Which PC Component Would You Upgrade First?

[mj_brooks]

If you had to start from scratch with an old, beater PC, what would you choose to change out first if you could only upgrade a bit at a time?

 

An SSD so you can have the ultimate in Windows boot times (and data transfer speeds!)? A new video card to give yourself bucketfuls of FPS in Far Cry 18? 

 

Just interested to hear your thoughts and opinions! You don't have to think too technically, just think about what matters most to you. I personally found that I noticed the biggest difference when I set my computer to boot from an SSD. I absolutely love being able to use my computer 20 seconds after pressing "the button."

[kpreg]

If you had to start from scratch with an old, beater PC, what would you choose to change out first if you could only upgrade a bit at a time?

 

An SSD so you can have the ultimate in Windows boot times (and data transfer speeds!)? A new video card to give yourself bucketfuls of FPS in Far Cry 18? 

 

Just interested to hear your thoughts and opinions! You don't have to think too technically, just think about what matters most to you. I personally found that I noticed the biggest difference when I set my computer to boot from an SSD. I absolutely love being able to use my computer 20 seconds after pressing "the button."

far cry 18 luls ubisoft will be deader than IBM by then

 

Anyways probably cooling to make sure my system doesn't catch on fire. 

[FLAMMABLEGAS17481]

i would change the the mouse and kwyboard as that will wield the most fps.

 

and the moniter to 4k for more fps.

[Nickolas47]

Ssd

[smokincola]

It would all depend on the starting spec for me, usually I'd look at the graphics card and then the cpu. However, there's no point throwing a fancy gpu at a cpu that's going to bottleneck it. The big problem, usually, is finding components that will go in an old board that would actually represent a viable upgrade. The age of the kit in question is a big factor here. In the majority of cases with truly old PCs the best option is to wait and replace everything except maybe the case, the keyboard, and the mouse, and depending on age possibly keep the HHD for storage.

 

If I'm assuming a decent system with a good cpu in there then I'd go with a graphics card upgrade, but it would dependent on knowing something about the rest of the system as well before making that call. It's not something I would just do blindly.

[ElDiabeto]

I voted GPU, but I changed my mind. More RAM would probably be more worthwhile in an old pc.

[Guest]

I really need an SSD, but at the same time my HDD is nearly full and needs replacing. I don't really know what to get first. : /

[mj_brooks]

far cry 18 luls ubisoft will be deader than IBM by then

 

Anyways probably cooling to make sure my system doesn't catch on fire. 

Maybe EA will buy the series from them and ruin it

[Butsys410]

If i were me, id probably go for a nice new Mother board so that you have plenty of room for other upgrades that are presumably to come, Probably not X99 standards but yanno, something to give peace at mind when buying other hardware. 

[SomethingOrOtherThing]

Monitor deserves to be separate.

[McMurderMonkey]

I guess it really depends on the system, but for the most part one would have to replace the PSU for future upgradeability, and of course an SSD for dem snappy boot up times.

[nekomata]

My system is heating up really badly here. The ambient temp is high enough, I need to get the heat out of my tiny 3x2.5m room

[WyzeThawt]

if it was an old beater id do PSU to play it safe.

[Buildmeasystem]

really depends on what you're starting with. 

 

if it was a custom build pc with high end components for the time, then the power supply should be safe. If it's a cheap piece of crap OEM, then i wouldn't swap anything before getting a better quality PSU. 

 

Assuming that the system has a good power supply, I would likely go GPU first, but SSD is a great option too. 

 

I wouldn't bother with ram unless we're dealing with 2GB or less. CPU isn't likely worth replacing as it would probably need a new mobo as well. 

 

 

Easily the most noticeable change would be an SSD though. 

[c5carden]

Everything i need a whole new system

[SadTech]

Motherboard..... then build from there, if it was a old beater computer you would need a new mobo for the right LGA, memeory slots, and probably even PCI-E 16x.

[Guest DollarPC]

A 9590

Reason: i7-5930K<FX 9590

[Totally-A-Hero]

I voter perhpials, i wanna be comfortable while on this new PC.

[sweenytodd]

If I build a 5960X + GTX 980 SLI rig today, I will definitely upgrade the video cards after two generations. Always graphics cards for me.

[Ertman]

SSD here.

1) Fairly cheap, upgrade can be afforded sooner.

2) It will likely provide the best noticeable performance improvment, depending on starting hardware, and will make the machine more enjoyable as I save for future upgrades.

3) Easy to take ssd along with future upgrades.

[deVIZtation]

I'm big on SSD's. I tell everyone that I build for that they need a SSD in their budget, even though it still is somewhat of a luxury, especially for people who are on a tight budget.

[jessicametal]

I had originally voted GPU, but I switched over to the motherboard. For really beat up and old PCs, this is a very overlooked upgrade and I for the life of me can't understand why. It's what ties together every single component in your build, but people will skimp on it in favor the newest CPU or GPU out. Yeah those are important too, but they don't matter much if you have a weaksauce mobo that can't even POST.

If you're gonna breathe life into a dusty old PC, you're gonna have to start with the most basic component; the motherboard.



Edit: Come to think of it, the PSU is also another great upgrade choice. No sense in trying to buy a ton of components if your current PSU is shooting sparks and sounding like hurricane katrina making landfall on your PC. All that will do is ensure that you waste time and money and have a lot of paperweight components lying around.  :lol:

[KE2012]

what if you want to upgrade mobo to a different socket? Can we upgrade mobo n cpu at the same time?

[The_Evenger]

i can't live without an SSD, all my school computers have them now, all my computers have them, i love them so much that if my dad ever has to reboot his laptop to show me something i just go upstairs and get my laptop because i just can't stand the waiting of a HDD.

[The Toaster]

I would start from scratch with a new motherboard. If the Pc is that old, you are going to need a whole new everything for it to be used as a daily driver. The case and fans are salvageable.

Was on the fence between this and a new PSU.