Help to upgrade CPU/GPU

[dark zero]

Ok, is about a PC from my mother (is old and is not a gamer, but watches HD videos)
And well it has the following configurations:
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 at 2.66 Ghz
- Nvidia GS8400
- 4 Gb RAM DDR2
- 500 GB Hard disk

The situation is the next.
She tells me that the performance is not like before and well... it struggles in the moment to watch videos. To make it worse, is slow as an slug.
I was thinking in these 2 options.
- nVIDiA GT 730
- Core 2 Duo E8400 at 3.0 Ghz + Nvidia GT 210

So, which is better in that case? I have at max US$ 80 and I can't decide between that 2 options.

 

[Arachnotronic]

For video playback you will want to find a GPU that has good video acceleration capabilities built into the hardware so that the CPU doesn't have to handle the workload.

Of the two options you gave, the GT 730 is probably the best option. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do a defrag on the HDD

 

[Erithan13]

If it was me I'd get a SSD in there as a first priority. Unless there's a spyware/virus problem I'd bet that sluggishness is entirely down to the HDD and not the cpu. Core 2 may be a relic these days but it shouldn't be struggling that much with video. How much of that 500gb is in use? Even a 120gb SSD would be a tremendous improvement and leave a little for thinking about a cpu or gpu upgrade.

 

[myocardia]

Of the two options you gave, the GT 730 is probably the best option. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do a defrag on the HDD

Definitely. BTW, a used E8400 + a brand new GT 730 should be less than $80, unless used E8400s have went up in price on Ebay recently.

 

[Sonikku]

Core 2 Duo is no slug. If it's chugging on just video playback something else is wrong with your system.

 

[dark zero]

Definitely. BTW, a used E8400 + a brand new GT 730 should be less than $80, unless used E8400s have went up in price on Ebay recently.

Well, here in Peru, the E8400 is like 20 dollars, but the GT 730 goes up to $75, which is an assault. On the other side, the GT 210 is like US$ 35...

 

[CHADBOGA]

The system is likely riddled with spyware and that is why things are so slow.

I presume the O/S is WinXP?

If you could do a clean install, that would likely help heaps too.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The system is likely riddled with spyware and that is why things are so slow.

I presume the O/S is WinXP?

If you could do a clean install, that would likely help heaps too.

Linux, man, that's where it's at, for older PCs.

Edit: Is overclocking possible on her motherboard? Just a thought, it could be an option.

 

[SPBHM]

GPU acceleration is... complicated, a lot of times it fails to work with Chrome and Firefox at least, so I would recommend a cheap quad core at least (like the moded 771 Xeons), you could also get a cheap SSD to help (not with the video decoding, but overall user experience would improve a lot)

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah... if it worked fine before, but is lagging now on the same content, I'm in the "somebody done hacked your shiznit" club.

Reformat and reinstall first.

If it's new videos that are a problem - maybe a new codec that the 8400 can't handle in hardware? - then the 730 is a requirement - pretty sure the 210 has the same feature set as the 8400 (if it's not just a straight rebadge. Only the GTX 260/280 were new, GTS 250 and below were rebadges or respins of the 8xxx/9xxx series nVidia GPUs.)

Also an SSD fanboy here, but it shouldn't be necessary to watch a youtube video.

 

[dark zero]

Thanks guys, so, I'll go to format the OS of the PC of my mother and buy the GT 730.

BTW, the mainboard is Intel, so no OC available. Also the GS8400 is a DDR2 512 Mb card while the GT 210 is a DDR3 1Gb card.

The question was if the Core 2 Duo E6700 won't bottleneck the GT 730 or if I go lower to GT 720.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If it's new videos that are a problem - maybe a new codec that the 8400 can't handle in hardware? - then the 730 is a requirement - pretty sure the 210 has the same feature set as the 8400

Just a FYI, there are like 2 or 3 different versions of the 8400GS. The biggest difference between them is the hardware codec support. Early versions didn't support certain codecs.

The 730GT is a great idea, but if it's just for watching videos, you could step down to a 720. I think that the codec support on those two is the same. Well, actually, if they are both Kepler-based GPUs. I've seen some that are Fermi-based. You want Kepler, it's newer and likely has some updated codec support compared to Fermi-based cards.

 

[LTC8K6]

Get the Kepler GT730 and not the Fermi GT730.

If you get the GDDR5 GT730, it will be Kepler.

If it has 384 cores it is also Kepler.

The 96 core GT730 is the older Fermi gpu.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Thanks guys, so, I'll go to format the OS of the PC of my mother and buy the GT 730.

BTW, the mainboard is Intel, so no OC available. Also the GS8400 is a DDR2 512 Mb card while the GT 210 is a DDR3 1Gb card.

The question was if the Core 2 Duo E6700 won't bottleneck the GT 730 or if I go lower to GT 720.

Core 2 Duo is just fine for the GT 730

I would not recommend overclocking for a PC for a casual user, either. Stability is important.

The new GPU + fresh install of Windows should give your mother a very snappy machine for basic tasks.

 

[myocardia]

Well, here in Peru, the E8400 is like 20 dollars, but the GT 730 goes up to $75, which is an assault. On the other side, the GT 210 is like US$ 35...

Sorry, man. I just assume, since this is an American site, that anyone who doesn't say they are from another country is from here.

Get the Kepler GT730 and not the Fermi GT730.

If you get the GDDR5 GT730, it will be Kepler.

If it has 384 cores it is also Kepler.

The 96 core GT730 is the older Fermi gpu.

Yeah, this is very important. You never said, but I'm assuming you are wanting to decode 1080P videos? If so, you need the Kepler version.

 

[CHADBOGA]

Linux, man, that's where it's at, for older PCs.

Probably not the best choice for a middle aged woman who isn't tech savvy.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Probably not the best choice for a middle aged woman who isn't tech savvy.

I would say the opposite. Dealing with Windows XP, outdated OS and software, keeping everything updated, and having to constantly fight against the onslaught of Windows-based malware, is probably way too much for your average user.

Linux, on the other hand, is as easy to use as a web browser, if you use a modern distro like Linux Mint 17.3.

Plus, updates are all in one easy-to-use place, for both the OS and applications (unlike Windows), and NO WINDOWS MALWARE!

 

[NTMBK]

SSD with a clean install of Windows 10, and a GT730. Should keep her happy for another 5 years.

 

[CHADBOGA]

I would say the opposite. Dealing with Windows XP, outdated OS and software, keeping everything updated, and having to constantly fight against the onslaught of Windows-based malware, is probably way too much for your average user.

Linux, on the other hand, is as easy to use as a web browser, if you use a modern distro like Linux Mint 17.3.

Plus, updates are all in one easy-to-use place, for both the OS and applications (unlike Windows), and NO WINDOWS MALWARE!

Whilst I still have grave doubts about what you are saying, I really must set up a second computer for myself and give Linux a go in the New Year sometime.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The biggest issues with Linux, are generally the initial setup, which, if your hardware is too new, or too obscure, or in some cases, even too old, then you may have issues.

Also, Linux can't run native Windows programs. So, if you have some Windows program that you can't live without, then Linux may not be for you.

But if you simply want to get on the internet, use the web, listen to music, watch videos, Skype, use your printer, etc., then Linux may be able to do those things for you, with less hassle than Windows.

Plus, most Linux desktop distros come as a "Live" distro, that you can burn to a DVD (remember those things?), or a USB stick, and boot off of it directly and try it, without committing to installing it to your primary HDD.

Edit: It's not all roses. My 7950 video card, even with the newest AMD proprietary drivers installed, in Mint, and the newest Linux BOINC app, still won't do crunching on the GPU. So, I'm booted into Windows 7 for the Dec., F@H race. But most of the time I spend booted into Linux. It does nearly everything that I want to do on a day-to-day basis. For gaming though, you're going to want a dual-boot system with Windows.

 

[CHADBOGA]

The biggest issues with Linux, are generally the initial setup, which, if your hardware is too new, or too obscure, or in some cases, even too old, then you may have issues.

Also, Linux can't run native Windows programs. So, if you have some Windows program that you can't live without, then Linux may not be for you.

But if you simply want to get on the internet, use the web, listen to music, watch videos, Skype, use your printer, etc., then Linux may be able to do those things for you, with less hassle than Windows.

Plus, most Linux desktop distros come as a "Live" distro, that you can burn to a DVD (remember those things?), or a USB stick, and boot off of it directly and try it, without committing to installing it to your primary HDD.

Edit: It's not all roses. My 7950 video card, even with the newest AMD proprietary drivers installed, in Mint, and the newest Linux BOINC app, still won't do crunching on the GPU. So, I'm booted into Windows 7 for the Dec., F@H race. But most of the time I spend booted into Linux. It does nearly everything that I want to do on a day-to-day basis. For gaming though, you're going to want a dual-boot system with Windows.

If I can get on the net and use my Logitech wireless mouse, that would be my biggest issues I would be worried about.

How about setting up a wireless connection so that a laptop can connect to my router?

If I have Linux installed on one computer, are there difficulties in getting it to connect to a router connected to a Windows based system?

I understand I couldn't use Windows products, but it would be interesting to try out the non-windows products.

For the most part, I tend to only use various internet browsers, MS Office(I know there are Linux friendly alternatives) uTorrent, VLC, Paint, and a video converter that also converts to audio.

EDIT : Also will I have any issues getting my onboard soundcard to work?

 

[VirtualLarry]

If I can get on the net and use my Logitech wireless mouse, that would be my biggest issues I would be worried about.

I use my Logitech MK270 and MK320 wireless RF keyboard + mouse combos with Linux, no problem. I don't try to re-pair the devices and the nano reciever, though.

How about setting up a wireless connection so that a laptop can connect to my router?

That generally depends entirely on compatibility between the Linux kernel version that the distro uses, and your wireless card. You would probably have to just try the Live distro bootable media in the laptop, and see if it works. If it does, then you're probably golden.

If I have Linux installed on one computer, are there difficulties in getting it to connect to a router connected to a Windows based system?

Not really. Most Linux desktop distros do support SMB protocol, which is what is behind the Windows' file-sharing feature. You might have to install and configure the "SAMBA" package, to share files from the Linux box to the Windows box.

I understand I couldn't use Windows products, but it would be interesting to try out the non-windows products.

For the most part, I tend to only use various internet browsers, MS Office(I know there are Linux friendly alternatives) uTorrent, VLC, Paint, and a video converter that also converts to audio.

I don't know if uTorrent has been ported to Linux, but there's Transmission, a free Torrent client, that works well. VLC is available for Linux. MSPaint is not, but there's the Gimp. (I've never tried it, but many people mention it.)

There are some video-converter utilities, you can try them out.

EDIT : Also will I have any issues getting my onboard soundcard to work?

Again, you'd have to try the LiveUSB or DVD distro, and see if it is supported.

There are some ways of getting hardware that isn't supported by that kernel version natively, working, but it involves some command-line steps, to access a source repository, copy the source code, compile it, and install a kernel module. Not impossible, but somewhat of a pain. (My RealTek chipset-based AC1200 USB wifi dongle fits into that category.)

 

[Arachnotronic]

SSD with a clean install of Windows 10, and a GT730. Should keep her happy for another 5 years.

Definitely this, but that may be out of the OP's budget.

 

[escrow4]

Core 2 Duo is no slug. If it's chugging on just video playback something else is wrong with your system.

It is. E8400:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E8400+@+3.00GHz

G1820:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Celeron+G1820+@+2.70GHz

Yes that is only an indicator but Core 2 is a slug in 2015. Yes its usable but its been outclassed. As for Linux, meh. Windows 10 you won't have to get used to an entirely different environment. Or worry about any driver issues with recent hardware. I've never found any Linux distro to be as seamless as Windows.

 

[myocardia]

Also will I have any issues getting my onboard soundcard to work?

Find the Linux distro you like. It doesn't matter whether your onboard sound works with it or not, when these USB "cards" are only $7: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...I9FDUXJ71AMZF&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl Those things work with any OS that has sound, as far as I can tell.