Older PC needs upgrades. Thoughts ?

[MentalIlness]

I have older PC that needs some upgrading. Now before anyone says to do a complete rebuild...I do plan on doing that, but it isn't to replace the Intel machine. Ill be upgrading the AMD machine once I see how Ryzen turns out. Whether that be AMD or Intel remains to be seen.

Anyway.......

The PC has:

Core 2 E7200
EVGA 9800GTX
4 GIG DDR2 800 G-Skill
19" monitor
Gigabyte P45 UD3P
160 GB
Windows 7 Home

Now this PC is and has only been for a huge back log of older games. I know parts are relatively cheap now. But what are your thoughts on what to upgrade ? The most demanding game this PC may run is Doom 3, Prey and the like. But I know there are several years left in this...so I prefer to hang onto it longer.

I was considering something like a Core 2 Q9650 and maybe something like my GTX 760 I currently run in my AMD rig. Does this sound like a good match ? I will also be upgrading the hard drive....maybe to a SSD.

I find that in doing this, will alleviate most problems, trying to get "older" games to run on newer hardware and newer OS.

So...going from the PC above to this....

Core 2 Q9650
EVGA GTX 760 SC
8 GIG DDR2
1080p monitor
Gigabyte P45 UD3P
250GB SSD
Windows 7 Home

Let's assume I want to go to about $300 max for this....

How much longer can it survive ?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I have older PC that needs some upgrading. Now before anyone says to do a complete rebuild...I do plan on doing that, but it isn't to replace the Intel machine. Ill be upgrading the AMD machine once I see how Ryzen turns out. Whether that be AMD or Intel remains to be seen.

Anyway.......

The PC has:

Core 2 E7200
EVGA 9800GTX
4 GIG DDR2 800 G-Skill
19" monitor
Gigabyte P45 UD3P
160 GB
Windows 7 Home

Now this PC is and has only been for a huge back log of older games. I know parts are relatively cheap now. But what are your thoughts on what to upgrade ? The most demanding game this PC may run is Doom 3, Prey and the like. But I know there are several years left in this...so I prefer to hang onto it longer.

I was considering something like a Core 2 Q9650 and maybe something like my GTX 760 I currently run in my AMD rig. Does this sound like a good match ? I will also be upgrading the hard drive....maybe to a SSD.

I find that in doing this, will alleviate most problems, trying to get "older" games to run on newer hardware and newer OS.

So...going from the PC above to this....

Core 2 Q9650
EVGA GTX 760 SC
8 GIG DDR2
1080p monitor
Gigabyte P45 UD3P
250GB SSD
Windows 7 Home

Let's assume I want to go to about $300 max for this....

How much longer can it survive ?

Honestly, for old games? I'd just toss in an SSD and call it a day. Your dualie is adequate, your 9800GTX is adequate, and the newer CPU/GPU will fetch money on eBay that you can use for your new Ryzen rig/upgrade..

Edit: My only other thought is, I might sell the 9800 and the 760, and try to get something quiet/power efficient in that box instead, like a 750Ti or something. It's be quieter, use less power, and stress the old PSU less.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Edit: My only other thought is, I might sell the 9800 and the 760, and try to get something quiet/power efficient in that box instead, like a 750Ti or something. It's be quieter, use less power, and stress the old PSU less.

Good advice, as always, Dave.

Edit: Although, if you do plan to keep that PC around for a couple of more years, I would do the upgrade to quad-core and 8GB DDR2. Though, I wouldn't pay the premium for a Q9650, that's for suckers. Get a Q9500 or Q9550, and OC it a bunch. GSkill DDR2-800 is good for 900, usually, which means 450FSB, on your board; it's a great OCing board.

 

[MentalIlness]

Well, I cant sell the GTX 760 until I upgrade, which is after Ryzen hits. And ill go with either a RX 480 or a GTX 1060.

Was now thinking of installing a GTX 750 Ti in the PC...along with a Core 2 E8600 for $18.
The PC has a 850 watt OCZ psu. And yea, it is about 7 years old.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, I cant sell the GTX 760 until I upgrade, which is after Ryzen hits. And ill go with either a RX 480 or a GTX 1060.

Was now thinking of installing a GTX 750 Ti in the PC...along with a Core 2 E8600 for $18.
The PC has a 850 watt OCZ psu. And yea, it is about 7 years old.

Looking at the difference between an E8600 and an E7200... that's actually tempting. Maybe even more desirable than the Q9650. (Better single-threaded performance, which matters more for old games anyways.)

Huh. Arguing in favor of a faster dual core for gaming over a slower quad. Feels like 2008 all over again.

 

[Chapbass]

If you don't need it immediately, I have an E8400 that I'll give you if you cover shipping from Chicago.

EDIT: And by immediately, I mean its sitting at my parents house, I would need to get it the next time in there (probably a few weeks).

 

[piasabird]

Junk Pile. DDR2 800 is way too slow compared to DDR4 ???? an Intel i-3 6100 is a lot faster. Of course this my opinion. I have owned an E7200 and took it apart.

 

[MentalIlness]

If you don't need it immediately, I have an E8400 that I'll give you if you cover shipping from Chicago.

EDIT: And by immediately, I mean its sitting at my parents house, I would need to get it the next time in there (probably a few weeks).

Sent you a message Chapbass.

Junk Pile. DDR2 800 is way too slow compared to DDR4 ???? an Intel i-3 6100 is a lot faster. Of course this my opinion. I have owned an E7200 and took it apart.

DDR2 is perfect for what this PC will be used for, so for this box...DDR4 is irrelevant. Because my new build in a few weeks will be using either a Kaby or Ryzen. It will be used only for gaming pre 2007.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

DDR2 is perfect for what this PC will be used for, so for this box...DDR4 is irrelevant. Because my new build in a few weeks will be using either a Kaby or Ryzen. It will be used only for gaming pre 2007.

Old games => Old OS => Old drivers => Old hardware.

Eventually it gets old enough that you can emulate it properly (e.g., DOSBox or MAME) but in the interim, you keep the hardware alive. 😀