Need to upgrade my PC... on the cheap

[Jackson]

Well my old and trusty PC which I put together in 2009 just ain't cutting it. I can only play the first map on Freerider with the graphics turned down, it chokes on the others. Trying to do any sort of editing with VSDC free editor is also laughable.

So what's a po' boy to do.

Well it starts with this.
https://www.refurbishedpc.com/colle...10ghz-windows-7-or-10?variant=3808026296349+q

Choosing 8GB Ram, 500GB HDD and Windows 10 Pro 64bit comes in at $159.88 with free shipping. FWIW these business class machines are well built.
I've got a ITB, two 500GB, a 250GB plus numerous 2.5 laptop drives and a 2 port external, hot swappable enclosure.

Next is one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JV26GH/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3OIZ5N7QYMJ54&colid=URG3DM29RG10&psc=0

Will it make a difference? Am I spinning my wheels?

Here's a couple comparisons, first the CPUs, new vs. mine.


And now the graphics cards. Mine vs. new.


Not too shabby.

I have a Samsung SSD 850 Pro I'll eventually swap in along with a Hipper 480W ATX v2.2 power supply that was given to me (NIB).

 

[Spork]

I'd say it looks like a nice upgrade for the price.

 

[Jackson]

One of the YouTube tech geeks recommended the Dell and the i5-2400. I never really paid attention to the massive difference between 4 cores vs. 2 at about the same clock speed. He also said to stay away from AMD/Radeon GPUs for that combo. Amazon had the best price on the GeForce GT 1030 OC edition.

ASUS makes it sound decent.
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/PH-GT1030-O2G/

 

[Rick M]

I'd consider the extra $30 for 8 more GB of RAM. Dollar for dollar, additional RAM gets you more performance increase than just about anything else in my experience.

 

[Alfadex]

very nice upgrade

 

[burnham187]

For sure the extra 8GB Memory for $30 without a doubt. You will be happy with that PC for sure. It will more than handle what you need/want it to. Also adding the SSD especially as a boot drive you will notice considerable speed difference. Especially at boot time.

 

[mozquito1]

Cowboys pulling on my heartstrings again. He knows I need a pc instead of a potato. Exactly the same position.
Only freerider freezes as soon as it starts.
My pc is basically flight program only & store video. But can't edit.

 

[Spork]

Cowboys pulling on my heartstrings again. He knows I need a pc instead of a potato. Exactly the same position.
Only freerider freezes as soon as it starts.
My pc is basically flight program only & store video. But can't edit.

Looks like you have another shopping list then

 

[Radium_Angel]

The core i5 will trounce the ancient AMD. So that part is settled.
The GFX cards are all out of whack to what they really should cost, thanks to the cryptocurrency mining craze.
You will get little benefit from more than 8GB of ram, unless you are doing heavy video work, a SSD will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
And some professional experience, if you can, stick with Win7 Pro 64bit edition as long as you can.

 

[Jackson]

I'd consider the extra $30 for 8 more GB of RAM.

8GB will be fine, I'm on a tight budget. Adding more memory will not change the end result, a few minutes more is no biggie to me and I still need need a nice monitor.

Gonna go look at one of these tomorrow..
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ThinkVision-Pro2820-28-inch-WVA-LED-Backlit-LCD-Monitor/43369526

Light used Lenovo ThinkVision Pro2820 - LED monitor - Full HD (1920x1080) - 28"
In great condition, clean, no scratch, no dead pixels. This is Lenovo business level monitor, comes with three years warranty, still have two years left. I upgraded to Dell 34 inches monitor.

Support VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort input. USB 3.0, 90 degree rotate.

Pick up and cash only. $90, can meet in Schererville, IN or south Chicago.

I'll limp in dressed like a bum, I'm sure he'll take $80.

 

[Gyro Doctor]

... 8GB is fine, especially since you're not using the integrated graphics.
For only $3 more from "BuyVPC" you can get a GT1030 with a bigger pipe AND double the clock speed than from Amazon ?!
That's a no-brainer imho (never been that big a fan of Amazon anyway). You are going to love the performance difference.
Might look into another fan though, the cost being almost the same for the lesser GC is no doubt the onboard cooling.
Personally, I'd say skip the fan manifold and have twice the performance of card then just add another cheap muffin fan to the case

 

[Jackson]

For only $3 more from "BuyVPC" you can get a GT1030 with a bigger pipe AND double the clock speed than from Amazon

I'm confused. They show 2 ASUS cards, fanned and fanless which appear to have identical specs.
https://www.buyvpc.com/search.asp?q=GT1030

From Tom's.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asus-gt-1030-graphics-cards,34473.html

Am I missing something?

It does seem that Amazon has some confusing/wrong? Memory Clock Speed listings on all the 1030 card brands.

Here's what NE says.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...e=asus_GeForce_GT_1030-_-14-126-209-_-Product

 

[Gyro Doctor]

... WTH ... Those are both the same cards, just one has active cooling and the other with passive cooling for $10 bucks less !?
Frikkin Amazon ... lol ... looked like the one with just the heat sink was a better card at first. I'd get the one with the built in fan then.
Those things run hotter than Hell anyway and even more so when you overclock them (which I wouldn't do because you'll not even be
working them that hard to need the boost anyway) plus I also noticed those cards recommend a 300W power supply and the Dell's is
only 265W which is probably just fine since you're not asking it to do high speed 3D HD rendering or anything like that.

 

[Gyro Doctor]

Now HERE'S a video card for you !
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...dia_quadro_k6000_12gb.html/?c3ch=CSE&c3nid=98

I wanna know WHO pays $10,000 for just a graphics card ?!

 

[Jackson]

only 265W which is probably just fine

I've got a new Hipper ATX v2.2 480W than was given to me a couple years back.

 

[roger jones]

Just loading windows was a major improvement for my old laptop.
Upgrading is always a balance.
Lots of good advice above.
Good luck.

 

[Gyro Doctor]

Just loading windows was a major improvement for my old laptop

When I built my first computer (Altair 8080 clone) Windows didn't even exist yet !
There was a program called "Quick Menu" (or something like that) where you could make little green
(EVERYTHING was green, no color screens yet) buttons on the screen that were embedded scripts of
extensive command lines to open rudimentary software apps and I had shoe boxes full of 5 1/4 inch floppy disks.

 

[Spork]

(EVERYTHING was green, no color screens yet)

Reminds me of when we thought amber screens were "the thing" because we were sick of green.

shoe boxes full of 5 1/4 inch floppy disks.

Those shoe boxes of 5 1/4" floppy disks have long hit the trash/recycle pile. The weekend before last, my wife and I cleaned out some closets that have not seen light in their back corners since we moved in 15 years ago. Among other things to go were two bags full of cables whose purpose I no longer remembered and the remnants of my 3 1/2" disk collection. I got a couple chuckles out of the fond memories recalled when reading the labels. My wife looked at me funny as the new soldering Spork took apart everything with usable power supplies, switches, knobs, etc and snipped things out for the parts bin. I guess I'm just trading old junk for new junk. I wonder what I'll be making room for when I throw this stuff out.

 

[roger jones]

The good old days I have a 51/4 inch disk as a coffee mat. Just like living history, such an exciting business to be in where year on year it changes and reinvents itself. Wordstar on one disk and your document on the other. Then again maybe not such good old days

 

[Gyro Doctor]

Reminds me of when we thought amber screens were "the thing" because we were sick of green

Yep .... I can remember running out to buy one of those banana yellow monitors when they first came out ... lol ...
THEN came VGA and whoo hooo we actually had color ! ... Then SVGA which, of course had to have, at which point I had
several monitors laying about as door stops.... DOS 5.1 was "Da Bomb'' and Windows 3.1 still used it as it's core.
Ahhhh, memories