Need to speed up wife's computer

[Replacement]

I have tried to get her to change her computer habits and it is not going to happen so I want to upgrade her computer so it can handle how she uses it. The issue is that it is not uncommon for her to have 100+ tabs in chrome open along with 25 outlook emails. This has been slowing down her computer to the point where she has to wait for the computer to catch up and causes a lot of wasted time. I have told her to not have as many open, but she is not going to change.

She is always multi-tasking and I hope I can salvage what she has and make some upgrades to be able to keep up with her.

Her brother built this computer about 3 years ago. It has W7 32-bit with 4gb of RAM. The Motherboard is a Biostar A760G M2+, The processor is a AMD AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 630 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s).

I was thinking that I could install W7 64-bit on a 128gb SSD and install 8gb of RAM.
I have the W7 32-bit disk and someone told me that I might be able to use the same key and disk and get W7 64-bit out of it. Is that true or do I have to get a new copy of W7 64-bit? The disk says "Licensed for distribution only with a new PC".
I would have to get a SSD to put the OS on.
I would also have to buy 8gb of RAM as well.

Does this seem like it will speed up her computer to be able to keep up with her?

Any suggestions on what else I can do without spending $500 + on this upgrade? Please keep in mind that usage habits are very unlikely to change. I would like to stay under $350 if possible.
Any suggestions on specific hardware?

 

[TapWater]

Man im one of the least qulaified people on here to give advice for upgrading.. BUT I can definitely say that getting an SSD has made the world of difference to any computer I have changed over to SSD.

I first did my PC.. boot times, shut down times, and opening of apps - oh my god the difference is just so big. I was so happy I showed my sister and we did it to her laptop.

Its an old macbook white 2008 model.. and afterwards it literally behaved like a 2013 brand new Macbook Pro doing all the the stuff I just mentioned. We put in 8GB of ram as well and it even gave it a kick on the video ram somehow. Awesome upgrade, and easily the single biggest difference you can make to an average computer.

As for the ram, I think how much ram the computer will recognise depends obviously on it having 64 bit windows, but also what the mother board will handle.. I had an old Dimension Dell 9150 and 4Gb was the limit.. but yeah I have no idea if your MB is some new one or not.. anyway good luck im sure someone on here will be able to help you out some more soon.

 

[Ken g6]

That mobo doesn't support DDR3. So I'd forget about getting more RAM, or a new copy of Windows.

A 128GB SSD is a great idea. I'd consider getting a Samsung 840 Pro so it can handle all the swapping her computer is apparently doing. A Crucial M4 wouldn't be a bad choice either - though its write speeds are slower.

Reinstalling Windows, in and of itself, may speed up her computer. Be sure to run virus and malware scans of her old drive before accessing any of her old data.

 

[Torn Mind]

100+ tabs open in Chrome. Oh yes, most likely the RAM is well-stuffed and the RAM-CPU communication is actually taking place between the hard drive and CPU instead via the pagefile. My ancient D810 and Netburst rig constantly did that and it was miserable. The SSD will help even if you don't upgrade RAM it there is increased data bandwidth and reduced data latency.

Sounds like you have the retail version of Windows. The product key should work regardless of whether it is 64 bit or 32 bit. 64 bit is important if you are going over 4GBs of RAM.

One problem is that that mobo uses DDR2 RAM. You'll have to look on the used market because new DDR2 RAM is fucking expensive.

 

[DooKey]

You can buy 8gb of DDR3, a new MB, and a 120gb SSD for under $350 and you'll have a better performing system.

MSI MB for $80: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130637

GSkill DDR3 1600 for $53: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231546

Samsung 840 120gb SSD for $95: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147188

And like Torn said you'll need a 64-bit version of Windows to utilize all the RAM.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Sounds like you have the retail version of Windows. The product key should work regardless of whether it is 64 bit or 32 bit. 64 bit is important if you are going over 4GBs of RAM.

x64 is not just important. Its a requirement for 4GB+ RAM (on windows). If you run a 32bit version you'll effectively have 3GB RAM available minus the amount on your GFX card. I can confirm windows keys work fine on both 32- and 64bit editions. Isn't that long since I upgraded a family members PC to the x64 version. You just need the appropriate installation media.

Adding an SSD seems like the best solution, but an upgrade to win x64 and bumping the RAM to 8GB would help massively. You're in luck actually that you have an AM3 CPU. All you need to do is find a cheap board with the 900-series chipset. That'll allow you to use DDR3 RAM. Though you would have to add the cost of a cheap graphics card as the 900 series chipsets do not have an integrated GPU.

 

[kevinsbane]

You will have to go through Microsoft to reactivate your key - and they may not reactivate it. Windows OEM keys are generally tied to motherboards. If you swap out the motherboard, it will thinks it's a totally different system and that's a no-no for OEM keys. That being said, Microsoft has generally been very forgiving on Windows reactivations, even sometimes doing it for motherboard swaps.

 

[Termie]

...

I was thinking that I could install W7 64-bit on a 128gb SSD and install 8gb of RAM.
I have the W7 32-bit disk and someone told me that I might be able to use the same key and disk and get W7 64-bit out of it. Is that true or do I have to get a new copy of W7 64-bit? The disk says "Licensed for distribution only with a new PC".
I would have to get a SSD to put the OS on.
I would also have to buy 8gb of RAM as well.

...

He has a 32-bit OEM installer disc. He can't get a 64-bit off that disc, regardless of whether the key would be valid.

Also, the SSD is the most critical upgrade here, although more RAM would help (if you had a 64-bit OS). Given that you're going to need to reinstall the OS if you get the SSD, why not just bump her up to Windows 8 64-bit so she feels she's getting something new? If it's still slow after that, well, you have a bit of a problem. Your motherboard only has two RAM slots, so you'd have to source two ridiculously expensive 4GB DDR2 sticks. Your best bet may actually be to replace the whole system at that point. Picking up a more modern AMD CPU and FM2 motherboard rather than tearing apart your existing Athlon system, which may have a bit of resale value.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Given that you're going to need to reinstall the OS if you get the SSD, why not just bump her up to Windows 8 64-bit so she feels she's getting something new?

I think you're running in to driver issues with that 760G (Radeon not-even-HD 3000). Is it even supported under windows 8?. Windows 8 also has something of a learning curve. That may or may not be a factor with your wife... it certainly is with mine... :\

 

[TapWater]

Yeah my partner wanted to slap me about when she saw what I did to our lovely PC (WIn 8).. tbh I kinda hate it as well.

WIn 7 is so much better and is what I have installed on my iMac.. Ill probably wait for Win 9 if its any good for the iMac. And if my proper PC ever gets issues im reinstalling Win 7! Good point Insert_Nickname.

 

[Termie]

The only reason I mention W8 is that it would be a shame to have to buy a brand new copy of W7 just to get the 64-bit version, given that an upgrade to 8GB is essentially impossible with this motherboard anyway.

The most cost-effective upgrade, by far, is to reinstall the existing 32-bit copy of W7 on a new SSD. It will take care of 90% of the problems. The rest, well, I'd wait until a new system is in order, and yes, perhaps that should wait for W9.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Hmm... the OEM key may work with a 64-bit version. You can legitimately download a copy of Windows 7 64-bit through Microsoft (you don't have to deal with any disreputable sources that way) and try the key.

 

[Termie]

Hmm... the OEM key may work with a 64-bit version. You can legitimately download a copy of Windows 7 64-bit through Microsoft (you don't have to deal with any disreputable sources that way) and try the key.

This is an interesting idea, and I have never tried this so it may work. But if I were Microsoft, I'd make sure that OEM keys for physical copies did not work for full downloadable versions of the software. They are different products for different markets.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

This is an interesting idea, and I have never tried this so it may work. But if I were Microsoft, I'd make sure that OEM keys for physical copies did not work for full downloadable versions of the software. They are different products for different markets.

You're quite right. "Real" OEM keys (as in brand-name pre-built systems) do not work with retail/system builder media. However the OP's was a home built, so I'd hazard the guess that the key is a system builder key. Now you'd certainly have to call Microsoft to get it activated, but I never had any problems. Even with MB swaps. The worst that can happen is that that you get a Microsoft representative on the other end. But they're usually pretty lenient, if you explain the situation. F.x. bad MB, can't get the same model anymore.

 

[Termie]

You're quite right. "Real" OEM keys (as in brand-name pre-built systems) do not work with retail/system builder media. However the OP's was a home built, so I'd hazard the guess that the key is a system builder key. Now you'd certainly have to call Microsoft to get it activated, but I never had any problems. Even with MB swaps. The worst that can happen is that that you get a Microsoft representative on the other end. But they're usually pretty lenient, if you explain the situation. F.x. bad MB, can't get the same model anymore.

Are you saying he can use a system builder key to download and license a retail copy? I'd be surprised, but maybe it's worth a try.

 

[k1114]

This is an interesting idea, and I have never tried this so it may work. But if I were Microsoft, I'd make sure that OEM keys for physical copies did not work for full downloadable versions of the software. They are different products for different markets.

It will not work. OEM copies of windows 7 work on the SLIC+certificate+key method for offline automatic activation. A combination of three items is needed to activate:

1. An OEM key
2. A SLIC "code" in the BIOS of the motherboard itself
3. A matching certificate file (pre-installed when installing the OS from OEM media).

So if you use a new motherboard, #2 is missing. If you use different installation media, #3 is missing. An OEM key cannot be activated without #2 and #3, no matter what. Even Microsoft themselves cannot make it work, as inputting an OEM key forces an offline activation attempt, which will fail.

You're quite right. "Real" OEM keys (as in brand-name pre-built systems) do not work with retail/system builder media. However the OP's was a home built, so I'd hazard the guess that the key is a system builder key. Now you'd certainly have to call Microsoft to get it activated, but I never had any problems. Even with MB swaps. The worst that can happen is that that you get a Microsoft representative on the other end. But they're usually pretty lenient, if you explain the situation. F.x. bad MB, can't get the same model anymore.

I believe you are correct. The board the OP posted was never (to my knowledge) an OEM board, meaning it never had SLIC code, and the key in use has to be something that uses a normal online activation method. I'd bet Microsoft would reactivate for him/her.

 

[Termie]

Lots of good ideas here, but it doesn't get past the issue that the OP has 2 RAM slots populated with two 2GB DDR2 sticks, and 4GB DDR2 sticks cost an absurd $80 each: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...eId=1&name=4GB

The only reason to attempt to upgrade from the 32-bit to 64-bit version of W7 was to increase the memory, but that's not reasonably possible with this motherboard.

Another poster above suggested buying a new motherboard and 4GB DDR3 sticks, but again, this is a huge investment as well.

I would try a new SSD first, and if that does not improve performance significantly, replace the entire system with something more up-to-date. If he's going to spend $70 on a motherboard and $50 on RAM, in addition to $100 on an SSD and potentially another $100 on a 64-bit operating system, he might as well have a much faster CPU to go along with it, like an i3-3220.

 

[mfenn]

I would try a new SSD first, and if that does not improve performance significantly, replace the entire system with something more up-to-date. If he's going to spend $70 on a motherboard and $50 on RAM, in addition to $100 on an SSD and potentially another $100 on a 64-bit operating system, he might as well have a much faster CPU to go along with it, like an i3-3220.

This is the best solution IMHO.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Are you saying he can use a system builder key to download and license a retail copy? I'd be surprised, but maybe it's worth a try.

Yes. You just need the appropriate installation media for your version (HP/Pro/Ultimate x86/x64). Or remove the ei.cfg file from the install media. That way when you input the key, the installer determines which version to install.

See this thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2225273

 

[piasabird]

An i5 Quad Core with 16 gb of RAM might help along with Win7 64. Truthfully, just save your money and build a new computer.

 

[BYOGamingPC]

Well, I have a wife who doesn't like change either so I understand your situation. What you probably want to do is have a new computer with an old shell. =) Keep your computer case, CPU, DVD, and power supply but put in some new guts. If all you use the computer for is basic web surfing, streaming video, and using Microsoft Office then the below configuration should work just fine for around $215.

Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 Motherboard - $47.99 http://bit.ly/ZARLJh
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM - $44.99 http://bit.ly/12b9mNk
Intel 160GB X25-M SSD - $129.95 http://amzn.to/15Qvyv7

 

[Midwayman]

You could just try this instead.....
http://unclutterer.com/2010/11/03/u...to-limit-the-number-of-open-windows-and-tabs/

She might not find it amusing, but it would speed things up.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Well, I have a wife who doesn't like change either so I understand your situation. What you probably want to do is have a new computer with an old shell. =) Keep your computer case, CPU, DVD, and power supply but put in some new guts. If all you use the computer for is basic web surfing, streaming video, and using Microsoft Office then the below configuration should work just fine for around $215.

Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 Motherboard - $47.99 http://bit.ly/ZARLJh
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM - $44.99 http://bit.ly/12b9mNk
Intel 160GB X25-M SSD - $129.95 http://amzn.to/15Qvyv7

Not to slap you down or anything, I can see this is your first post after all. Please don't get the wrong impression...

I would not recommend a 760G board to anyone, as the IGP (to put it mildly) is completely outdated. It doesn't even have basic video acceleration. Which is important for youtube viewing for example. For AM3(+) the minimum acceptable, to me, is a 880G/890G (Radeon HD4250/90). They are the last chipsets for AM3 with an IGP. The 900 series is completely IGP-less. Of course if you add a discrete card, its a mute point, but you'll have to factor in the extra cost.

And welcome to the forums. It might be a little turbulent here at times, but people are very civilized in general hardware... ()

 

[BYOGamingPC]

I did not know that. I'm more of an Intel kinda guy and am not very versed in AMD processors therefore chipsets. Just a basic knowledge. Thanks for the correction! =)

In that case, I would say this is probably a board you would want to check out with the other parts.

MSI Socket AM3+, AMD 880G+SB850 Motherboard - $85.54 http://amzn.to/Wi6fk5
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM - $44.99 http://bit.ly/12b9mNk
Intel 160GB X25-M SSD - $129.95 http://amzn.to/15Qvyv7

 

[sm625]

If you love her, get her an SSD. If you want minimal hassle, buy an intel. They give you a free version of acronis that has a literal 1-click clone operation. Even if the thing runs out of memory, it wont hurt that badly since swapfile operations go pretty quick.