I need some advices for an old pc

[MattB16]

I have a quite old setup that I would like to make a bit more performing. This is not my main pc but due to reasons I will stuck with it for some months. 

My problem is whether is it worth or not to upgrade the cpu, or the performance difference would not worth the cost.

 

The focus of my upgrade is to make it better handling multitasking: I'm a master degree student and I often find myself with many chrome tabs opened, running codes on statistical softwares (R especially), videocall in the background, working on excel or word files. My goal is to make operation more smooth and making R running my code faster.

I do not run any games on this pc.

 

Budget is not big but I really need advices on how should I approach this. I do rely on integrated graphic card to run two old 5:4 monitors at 1280x1024

 

My current build is: 

CPU: Intel i3-2100 with stock cooler

MOTHERBOARD: Asus P8H61-M rev. b3

RAM: 16 Gb DDR3 (8x2) Kingston Hyperx at 1333Mhz

SSD: Samsung 850 evo 250gb

HDD: Seagate Firecuda 1TB

PSU: Corsair Cx550m

CASE: BeQuiet! Pure Base 600

OS: Windows 7 64bit

Monitors: 2 x  5:4 monitors at 1280x1024 75Hz 

 

Are second hand cpu reliable? What should I check before buying one? Thanks in advance.

Country: Italy

 

[TehDwonz]

8 minutes ago, MattB16 said:

I have a quite old setup that I would like to make a bit more performing. This is not my main pc but due to reasons I will stuck with it for some months. 

My problem is whether is it worth or not to upgrade the cpu, or the performance difference would not worth the cost.

 

The focus of my upgrade is to make it better handling multitasking: I'm a master degree student and I often find myself with many chrome tabs opened, running codes on statistical softwares (R especially), videocall in the background, working on excel or word files. My goal is to make operation more smooth and making R running my code faster.

I do not run any games on this pc.

 

Budget is not big but I really need advices on how should I approach this. I do rely on integrated graphic card to run two old 5:4 monitors at 1280x1024

 

My current build is: 

CPU: Intel i3-2100 with stock cooler

MOTHERBOARD: Asus P8H61-M rev. b3

RAM: 16 Gb DDR3 (8x2) Kingston Hyperx at 1333Mhz

SSD: Samsung 850 evo 250gb

HDD: Seagate Firecuda 1TB

PSU: Corsair Cx550m

CASE: BeQuiet! Pure Base 600

OS: Windows 7 64bit

Monitors: 2 x  5:4 monitors at 1280x1024 75Hz 

 

Are second hand cpu reliable? What should I check before buying one? Thanks in advance.

Country: Italy

 

You could upgrade to an i5 or i7 from the 2nd gen line up - just make sure the BIOS is on the latest version before you do that.

I use second-hand CPUs regularly (though usually Xeon, not Core iX). Use ebay, and pay using PayPal, and you'll be fine. Good European sources tend to be Latvia and Germany, in my experience. 

 

I've also used AliExpress with no issues, but there is obviously the risk of no real resolution if there is a problem. It's a lottery on there, as to whether you get an honest seller or not. I've yet to have a problem though - and I've actually had more issues with 3rd-party Amazon sellers to be fair!

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Here is a list of CPUs that are compatible with your chipset. 2nd and 3rd gen Intel. Click "compatible products" on the left side.

 

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/52806/intel-h61-express-chipset.html

 

A quick look on ebay, and it seems that i7 3770s are more expensive than they are worth. i7 2600s are a bit better priced. Your best bet for value might be to go for a mid to high tier i5 which seem to be priced well enough. Like an i5 2400, i5 2500, i5 3470, i5 3570.