How to upgrade an ancient system

[Adam-r]

Hi all

I think I probably already know the answer to this but here I go.

My current system is old and a recent purchase of Cities:Skylines has shown that it just isn't up to it anymore.

Proc: Intel core2duo quad 2.4GHz
Mobo: MSI P6N
4Gb (4x1Gb) DDR2 ram
128Gb SSD drive
Nvidia 8800GTS gfx

Now, obviously I'd like to upgrade in one go but having an account (the OH) forbids this so I need to do this month by month.

I'd like to upgrade to something along the lines of an i5 processor and a decent graphics card. I'd like to get a motherboard that will last a while as I'm not one for upgrading everything every year.

Now how would you all go about it? Obviously not many of my components will be moved to my new build, save for the case and perhaps my 550W PSU.

I'd like to keep a system running at all times if at all possible. So what order would you buys the bits??

 

[cats_five]

If you plan taking the HDD and/or ODD across, are they SATA drives? New mobos don't support the old PATA drives - the ones with the wide ribbon cables.

Is your OS OEM or Retail? You might need a new OS.

Does your CPU have all the connectors a modern mobo needs?

 

[randal]

What res are you gaming at?

 

[Adam-r]

The SSD is a 6Gb/s sata drive. I think the disk drives are too.

Yes I'll need a license for OS.

The CPU is a socket 775

Hope this helps?

 

[Andreas.96]

What brand and model is your power supply?

What's your budget?

 

[Adam-r]

What res are you gaming at?

I turned everything down quite low and it hung after about 20 mins.

Not sure on resolution, not huge I dont think as its only a 17" screen.

Sorry for the vague answers, I've been out of touch for a while with my PC.

 

[Adam-r]

What brand and model is your power supply?

What's your budget?

Budget is modest, say 4/500 spread over a few months.

Not sure on the model but if memory serves it was a reputable brand.

 

[randal]

Board chip and ram first, sell old stuff, upgrade monitor, then GPU and PSU (if needed). Sell any other bits to offset cost.

 

[Andreas.96]

The PSU is one of those areas you don't want to skimp on because if it goes it can take a whole lot with it of you're unlucky.

Considering your budget I'd go Pentium K and Z97 board and over clock it. Get RAM when you purchase the CPU. Then GPU later when you get more funds. I'd do you a spec but I'm on mobile at the minute.

Edit - the Z97 board will also give you the option to upgrade to an i5 later on

 

[Adam-r]

The PSU is one of those areas you don't want to skimp on because if it goes it can take a whole lot with it of you're unlucky.

Considering your budget I'd go Pentium K and Z97 board and over clock it. Get RAM when you purchase the CPU. Then GPU later when you get more funds. I'd do you a spec but I'm on mobile at the minute.

Edit - the Z97 board will also give you the option to upgrade to an i5 later on

The Z97 chipset looks to the board of choice so far. How extreme do I go? Asus deluxe range or keep it cheaper?

 

[Daftbrown]

The Z97 chipset looks to the board of choice so far. How extreme do I go? Asus deluxe range or keep it cheaper?

I think you might be getting over-excited!

If your budget is £400 to £500 for mobo, cpu and gpu I wouldn't go overspending on the mobo - you'll find more 'performance per pound' on the other parts.

I'm sure somebody more wise than I on these forums can put together a spec for you.

 

[cats_five]

The PSU is one of those areas you don't want to skimp on because if it goes it can take a whole lot with it of you're unlucky.

<snip>

And because it's so crucial, that's where I'd start upgrading.

I also wondered if it might be better to wait a few months and save, so you can do it at one go.

 

[Andreas.96]

I agree with Daftbrown, get the cheapest Z97 board you can, I'd spec you one but I'm currently on mobile.

 

[Adam-r]

Would something roughly in line with this be a good start?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus TUF Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £129.95
1 x Intel Pentium K Anniversary G3258 Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Savage Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX324C11SRK2/8) £46.99
Total : £246.53 (includes shipping : £8.00).



I can add a decent gpu at a later date and still use the 8800GTS I have?

 

[Adam-r]

I think you might be getting over-excited!

If your budget is £400 to £500 for mobo, cpu and gpu I wouldn't go overspending on the mobo - you'll find more 'performance per pound' on the other parts.

I'm sure somebody more wise than I on these forums can put together a spec for you.

I do get carried away. Once my man maths kicks in there's no stopping me

 

[Ronald]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
Total : £99.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).



I don't see the need to spend more on that fancy Sabertooth at your budget. You could get a board for less still, but with the PentiumK I'd suggest to keep options open for an i5 Broadwell

 

[Adam-r]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £89.99
Total : £99.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).



I don't see the need to spend more on that fancy Sabertooth at your budget. You could get a board for less still, but with the PentiumK I'd suggest to keep options open for an i5 Broadwell

Well spotted, cheers for that

 

[Andreas.96]

I'd go lower than that. I believe there's a Z97 gigabyte board at around £62 which is a good solid board, can also accommodate an i5 later on

And you should be fine to use your old GPU until you get a new one.

 

[Zefan]

I would absolutely not bother changing anything until you've put a better GPU in that. I bet you'll be more than happy with the performance increase you'll get from that alone, I'd be very surprised if many games are smashing your CPU enough for it to be a problem @ low resolutions on almost all modern games.

 

[mpj88]

If you want to buy new!

Another £50 and you can get i5 or an 280 gfx card.

Pick up a better monitor with whatever you have left!