CPU Upgrade?

[Kwinten]

Hi, I am trying to upgrade my PC for a low price (DDR2 ram). I still have a 600w powersuply and a decent case, but I also have a Intel Core 2 CPU q9500 3,0ghz with a lga775 socket. Do I get a older motherboard with DDR3 ram or just simply get a new CPU?

[Mark77]

Not really an upgrade path out of that CPU.  You'll probably have to replace the platform to get a meaningful performance boost.  PSU should be re-usable, case, etc. 

 

All I can suggest, from a usability point of view, is make sure you have a SSD as the boot drive.  That's something you can upgrade, if you're still using a HDD, without committing to hardware that's not going to be re-usable in a new build. 

[Joe_MacDougall]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TnxTZ8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TnxTZ8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($177.75 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($70.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: PNY Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($78.14 @ Amazon) 
Total: $326.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-15 14:07 EST-0500

 

This gives you 4 cores. DDR3. A fairly good upgrade path and a fairly low price. If you can find used DDR3 you could probably cut the cost by $25 or so.

[Wolther]

Getting an ssd will be probably your best bet 

240 gb ones can go for 60-70$ 

[Wolther]

Also, no idea what your budget is 

[Kwinten]

Tnx guys for the fast responses,  I will as I feared have to buy a new CPU. I'ill make sure to check out the build you suggested.