x64 4000+ (~2.2Ghz dual core CPU)​
Memory: 2 GB RAM​
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT or ATI Radeon HD 3600​
DirectX: 9.0c​
Hard Drive: 5 GB free HD space​
​
For DirectX11​
OS: Windows Vista SP2 or higher​
Graphics: AMD 5000 series or Nvidia 400 series or higher​
​
To use NVIDIA APEX PhysX:​
Nvidia Graphics Card with 1G of video RAM​
Driver Version 310.90 or higher​
---
 
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#10
Hello, i would like to jump in here with my comments, but i am not an expert, i will just write out of my experience.

I recently upgrade my gaming rig, so i will tell you what i had and my finsings after the upgrade.

I used to have:
Intel Core i7 2600K
Asus ROG Maximus IV Extreme-z
16 GB DDR3 RAM
Corsair builder series cx 750w (PSU)

Those items i bought 2012-04 (YYYY-MM) and they are still going strong in my fathers PC.
The only thing i keept upgrading was my Graphics card, and you will come along way whit just that.

I am a gamer, i play alot of AAA game that demand alot from you computer and it handled fine with today's games, the reason i upgraded was two reasons:

1: I thought that it would fix one of my game issue (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
2: My CPU ran a little bit to hot (90 degrees C) just needed to re-apply cooling paste and re-seat the CPU sink.

So what i did for my father is this:
we got a new SSD (Samsung 250 GB) for Windows 10 and re-use the other hard dives, if you have the INTEL CPU fan, clean it often, it tend to clog with dust after a year or so. He uses his computer to play "low end games" like solitaire, banking and internet.
 
#11
Updates

PSU:
  • 500 W
  • Brilliant Power
  • Model: LPK19-30
  • K110700720 (sticker, no idea what this means)
RAM:
  • 4x the following: Kingston KVR, KVR1333D3N9/4G, 1.5V
Case:
  • No info on case, but seems to have space for extra hard drives. My guess = Mid tower (since it's 40 cm high).
 
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#12
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#15
Best I can find here or from PARADIGIT here

Please note that before upgrading anything else on the computer you should upgrade the PSU first, got to be blunt here, the present PSU is complete junk, it is labelled as being 500W but in fact it is only 300W, see manufacturer's specs here which are confirmed as being correct here

Edit to add: it is only the bare drive so you will need a mounting bracket/screws, a SATA cable and migration software.
 
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#19
I'm in the middle of moving to another home in these 2 weeks, so I don't have much time, but I'm also still wondering what ssd to get and how exactly, different sites give different filters/possibilities, it's confusing :s
 
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