10 Years Old PC Upgrade Path

[MTomic2003]

My family still uses a computer that is about 10 years old with Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz (overclocked to 3.3GHz, although with a stock cooler) and Nvidia GeForce 9500GT. With an SSD, it runs Windows 10 fine, but who knows when will that break. And it is mainly used by my little brother who likes to play Minecraft.

So, my question is: Where is the upgrade path from here, but with a budget of about $200-300? Is it better to just start from scratch, even with that little amount of money, or is it better to buy a graphics card and upgrade other stuff later? I would keep the case, PSU and drives.

Plus, I live in a country where everything is a bit too late, e.g. we aren't going to see Intel CPUs for laptops with dumb names (ix-10xxxX) anytime soon.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

EDIT: Just remembered I left something out. The PSU was changed about 4 years ago when the old one died. (To bad it didn't fry anything in it.) This new one is a 600W unit, actually, from an unknown manufacturer... At least it's painted.

And the SSD I mentioned was bought few years ago when the hard disk died on the other computer. And it still has the original WD Black 160GB drive from 10 years ago. Few bad sectors, but the number of them didn't go up in a very long time.

And I do have 6GB of DDR2, but... go figure...

EDIT #2: The case is an ATX one. With like 6 3.5" bays. Desktop case? More like server case.

[EXTRADODO]

I would start a new budget one rather than upgrading that. Look for super cheap budget gaming build at LTT youtube. There might be a quick solution there.

[xhackforeverxdx]

Thats the only upgrade path for a old pentium no offense haha

the cpu would bottelneck every modern gpu so hard that it would not be worth it just try to save up or buy a used mobo/cpu comp even the ryzen vega onboard gpus would be alot faster then your gpu while using alot less power 

[Morco]

yeah definetly look for second hand stuff, you can get some really good deals on decent hardware, especially if it is not the newest, for example second gen ryzen 3. 

[Sir0Tek]

59 minutes ago, MTomic2003 said:

My family still uses a computer that is about 10 years old with Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz (overclocked to 3.3GHz, although with a stock cooler) and Nvidia GeForce 9500GT. With an SSD, it runs Windows 10 fine, but who knows when will that break. And it is mainly used by my little brother who likes to play Minecraft.

So, my question is: Where is the upgrade path from here, but with a budget of about $200-300? Is it better to just start from scratch, even with that little amount of money, or is it better to buy a graphics card and upgrade other stuff later? I would keep the case, PSU and drives.

Plus, I live in a country where everything is a bit too late, e.g. we aren't going to see Intel CPUs for laptops with dumb names (ix-10xxxX) anytime soon.

 

Thanks in advance!

I really would lower the budget to below the $100 with this system and save money for something better. For this one, you may get a quad cheap and a graphics-card like e.g. the HD 7850, 7770, 7790 - or GRX 650/650Ti and such, but that's about the maximum I'd put into it. Minecraft will run very well with it, also CS:GO and a lot of other stuff (It may even run Crysis...).

[Bombastinator]

Some caveats:  This is deliberately unevenly built.  Too much PSU, mobo, memory. the case and CPU are particularly asstacular.  I couldn’t even fit in storage so I’m going to have to assume your old SSD.  The rest of it is quite usable though.

 

 If the case can be assumed too something might be done with the remaining money on the used market.  It would have to cover either an APU or a CPU and a GPU though because ryzen doesn’t often come with integrated GPUs like Intel does.  Even their worst APUs are still better than that 9500 though.  This will still go faster than what you got.  Just not a lot.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wQ9QGc

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($58.46 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($72.98 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.58 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.88 @ Amazon) 
Total: $312.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-01-20 03:42 EST-0500

[MTomic2003]

1 hour ago, xhackforeverxdx said:

Thats the only upgrade path for a old pentium no offense haha

the cpu would bottelneck every modern gpu so hard that it would not be worth it just try to save up or buy a used mobo/cpu comp even the ryzen vega onboard gpus would be alot faster then your gpu while using alot less power 

Well, I figured that much... Windows booted a few seconds faster when I overclocked it. So it bottlenecks the SSD, too.

[MTomic2003]

46 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Some caveats:  This is deliberately unevenly built.  Too much PSU, mobo, memory. the case and CPU are particularly asstacular.  I couldn’t even fit in storage so I’m going to have to assume your old SSD.  The rest of it is quite usable though.

 

 If the case can be assumed too something might be done with the remaining money on the used market.  It would have to cover either an APU or a CPU and a GPU though because ryzen doesn’t often come with integrated GPUs like Intel does.  Even their worst APUs are still better than that 9500 though.  This will still go faster than what you got.  Just not a lot.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wQ9QGc

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($58.46 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($72.98 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.58 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.88 @ Amazon) 
Total: $312.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-01-20 03:42 EST-0500

Wow. Thanks for the build!

I looked around and it seems there are no Athlon 3000Gs over here. But there is a Ryzen 3200G. Maybe that CPU without the cost of the case and the PSU? PSU was replaced 4 years ago. And unless the space was a problem, the new case probably isn't needed.

[Bombastinator]

14 minutes ago, MTomic2003 said:

Wow. Thanks for the build!

I looked around and it seems there are no Athlon 3000Gs over here. But there is a Ryzen 3200G. Maybe that CPU without the cost of the case and the PSU? PSU was replaced 4 years ago. And unless the space was a problem, the new case probably isn't needed.

Picked the PSU because it was above 450w and has a rep for being a decent design.  I used US specs because USD seemed to be what was being used.  PcPartPicker has a lot of country options though.  Yours might be in it.

 

if those are $300 Aussie dollars though this build is not doable.  Used parts are your only option.  Used memory may be impossible to find and used PAUs are a last resort.  It sounds stupid, but spending on the PSU internal quality (rather than rgb or modularity or size) is one of the more critical bits because if a PSU pops it can destroy your whole rig.

 

 I did see used 3200gs on eBay for around $50-60 so it’s doable used. One issue with the 3200g is while it’s actually a ryzen+ cpu it may be in the ryzen2 list for bios which could make motherboards complicated.

[MTomic2003]

2 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Picked the PSU because it was above 450w and has a rep for being a decent design.  I used US specs because USD seemed to be what was being used.  PcPartPicker has a lot of country options though.  Yours might be in it.

 

if those are $300 Aussie dollars though this build is not doable.  Used parts are your only option.  Used memory may be impossible to find and used PAUs are a last resort.  It sounds stupid, but spending on the PSU internal quality (rather than rgb or modularity or size) is one of the more critical bits because if a PSU pops it can destroy your whole rig.

 

 I did see used 3200gs on eBay for around $50-60 so it’s doable used. One issue with the 3200g is while it’s actually a ryzen+ cpu it may be in the ryzen2 list for bios which could make motherboards complicated.

It's more like euros. Don't know why I put dollars over there. Sorry.

I am kinda in a position where RGB and modular cables are the last thing I am looking after. And used PSUs sound like a really bad idea.

And I totally forgot about BIOS updates... Thanks for reminding me.

 

One more question: About these memory sticks without heat sinks. Is there any major differences between them and ones with them?

[Bombastinator]

5 minutes ago, MTomic2003 said:

It's more like euros. Don't know why I put dollars over there. Sorry.

I am kinda in a position where RGB and modular cables are the last thing I am looking after. And used PSUs sound like a really bad idea.

And I totally forgot about BIOS updates... Thanks for reminding me.

 

One more question: About these memory sticks without heat sinks. Is there any major differences between them and ones with them?

Ah euros are easy.  Basically all the original EU countries are represented.

 

Heat sinks on memory aren’t strictly required.  Finding them without heat sinks is pretty rare these days though.  I suspect they’re mostly there to prevent static problems and are more of a convenience for the seller than the buyer.

[xhackforeverxdx]

6 minutes ago, MTomic2003 said:

It's more like euros. Don't know why I put dollars over there. Sorry.

I am kinda in a position where RGB and modular cables are the last thing I am looking after. And used PSUs sound like a really bad idea.

And I totally forgot about BIOS updates... Thanks for reminding me.

 

One more question: About these memory sticks without heat sinks. Is there any major differences between them and ones with them?

Heat sinks on ram sticks is 99% for the Looks and 1% usefull  so no u dont need ram stick with heat sinks if u dont care how your system looks ever looked into a high end alienware green everywhere  

[IntMD]

This is from PC partpicker in Germany, not sure where in the EU you are, so you may have to add some delivery charges to this (or a bit more VAT if that is a higher % than Germany). It should give you a rough idea though. Also assuming you reuse your current case & PSU as you have said. Some of these things can definitely be had for cheaper 2nd hand of Ebay etc. if you wanted to go that for the CPU or something.

 

• You can get some Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 3200 DDR4 for about €10 more if you wanted to or, if you just want 2*4GB sticks of ram for 8gb total, it can be had for about €46 for the cheapest 3000 speed stuff on there.
• This is with the 2200G, the 3200G is about 13 Euros more, there is a slight speed bump with the 3200G over the 2200G, but it depends on
• Basically the cheapest B450 ATX board, mATX should fit fine in your case as well, and can be had slightly cheaper than the motherboard below (~€10-15), as well.
• I threw in a 1TB HDD as well as you said your current one has bad sectors and nobody wants a dead HDD with stuff they might want on it.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€87.80 @ Alza)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€84.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (€64.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Toshiba P300 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€41.84 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €279.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-01-20 13:20 CET+0100

[NumLock21]

Keep as much components as you can and just upgrade the essentials like CPU, motherboard, and ram. I assume you'll want to upgrade the GPU too. If the gpu is going to get upgraded, and it's over your entire budget, reduce some of the other components like ram from 16gb to 8Gb.

[Bombastinator]

49 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

Keep as much components as you can and just upgrade the essentials like CPU, motherboard, and ram. I assume you'll want to upgrade the GPU too. If the gpu is going to get upgraded, and it's over your entire budget, reduce some of the other components like ram from 16gb to 8Gb.

That 9500 needs upgrade bad bad.  It’s a holdover from single slot.  Those things were some of the first cards that had directx10.  Its why I’m saying it’s even worse than the 3000g apu.  It’s a good bit slower than a 9600gt which is a good bit slower than vega3

[krakkpott]

Modded LGA 771 quad-core server processors + used RX 470/570 would be my suggestion.

[Anomnomnomaly]

On 1/20/2020 at 7:49 AM, MTomic2003 said:

My family still uses a computer that is about 10 years old with Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz (overclocked to 3.3GHz, although with a stock cooler) and Nvidia GeForce 9500GT. With an SSD, it runs Windows 10 fine, but who knows when will that break. And it is mainly used by my little brother who likes to play Minecraft.

So, my question is: Where is the upgrade path from here, but with a budget of about $200-300? Is it better to just start from scratch, even with that little amount of money, or is it better to buy a graphics card and upgrade other stuff later? I would keep the case, PSU and drives.

Plus, I live in a country where everything is a bit too late, e.g. we aren't going to see Intel CPUs for laptops with dumb names (ix-10xxxX) anytime soon.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

EDIT: Just remembered I left something out. The PSU was changed about 4 years ago when the old one died. (To bad it didn't fry anything in it.) This new one is a 600W unit, actually, from an unknown manufacturer... At least it's painted.

And the SSD I mentioned was bought few years ago when the hard disk died on the other computer. And it still has the original WD Black 160GB drive from 10 years ago. Few bad sectors, but the number of them didn't go up in a very long time.

And I do have 6GB of DDR2, but... go figure...

EDIT #2: The case is an ATX one. With like 6 3.5" bays. Desktop case? More like server case.

Not really anything in there worth saving... if the PSU is a good one, that might be ok... and the SSD would probably be ok to wipe and start over... even the case at a push... but it's not gonna have decent IO on it, and with that many front bays... I'd guess very poor airflow.

 

If you want a really budget PC, B450 board, Ryzen 3400G, 8GB DDR4 3000 or 3200 and a new PSU should get you up and running. The 3400G has built in graphics that will do until you can save up for a card... and it'll provide an upgrade path for a few years to come.