Upgrade/new PC limbo

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1 May 2012
Posts
68
Have a late 2009 system that's sitting idle in the attic. Don't know whether to upgrade and keep for the time being until I have saved enough for a much better PC or buy a new one now. It's in the attic 'cause it was grieving me - graphics card/drivers would die periodically (3-6 hours) gaming or idle. It's also full of junk and just needs a fresh install. Was choca block full of dust until recently. Running old illegitimate copy of windows xp (suspect for things going wrong all the time).
Specs: -
-Case: Generic crappy case. Has room for ATX mobo; front 140mm?! disconnected as one of the blades is broken or something and makes very loud rattling sound when spinning. Standoffs for mATX board in place. Top mounted PSU pff
-PSU: "750" £25 noname PSU from popular high street retailer. Says on it can deliver 24A on 12V rail. As much as i hate it it's done fine.
-Mobo: ECS Geforce6100pm-m2 (v3.0). One of the front pannel connectors for power/restart seems not to be working. http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...x?DetailID=988&CategoryID=1&MenuID=20&LanID=0
-CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 620 running at stock settings.
-RAM: 2Gb DDR2 800Mhz (1 stick).
-HDD: Hitachi 750GB SataII.
GPU: radeon 4850 1Gb

I was looking to fix it up with fresh install of windows and perhaps more RAM, but I found that DDR2 memory is scandalously expensive and I'd be buying windows xp which is now dead. I don't know if 2Gb RAM is enough for windows 7 and gaming. I found 2x 1GB sticks kicking about in the attic too. Would I be able to just plop 1 in and it'd be fine totaling 3Gb for windows 7?

Would it be worth upgrading anything and keeping? Or is it time to move on and start a fresh PC keeping the HDD, GPU (for the time being) and DVD drive? Will I notice a big difference if, say, I chose to buy an i3 2120, cheapo mobo, 8gb 1300 and a legitimate copy windows 7?

Mostly used for light/medium gaming e.g. last time I used it was playing sc2 at 1080p all settings lowest and skyrim on medium settings. Would be looking to play diablo 3 1080p medium settings, sc2 1080p medium settings etc (this gen games on medium/high settings @ 1080p).

Cameraphone pics
http://i47.tinypic.com/2e2qbls.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/2lxf7k2.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/15ry6ie.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/148n1xx.jpg

Clean
http://i48.tinypic.com/2dillwy.jpg
 
Honestly, to save a lot of time and hassle, its easier to start from scratch again.

Keep the SATA HDD+GFX and the DVD drive if its SATA also?


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-2120 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £91.99
2 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98 (£159.96)
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D3V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £47.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £39.95
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £31.99
Total : £436.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
Last edited:
Honestly, to save a lot of time and hassle, its easier to start from scratch again.

Keep the SATA HDD+GFX and the DVD drive if its SATA also?


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-2120 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £91.99
2 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98 (£159.96)
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D3V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £47.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £39.95
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £31.99
Total : £436.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).


2 Copies of windows 7.
 
Yes, the hdd is sataII 3gb/s.

My question should really be will i see a noticable difference in performance with a budget i3 system? £36 mobo; £90 i3 2120; £35 8gb 1333; psu and case are things i'm going to buy anyway to house all future upgrades and builds.

I really have no comparison for i3 and 8gig vs athalon x4 620 and 2gig ram. I'm open to any suggestions really. Would be willing to wait a bit and just get 2500k or ivybridge but would wanna use something in the meantime, hence asking if there's life still in this oldboy.
 
Yes, the hdd is sataII 3gb/s.

My question should really be will i see a noticable difference in performance with a budget i3 system? £36 mobo; £90 i3 2120; £35 8gb 1333; psu and case are things i'm going to buy anyway to house all future upgrades and builds.

I really have no comparison for i3 and 8gig vs athalon x4 620 and 2gig ram. I'm open to any suggestions really. Would be willing to wait a bit and just get 2500k or ivybridge but would wanna use something in the meantime, hence asking if there's life still in this oldboy.

i3 2100 (200mhz slower than a 2120) vs AthlonX4 620 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=106

Sell off you older CPU/RAM/Board to help fund the upgrade.
 
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