Question Upgrade or Buy/Build New?

[gecko2424]

in 2010 i purchased a PC from iBUYPOWER. At the time, it was really fast. It still works fine, but the first 20 minutes of use are slow due to webroot AV scan and seagate backup being performed. It's also out of storage space.

Question: Should i upgrade the memory and install the 512GB SSD i have sitting here and another/more data drives or abandon it and build/buy something new. I no longer use this for any gaming. It's mostly work, photo/video, internet, etc.

It's running windows 10 and an old but working office 2010. The only thing i would change is perhaps a video card that can handle a massive widescreen monitor to replace my dual 24"s

Sorry for the length. It won't let me edit the table.

Case	Zalman Z7 Gaming Case - Orange
Case Lighting	None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction	None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion	None
Processor	Intel® Core™ i7 960 Processor (4x 3.20GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling	Asetek 550LC Liquid CPU Cooling System (Intel) - Enermax Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade
Memory	6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1600 - ** FREE Upgrade from DDR3-1333 ** Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card	ATI Radeon HD 5850 - 1GB - Single Card
Video Card Brand	=== High Performance === XFX Brand Video Card
Free Stuff	[Free] Intel 4GB BunnyPeople USB Drive - Free with Purchase of Intel X58 Systems
Motherboard	[SLI] Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R w/ 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16
Motherboard USB / SATA Interface	Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface
Power Supply	750 Watt -- Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M Power Supply - SLI Ready
Primary Hard Drive	1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Data Hard Drive	1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive	24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Orange
2nd Optical Drive	None
Flash Media Reader/Writer	12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Orange
Meter Display	None
Sound Card	3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card	Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit
Keyboard	iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard - Black
Mouse	iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse - Black
Monitor	None
2nd Monitor	None
Speaker System	iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System
Wireless Network Adapter	Zonet ZEW2545 802.11n 130Mbps Wireless USB Adapter
Power Protection	None
Power Protection	Opti-UPS SS1200-AVR Mighty Voltage Regulator
Headset	None
Video Camera	None
Advanced Build Options	Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks
Advanced Build Options	Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis
Advanced Build Options	Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring

 

[VirtualLarry]

Only you can tell us if that PC is getting "too slow" for the tasks that you perform on it. If it is, replace it, or at least upgrade the CPU to a hex-core 32nm 1366 CPU, there are some that are drop-in replacements.

But honestly, only 6GB RAM, no SSD (not installed yet, right?), makes for a bog-slow system these days, pretty-much regardless of CPU power.

I would drop in a 6x4GB kit of DDR3, and the 500GB SSD that you've got, and consider a CPU upgrade to Westmere (32nm 1366 6C/12T).

Oh, and a 1GB 5850 being a "high-speed" GPU. LOL. Maybe then, not in 2020.

Either that, or scrap the whole thing, and get a Ryzen / AM4 rig. Either an R5 3600 ($175-200), or a R5 1600 "AF" model for $85, get a decent B450 board ($115 for MSI Tomahawk MAX, or an Asus B450-F ROG STRIX Gaming ATX on sale, or possible a Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI on sale as well), a 16GB kit of DDR4-3000/3200 for $50-60, and a 1TB NVMe SSD for $100-150.

Then you're going to need a modern GPU, although you can use your older one for desktop duties in a pinch, if you wanted to do this upgrade in two steps (platform upgrade, then GPU. Might even want to wait for 7nm NVidia products to show up, or "Big Navi".)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Free Stuff[Free] Intel 4GB BunnyPeople USB Drive - Free with Purchase of Intel X58 Systems

That's your limitation right there... LOL.

 

[gecko2424]

Only you can tell us if that PC is getting "too slow" for the tasks that you perform on it. If it is, replace it, or at least upgrade the CPU to a hex-core 32nm 1366 CPU, there are some that are drop-in replacements.

But honestly, only 6GB RAM, no SSD (not installed yet, right?), makes for a bog-slow system these days, pretty-much regardless of CPU power.

I would drop in a 6x4GB kit of DDR3, and the 500GB SSD that you've got, and consider a CPU upgrade to Westmere (32nm 1366 6C/12T).

Oh, and a 1GB 5850 being a "high-speed" GPU. LOL. Maybe then, not in 2020.

Either that, or scrap the whole thing, and get a Ryzen / AM4 rig. Either an R5 3600 ($175-200), or a R5 1600 "AF" model for $85, get a decent B450 board ($115 for MSI Tomahawk MAX, or an Asus B450-F ROG STRIX Gaming ATX on sale, or possible a Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI on sale as well), a 16GB kit of DDR4-3000/3200 for $50-60, and a 1TB NVMe SSD for $100-150.

Then you're going to need a modern GPU, although you can use your older one for desktop duties in a pinch, if you wanted to do this upgrade in two steps (platform upgrade, then GPU. Might even want to wait for 7nm NVidia products to show up, or "Big Navi".)

Thanks for the tips. That card was fast in 2010 After the scan/backup are finished, it is plenty fast. The SSD will help that a lot. I'll look into upgrade options first and price compare.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I would say, if you're going to upgrade your current rig, to 6x4GB DDR3, look at used 24GB kits, designed for X58/1366 rigs. You might find some bargains, over new. At long as the RAM works, and works with your system, you're probably golden. Try to find a seller with a 14/30-day money-back if not satisfied or incompatible. I would avoid China-sellers though, for obvious reasons.

 

[gecko2424]

Any suggestions for pre-built or custom system sources? The typical gaming PCs are not geared towards my current use. Looking for fast, reliable, capable with decent storage and a video card capable of 3840x1200 or maybe 5120x1440.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, @BoomerD bought an iBuyPower or CyberPower from Costco a month ago, he's mostly happy with his.

Newegg's ABS-brand (house-brand) gaming PCs, or Microcenter's PowerSpec-brand (house-brand) gaming PCs are both made from DIY/enthusiast components, AFAIK.

I also build systems, occasionally, for people, though I generally shy away from WC. I've not yet done any "custom loops", though I use a CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 on my own main personal rig.

"We" (the forum here royal we) can help you build your own, if you're in any way inclined that way. It's mostly easier than ever to do so.

 

[Torn Mind]

Buy a 1TB or 2TB SSD and clone the boot drive to that SSD for a quick fix.

If you want a new rig, your scenario doesn't require going hog wild. A Ryzen 3400G will provide you with a performance boost while having potent integrated graphics with native support for 4K. Buy 32 GB or 64 GB of RAM and boot from any SSD, and you are golden for web browsing.

The old dogs like Dell will offer more reliable prebuilts than those house brand ones.

 

[Charlie98]

It's mostly work, photo/video, internet, etc.

The key word in that phrase is 'photo/video.' Are you transcoding or doing photo editing for work, or just pedestrian level stuff? If it's just generic stuff, your processor is fine, you need an SSD, more memory, and a better GPU... maybe. My concern would be dumping that much money into an already aging system... where the board could die or an older PSU could take something out.

Also, and this depends on your situation... I run my OS backups and virus scans at night, when the computer is idle.

 

[gecko2424]

The old dogs like Dell will offer more reliable prebuilts than those house brand ones.

Agree on the prebuilts, but not a fan of the bloatware. Does anyone reliable skip the added junk?

 

[gecko2424]

The key word in that phrase is 'photo/video.' Are you transcoding or doing photo editing for work, or just pedestrian level stuff? If it's just generic stuff, your processor is fine, you need an SSD, more memory, and a better GPU... maybe. My concern would be dumping that much money into an already aging system... where the board could die or an older PSU could take something out.

Also, and this depends on your situation... I run my OS backups and virus scans at night, when the computer is idle.

A shared concern, it has been a solid machine from day one though.

My video editing is not professional level. Combining and editing 4k go pro vids is about as extreme as i get. We also have quite a bit of extra unsorted photos/videos from years of click-happy smartphones, so data retrieval speed is an issue. SSD will greatly help.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Agree on the prebuilts, but not a fan of the bloatware. Does anyone reliable skip the added junk?

Microsoft, of all companies, offered a "Signature" PC option, on their PCs coming from the Microsoft Store online, with absolutely minimal bloatware (basically, just Windows, maybe Office depending on model.)

I don' t know if they offer any desktop PCs any more on their store online, or if they're only pushing their "Surface" lineup these days, but it might not hurt to check them out.

 

[gecko2424]

Microsoft, of all companies, offered a "Signature" PC option, on their PCs coming from the Microsoft Store online, with absolutely minimal bloatware (basically, just Windows, maybe Office depending on model.)

I don' t know if they offer any desktop PCs any more on their store online, or if they're only pushing their "Surface" lineup these days, but it might not hurt to check them out.

nope, only surface and xbox now. Listening to the Microsoft CEO speak, the XBox is the future (and cloud storage). Just kidding. MS is going to everything as a service. I wouldn't be surprised if eventually the xbox becomes like a chromebook with a processor, ram and graphics with all content from the web.

 

[Charlie98]

I've owned a few Dells, and I still maintain 3 for family... I consider Dell one of the better prebuilts. I do go in, however, and uninstall all the bloatware, or wipe the HDD/SDD and clean install the OS. It takes some time, but the end result is worth it.