Upgrade current computer or Replace with new?

apim

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
69
I've been trying to avoid upgrading to Windows 10 for a long while now. It seems evident that I have to upgrade at this point. I'm trying to determine if I need to replace my current machine with a new one or whether I could upgrade specific components instead of the entire machine. Basically, the machine ran great for my needs on Win7. My email provider required that I upgrade from Office 2010 to Office 2016 and that slowed Office down significantly when I did that. Office is running too slow for me to work efficiently, so I think I have to upgrade. I'm wondering if when I upgrade to Win10 if Office will pick back up, but I figured maybe other stuff will slow down? In other words, once I upgrade to Win10, will my old hardware be slowing me down?

Current machine:
OS: Win 7 64bit
Mobo: Asus P8B75-V
CPU: i5-3350P 3.10GHz, 6MB Cache
RAM: Corsair CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 x 2 (so 32GB of RAM total)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GGDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
SSD: Samsung SSD 840 Series 120GB with 75,888 Power On Hours

If my current machine cannot be improved significantly, below are the bullet points for a new computer.
1) Computer will be used for: Daily: Outlook, Excel, Word, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Brave web browser and Weekly: Adobe Photoshop & Adobe InDesign
2) Budget: Prefer to stay under $2,000.
3) Location: USA
4) Part's needed is unknown. My current machine would work just fine if I could stay in Win7, but I'm not sure if upgrading to Win10 will slow me. If it will slow me down, then I likely need these new components: mobo, cpu, ram, psu, hdd/ssd, gpu
5) I won't be OCing
6) Max monitor resolution: 3x monitors at 2560x1600
7) Plan on buying PC ASAP
8) No special features required for mobo
9) I currently have Windows 7 64-bit as my OS
 
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I can say that I've not experienced any issues with Win10 on my i7-3770k system. I don't think you'll see any problems there. I'm a bit surprised Office seems to be the main pain point, I'd have expected the Adobe apps to be.

That CPU should be OK for basic office/web work, and maybe for the Adobe stuff. You look to have plenty of RAM. You don't mention what your system's storage setup is, I'm hoping a SSD. There's really not any reasonable upgrade path I can see, and I can't see putting any real cash into upgrading a ten-year-old system anyways.
 
I would imagine the lack here is SSD, that could be one change to make if you have yet to do it, going from old HDD to recent SSD is a game change and see if you feel if it is still feel too slow. It is possible to clone your current HDD to an ssd and simply start booting from it directly without having to reinstall.

Going to a 3770K on the same platform would give you around 50% more passmark, but historically that kind of intel cpu can keep their value extremely well and a new similar priced core i3 12100 would give you a 250% boost instead
 
Sorry for omitting the SSD. I have a Samsung SSD 840 Series 120GB with 75,888 Power On Hours.

The Adobe apps aren't an issue because I'm still running CS5 for Photoshop and InDesign along with Acrobat Professional 9.0.

I guess one concern I didn't think about was the longevity of my current system for upgrading. As you can tell, I tend to upgrade as little as possible. Will this hardware that I'm on make it another 10 years? Historically, I've replaced capacitors on motherboards and PSU's, but am really looking for a stable system, so it'd be ideal not to have to worry about all of that.
 
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Sorry for omitting the SSD. I have a Samsung SSD 840 Series 120GB with 75,888 Power On Hours. The Adobe apps aren't an issue because I'm still running CS5 for Photoshop and InDesign along with Acrobat Professional 9.0.

I guess one concern I didn't think about was the longevity of my current system for upgrading. As you can tell, I tend to upgrade as little as possible. Will this hardware that I'm on make it another 10 years? Historically, I've replaced capacitors on motherboards and PSU's, but am really looking for a stable system, so it'd be ideal not to have to worry about all of that.
10 years? Doubtful. Your PC is already pretty old. Especially since it seems you never turn it off. I don't see any compatibility issues. There even is a driver for the 650 for windows 10. I would check the health of that SSD also since it is pushing 10 years based off your on hours. You can build a pretty solid basic computer for $500 based of your basic needs. It really is asking a lot of a system to last 20 years.
 
10 years? Doubtful. Your PC is already pretty old. Especially since it seems you never turn it off. I don't see any compatibility issues. There even is a driver for the 650 for windows 10. I would check the health of that SSD also since it is pushing 10 years based off your on hours. You can build a pretty solid basic computer for $500 based of your basic needs. It really is asking a lot of a system to last 20 years.
10-4. Then upgrade to new hardware it is. Do you have any builds you could recommend? I prefer to be heavy on the RAM side. That seems to always be my bottleneck.
 
This is the system I put together with pcpartpicker. Cost is $637 with rebates.

GPU: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07ZGXG8GM?tag=videocardbenchmark-20&linkCode=osi&th=1

MOBO: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QH5MFMN?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

CPU: https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i...&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-DRbgugHVIsRaJ1lJX6V0sg

RAM: https://www.newegg.com/neo-forza-16...&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-dckurhjSoD_fzZro6Y0V6w

SSD: Samsung SSD 840 Series 120GB - I have a brand new one of these sitting on my shelf that I never used from 8+ years ago. Has technology improved to where I should replace it with something newer? Storage capacity has never been an issue for me, but maybe Windows 10 consumes more space than Win7?

Questions:
1. I have 7 USB devices. Should I opt for a different MOBO or get a USB expansion card?
2. I'd like to max out my RAM capabilities and there's still plenty of room in the budget. If I buy double the RAM, will this mobo support it?
3. Is there anything you would change or caution me about my build and if so, what?
 
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This is the system I put together with pcpartpicker. Cost is $637 with rebates.

GPU: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07ZGXG8GM?tag=videocardbenchmark-20&linkCode=osi&th=1

MOBO: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QH5MFMN?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

CPU: https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i3-12100f-core-i3-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118357?Item=N82E16819118357&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https://pcpartpicker.com/&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-DRbgugHVIsRaJ1lJX6V0sg

RAM: https://www.newegg.com/neo-forza-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/0RN-0097-00019?Item=9SIAC0ECPE6383&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https://pcpartpicker.com/&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-dckurhjSoD_fzZro6Y0V6w

SSD: Samsung SSD 840 Series 120GB - I have a brand new one of these sitting on my shelf that I never used from 8+ years ago. Has technology improved to where I should replace it with something newer? Storage capacity has never been an issue for me, but maybe Windows 10 consumes more space than Win7?

Questions:
1. I have 7 USB devices. Should I opt for a different MOBO or get a USB expansion card?
2. I'd like to max out my RAM capabilities and there's still plenty of room in the budget. If I buy double the RAM, will this mobo support it?
3. Is there anything you would change or caution me about my build and if so, what?
I would make these changes. The 3050 is slightly better, cheaper and current gen card then the 1660 Super. Ram I would go with the Ripjaws for the same price. Never heard of Neo Froza while G.Skill is a very well known brand. Specs are pretty much identical. MB is up to you. I haven't seen good reviews for the Gigabyte MB you listed. The Asus is a better board and has 6 USB ports on the back with several more you can connected to the onboard connectors. That SSD is still solid performer and really won't see a difference in real world performance to a newer SATA SSD. If 120GB is enough for you then keep it. If you want to upgrade it then go with a nvme drive. Maxing out memory should be fine on the Asus MB. You will not be pushing the memory controller to hard at 3200 speed. The G.Skill kit is on the Asus MB QVL so you shouldn't have a problem. Ask away if you have anymore questions. I am sure others will have some more input.

GPU: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=08G-P5-3553-KR
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820231941?Description=dd4 3200 ripjaw&cm_re=dd4_3200 ripjaw-_-20-231-941-_-Product
MB: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119543
 
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I would make these changes. The 3050 is slightly better, cheaper and current gen card then the 1660 Super. Ram I would go with the Ripjaws for the same price. Never heard of Neo Froza while G.Skill is a very well known brand. Specs are pretty much identical. MB is up to you. I haven't seen good reviews for the Gigabyte MB you listed. The Asus is a better board and has 6 USB ports on the back with several more you can connected to the onboard connectors. That SSD is still solid performer and really won't see a difference in real world performance to a newer SATA SSD. If 120GB is enough for you then keep it. If you want to upgrade it then go with a nvme drive. Maxing out memory should be fine on the Asus MB. You will not be pushing the memory controller to hard at 3200 speed. The G.Skill kit is on the Asus MB QVL so you shouldn't have a problem. Ask away if you have anymore questions. I am sure others will have some more input.

GPU: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=08G-P5-3553-KR
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820231941?Description=dd4 3200 ripjaw&cm_re=dd4_3200 ripjaw-_-20-231-941-_-Product
MB: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119543
Well at least I got one thing right. Thank you for your help on this. It's much appreciated.
 
I feel if you are use to 32gig that I would not go back, I went back to only 32gig and I really often use all of it.

Specially with the : I tend to upgrade as little as possible. Will this hardware that I'm on make it another 10 years?

32gig would be a bare minimum (that said ram tend to be the easiest has possible to change and with how long we got DDR4 and how long I feel for the ddr5 to become mainstream, used ram could still be fund during that timeframe I would imagine).

You can make sure the kit will have a overclock setting already there for you:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-DS3H-DDR4-rev-10/support#support-memsup
https://pangoly.com/en/compatibility/gigabyte-b560m-ds3h/ram
 
I feel if you are use to 32gig that I would not go back, I went back to only 32gig and I really often use all of it.

Specially with the : I tend to upgrade as little as possible. Will this hardware that I'm on make it another 10 years?

32gig would be a bare minimum (that said ram tend to be the easiest has possible to change and with how long we got DDR4 and how long I feel for the ddr5 to become mainstream, used ram could still be fund during that timeframe I would imagine).

You can make sure the kit will have a overclock setting already there for you:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-DS3H-DDR4-rev-10/support#support-memsup
https://pangoly.com/en/compatibility/gigabyte-b560m-ds3h/ram
I ordered 2x of the RAM's he recommended, so should be at 32GB. Appreciate your help on this. I never OC anything, but appreciate your recommendation on the matter.
 
I ordered 2x of the RAM's he recommended, so should be at 32GB. Appreciate your help on this. I never OC anything, but appreciate your recommendation on the matter.
By overclock I am talking simply letting the bios use the pre recommanded xmp setting the motherboard-ram company for that kit, I would strongly recommand using it (at least on my Ryzen system, the default clock is quite low)
 
By overclock I am talking simply letting the bios use the pre recommanded xmp setting the motherboard-ram company for that kit, I would strongly recommand using it (at least on my Ryzen system, the default clock is quite low)
Will OC'ing it by what you're recommended reduce the chances of the hardware making it 10 years?
 
Will OC'ing it by what you're recommended reduce the chances of the hardware making it 10 years?
xmp is more "normal" what your ram if meant for setting than what we would have called overclocking back in the day, your 3600-3200 ram on your first boot will not be necessarily running at those speed or timing on the box but a much lower default (on my ryzen system's it was 2133 mhz if I remember correctly), maybe it is all different with Intel.

https://www.howtogeek.com/257766/ho...o-make-your-ram-run-at-its-advertised-speeds/
 
Will OC'ing it by what you're recommended reduce the chances of the hardware making it 10 years?
It is not really over clocking. You set XMP in the bios so the sticks will run at their rated speeds. JDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) sets the standard for DDR4 and other memory types. If running at JEDC spec the memory should always boot no matter what system you put the sticks in. Time has moved on and memory has got a lot faster. Which would seriously hamper your performance. When you build your system make sure you set XMP on in your BIOS. Sometimes it will give you several option but typical XMP profile 1 is what you want for the rating on the sticks. Running XMP will have no effect the life expectancy. You will have a solid little system that should last you for awhile but like with all tech there is always a chance of failure no matter what you buy.
 
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xmp is more "normal" what your ram if meant for setting than what we would have called overclocking back in the day, your 3600-3200 ram on your first boot will not be necessarily running at those speed or timing on the box but a much lower default (on my ryzen system's it was 2133 mhz if I remember correctly), maybe it is all different with Intel.

https://www.howtogeek.com/257766/ho...o-make-your-ram-run-at-its-advertised-speeds/
Good to know. I'll make sure to enable XMP in my bios. Thanks for the tip.
 
It is not really over clocking. You set XMP in the bios so the sticks will run at their rated speeds. JDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) sets the standard for DDR4 and other memory types. If running at JEDC spec the memory should always boot no matter what system you put the sticks in. Time has moved on and memory has got a lot faster. Which would seriously hamper your performance. When you build your system make sure you set XMP on in your BIOS. Sometimes it will give you several option but typical XMP profile 1 is what you want for the rating on the sticks. Running XMP will have no effect the life expectancy. You will have a solid little system that should last you for awhile but like with all tech there is always a chance of failure no matter what you buy.
Great Info. Appreciate it. Thank you
 
I was able to get XMP enabled, but can't get the system to boot Memtest86+ 5.01. The motherboard doesn't recognize any bootable devices in the bios. It sees my DVD rom, SSD and HDD, but doesn't say I can boot to any of them and the boot device priority is greyed out. On another machine, I was able to boot to the memtest86+ 5.01 CD that I burned. Are there any threads on this forum that go over the basics of what to do once you build a new system? For example:

1. Enable XMP
2. Instruct BIOS to recognize your DVD Rom as bootable
3. Test RAM with memtest86+
4. Install OS
5. Optimize OS for SSD so SSD doesn't get a bunch of writes on it

I'm going off of old info mixed with new info from this thread and my experience so far and I'm sure things have changed over the years, so it'd just be nice if there was anywhere I could go to get caught up? Thank you
 
That sounds old to care about SSD writes in 2022 (via ram drive for temps folder or what not) I am not fully sure the point of testing the ram before installing the OS (fear of a corrupted install ?, just install it without the "overclock")
 
That sounds old to care about SSD writes in 2022 (via ram drive for temps folder or what not) I am not fully sure the point of testing the ram before installing the OS (fear of a corrupted install ?, just install it without the "overclock")
Understood on the SSD. I've always tested RAM and HDD prior to use, just to confirm there are no issues with either. In the event I find any issues up front, it allows me time to swap it out with the Retailer instead of going through the warranty with the manufacturer.
 
With the time OS install take on an modern machine, I am not sure how much time (if it require to do research step and not working on hands already) will be saved.
 
I was able to get XMP enabled, but can't get the system to boot Memtest86+ 5.01. The motherboard doesn't recognize any bootable devices in the bios. It sees my DVD rom, SSD and HDD, but doesn't say I can boot to any of them and the boot device priority is greyed out. On another machine, I was able to boot to the memtest86+ 5.01 CD that I burned. Are there any threads on this forum that go over the basics of what to do once you build a new system? For example:

1. Enable XMP
2. Instruct BIOS to recognize your DVD Rom as bootable
3. Test RAM with memtest86+
4. Install OS
5. Optimize OS for SSD so SSD doesn't get a bunch of writes on it

I'm going off of old info mixed with new info from this thread and my experience so far and I'm sure things have changed over the years, so it'd just be nice if there was anywhere I could go to get caught up? Thank you
Are you able to boot a windows install? I haven't used a DVD to boot in a long time. There might be something in the bios you have to configure for it. Try using a USB drive with memtest86+. There isn't any optimization you can do for SSD. Windows has been fine with SSD for ever now.
 
With the time OS install take on an modern machine, I am not sure how much time (if it require to do research step and not working on hands already) will be saved.
So you're saying you can test the RAM from inside the OS now? If so, what program do you recommend?

Are you able to boot a windows install? I haven't used a DVD to boot in a long time. There might be something in the bios you have to configure for it. Try using a USB drive with memtest86+. There isn't any optimization you can do for SSD. Windows has been fine with SSD for ever now.
I haven't tried. I ordered Windows 10 and it arrives May 9th. I put an Ubuntu Server disc in there and the system would boot to that, so it sounds like my memtest86+ 5.01 is no longer supported with today's hardware. I'm going to try the latest version and see if I have any luck with that.

Per Win 10, is it ill-advised to change the product key after installation? If not, I'd imagine I could find a key online somewhere to use until May 9th.
 
So you're saying you can test the RAM from inside the OS now? If so, what program do you recommend?


I haven't tried. I ordered Windows 10 and it arrives May 9th. I put an Ubuntu Server disc in there and the system would boot to that, so it sounds like my memtest86+ 5.01 is no longer supported with today's hardware. I'm going to try the latest version and see if I have any luck with that.

Per Win 10, is it ill-advised to change the product key after installation? If not, I'd imagine I could find a key online somewhere to use until May 9th.
Yea it sounds like it is not supported. If it is a retail key then you are fine reusing it on the same hardware. If you change something like you MB you will possibly have to call MS support to reactivate the key. If it is a OEM key it will be a one time use key that will lock to the hardware you install it on. You can install windows 10 without a key. You will just be locked out of any personalized settings and will have a water mark I the bottom right. You can put a key later to remove the limitations afterwards with no issue.
 
How your build working out?
Great, but still waiting on the Win10 to show up. I tried to DL the ISO from MSFT, but they wanted me to install some downloader to download the file, which I refuse to do, so I'm on hold for now. Also, the new version of memtest86+ won't boot on the machine either, which is disappointing, so I have to find an alternative to test the RAM. Here is a picture of the system: https://imgur.com/L8rFV1S.jpg I'm 37yo and built over 20 computers (my first in 1994), but for some reason, I still get excited by putting new builds together and sharing the pics.
 
Great, but still waiting on the Win10 to show up. I tried to DL the ISO from MSFT, but they wanted me to install some downloader to download the file, which I refuse to do, so I'm on hold for now. Also, the new version of memtest86+ won't boot on the machine either, which is disappointing, so I have to find an alternative to test the RAM. Here is a picture of the system: https://imgur.com/L8rFV1S.jpg I'm 37yo and built over 20 computers (my first in 1994), but for some reason, I still get excited by putting new builds together and sharing the pics.
That cool enjoy your new system! The download tool just makes a bootable USB/CD to install windows 10. It does it that way you will get the most updated windows. I been using it for years with no issues.
 
That cool enjoy your new system! The download tool just makes a bootable USB/CD to install windows 10. It does it that way you will get the most updated windows. I been using it for years with no issues.
Any issues using that tool on a Win7 machine? I've heard MSFT tries to upgrade your computer to Win10/Win11 very sneakily.
 
Any issues using that tool on a Win7 machine? I've heard MSFT tries to upgrade your computer to Win10/Win11 very sneakily.
If gives you the option to do a in place upgrade or to make a bootable iso for fresh install.
 
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