minor upgrading my current PC

[PSUGuru]

Hello, everyone. I am building a new computer, but I don't want to trash this computer or neglect it since it'll be passed on.

This is my PC right now: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3DzLFd

 

It's pretty unexceptional, but even after four years, it surprises me on what it can do. It can run XCOM 2 on high settings and maintain 20-25 FPS. Space Engineers runs at 40-60 FPS on max settings. 30 FPS on planets. It's long due for an upgrade.

 

I am going to upgrade it to this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3GbDnn

I am not going to replace the CPU or GPU because there really is no need. I am just going to transfer it to a new case, get a new motherboard, a CPU cooler, an SSD, faster RAM, and a better PSU. I don't want to upgrade to cost any more than 300$. No exceptions. This isn't meant to turn this thing into something so much better than it currently is, but rather to increase this PC's lifespan. It's 4 years old and still going strong.

 

There's no need to go for 16gb of RAM. It's never going to exceed even 4gb usage at any point. 8gb is more than enough. A new CPU cooler is required. The Stock AMD one is ineffective, as the CPU runs hot as is, and I cannot turbo it because it'll just get even hotter. Wifi card is also a requirement. Don't bother changing the CPU or GPU. The reason why there's an 80mm fan is because I intend to replace the CPU cooler fan with a better one for better cooling. They both get the job done on what this thing is going to do: Light gaming. The most this PC will do is run Sims 4.

 

I would like your thoughts, opinions, and criticisms on the chosen upgrades.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

That PSU sucks, please don't get it. Maybe wait and get a bigger SSD, especially since an SSD is something you can reuse. Maybe a DeepCool Gammax 400 over that one? Should perform better. 

Seasonic s12ii 430b is very cheap 

[PSUGuru]

2 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

That PSU sucks, please don't get it. Maybe wait and get a bigger SSD, especially since an SSD is something you can reuse. Maybe a DeepCool Gammax 400 over that one? Should perform better. 

 

 

 

It doesn't suck, It scores an 8.5 on Jonnyguru.com, which is good. Plus, it can't be worse than the HP PSU that's currently in my PC.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=431 here's the review and scoring

[PSUGuru]

5 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

It's a tier 6. That review intentionally leaves out things like the capacitors out of the score. 

 

 

 

I am not saying it's the best PSU out there, because it's not. But it's cheap and for 30$ it performs well. It's very rarely going to be under heavy load, so there shouldn't be any worry. The most this PC will pull in terms of wattage is around 250 watts. This PC will almost never be under a heavy load anyway. This PSU is probably a lot better than the 300 watt HP PSU is.

[PSUGuru]

2 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

But you can spend ten dollars more and get one that is much less likely to damage your components or die on you? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817151074 (the one @deXxterlab97 suggested)

 

That would put me over budget, which is something I am not able to go over.

[Guest]

@Energycore Got any good cheap psu? 

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, deXxterlab97 said:

@Energycore Got any good cheap psu? 

The $50 S12II 620W is as cheap as someone should go today

 

21 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

That would put me over budget, which is something I am not able to go over.

I know the feeling. You buy all your things and plan out, but then one thing becomes unavailable or its price rises. Suddenly you're out of budget.

 

Buy an EVGA 450B. Should be $35 somewhere and it's as low as I will let you go.

[Energycore]

Actually you know what? Your 300W PSU from the HP will do for a GTX 750 Ti. Any PSU for $300 is not an upgrade over that. Just don't get any PSU until you need it, ie if you ever get a GPU that pulls more than 75W.

[Energycore]

You also really don't need the new motherboard and changing it will lock you out of your Windows key

And tha fan selection is really not what I would buy, nor is that cooler. There are much better options for $20

 

I really hope you haven't already bought all these things D=

[Energycore]

54 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

I would like your thoughts, opinions, and criticisms on the chosen upgrades.

Let me start from scratch. That RAM isn't actually 800MHz, DDR stands for double data rate and as such 800MHz RAM shows up as 1600MHz. That's what you have, 1600MHz DDR3. No need to change that.

 

You should buy these upgrades.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MxVY2R

 

Yes, the motherboard is compatible with the new case. It's a standard mATX sized mobo. What's even better, you're only spending $200 here. Save the rest.

[PSUGuru]

43 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Let me start from scratch. That RAM isn't actually 800MHz, DDR stands for double data rate and as such 800MHz RAM shows up as 1600MHz. That's what you have, 1600MHz DDR3. No need to change that.

 

You should buy these upgrades.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MxVY2R

 

Yes, the motherboard is compatible with the new case. It's a standard mATX sized mobo. What's even better, you're only spending $200 here. Save the rest.

It says 800MHz on the side of the RAM, and the PC says it's running at 800Mhz.

 

i didn't buy all the parts yet. And I have spare windows keys.

[PSUGuru]

I also need a new mobo because the BIOS is trash and all fans are set to their lowest operational RPM and you cannot change it. I could use the old Hp PSU, but I am not sure I want to use a 4 year old PSU by a company that doesn't sell PSUs.

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, QuantumElement said:

It says 800MHz on the side of the RAM, and the PC says it's running at 800Mhz.

That's weird. Can you tell me the part number on them?

 

2 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

I also need a new mobo because the BIOS is trash and all fans are set to their lowest operational RPM and you cannot change it. I could use the old Hp PSU, but I am not sure I want to use a 4 year old PSU by a company that doesn't sell PSUs.

Well the PSU in there is not made by them. It's likely made by Delta, FSP or Seasonic. If it's Delta or Seasonic, chances are it's actually a good PSU

2 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

i didn't buy all the parts yet. What would you suggest for a parts list? And I have spare windows keys.

Ah in that case buy this

If you're gonna refresh motherboard, it's worth getting a new platform that will give you more flexibiity.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($57.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H110M PRO-VD PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($41.99 @ Jet)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $191.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-07 18:34 EST-0500

[Energycore]

Oh an SSD as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H5KW8VG/

[PSUGuru]

I don't want to replace the CPU. It's not necessary as the CPU already does everything it needs to just fine. This pc is meant for web browsing and light gaming, the most it'll is Sims 4, and it maxes out that game already.

 

as for the PSU it says "HP" on it. Not seasonic or delta.

 

i can't get the model number at this moment, but I will when i can. But it says in the Bios, AMD Overdrive, and Speccy that it's 800MHz.

 

 

[Energycore]

3 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

I don't want to replace the CPU. It's not necessary as the CPU already does everything it needs to just fine. This pc is meant for web browsing and light gaming, the most it'll is Sims 4, and it maxes out that game already.

 

as for the PSU it says "HP" on it. Not seasonic or delta.

 

i can't get the model number at this moment, but I will when i can. But it says in the Bios, AMD Overdrive, and Speccy that it's 800MHz.

 

 

It's still probably not made by HP themselves, and in general OEM PSUs from big brands can be trusted to output their rated power.

As for the CPU, I see no reason to. Not for the sake of more CPU power but for the sake of getting new features and faster RAM. Also because in the future if you want to repurpose the computer you can just slot in a powerful CPU.

 

Yeah when Speccy says X MHz in RAM, it's actually running at twice that speed. I've used the program before and it calls my 1333 MHz RAM 667MHz.

 

I would do one of two:

- Upgrade to the newer platform with motherboard, CPU and RAM

- Don't upgrade motherboard or RAM, just do SSD and Case and optionally a PSU

 

If you do upgrade PSU, get the Seasonic S12II 620W.

[PSUGuru]

44 minutes ago, Energycore said:

It's still probably not made by HP themselves, and in general OEM PSUs from big brands can be trusted to output their rated power.

As for the CPU, I see no reason to. Not for the sake of more CPU power but for the sake of getting new features and faster RAM. Also because in the future if you want to repurpose the computer you can just slot in a powerful CPU.

 

Yeah when Speccy says X MHz in RAM, it's actually running at twice that speed. I've used the program before and it calls my 1333 MHz RAM 667MHz.

 

I would do one of two:

- Upgrade to the newer platform with motherboard, CPU and RAM

- Don't upgrade motherboard or RAM, just do SSD and Case and optionally a PSU

 

If you do upgrade PSU, get the Seasonic S12II 620W.

Again, I am not going to get a new CPU. This is the only upgrade this PC will ever receive, which will be given to my sister, who only plays very light games and browses the web. I don't want to replace anything if i don't have to. If the PSU has lasted this long, then i might as well keep it. Motherboard has to be replaced, as well as the case. As for the RAM, how do you explain that both the BIOS and AMD Overdrive say 800Mhz. I couldn't change the frequency in the BIOS. It was capped at 800Mhz. Besides, this is a prebuilt PC from 4 years ago. I highly doubt it would have 1600Mhz. 

 

I will get an SSD, then try to figure out how to transfer the OS from the HDD to the SSD. I will also need a wifi card.

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, QuantumElement said:

Again, I am not going to get a new PSU. This is the only upgrade this PC will ever receive, which will be given to my sister, who only plays very light games and browses the web. I don't want to replace anything if i don't have to. If the PSU has lasted this long, then i might as well keep it. Motherboard has to be replaced, as well as the case. As for the RAM, how do you explain that both the BIOS and AMD Overdrive say 800Mhz. I couldn't change the frequency in the BIOS. It was capped at 800Mhz. Besides, this is a prebuilt PC from 4 years ago. I highly doubt it would have 1600Mhz. 

 

I will get an SSD, then try to figure out how to transfer the OS from the HDD to the SSD. I will also need a wifi card.

I googled the motherboard, it only supports DDR3 speeds of 1333, 1600 and 1866. If it was actually running at 800MHz, it would show up as 400MHz.

http://www.findlaptopdriver.com/specs-2ae0-msi/

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03343058

 

You need not replace that motherboard. It still works and it will fit into any mATX or ATX case.

 

So all things considered I would only get case and SSD.

[PSUGuru]

2 minutes ago, Energycore said:

I googled the motherboard, it only supports DDR3 speeds of 1333, 1600 and 1866. If it was actually running at 800MHz, it would show up as 400MHz.

http://www.findlaptopdriver.com/specs-2ae0-msi/

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03343058

 

You need not replace that motherboard. It still works and it will fit into any mATX or ATX case.

 

So all things considered I would only get case and SSD.

But why does the BIOS display 800MHz with no option to lower or increase thr frequency?

 

my other PC displays 1600MHz on the BIOS. 

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, QuantumElement said:

But why does the BIOS display 800MHz with no option to lower or increase thr frequency?

 

my other PC displays 1600MHz on the BIOS. 

That's the weird part. That's why I wanted to take a look at the DIMMs, but the reality is, there never was 800MHz DDR3. The slowest there is is 1066

[PSUGuru]

5 minutes ago, Energycore said:

That's the weird part. That's why I wanted to take a look at the DIMMs, but the reality is, there never was 800MHz DDR3. The slowest there is is 1066

That's what I thought, too. The 8gb Stick is actually 1066 DDR3. The 4gb is 800 DDR3. That what I remember it saying on the side of the sticks.

 

Maybe the samsung 800 DDR3 was an exclusive to the PC I pulled it out of?

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, QuantumElement said:

That's what I thought, too. The 8gb Stick is actually 1066 DDR3. The 4gb is 800 DDR3. That what I remember it saying on the side of the sticks.

 

Maybe the samsung 800 DDR3 was an exclusive to the PC I pulled it out of?

Shit turns out there actually was a smaller number of DDR3-800 made. The good news is that your motherboard supports faster RAM. So you can just put 2x4GB of 1600MHz or 1866MHz in there and keep the mobo

[PSUGuru]

1 minute ago, Energycore said:

Shit turns out there actually was a smaller number of DDR3-800 made. The good news is that your motherboard supports faster RAM. So you can just put 2x4GB of 1600MHz or 1866MHz in there and keep the mobo

Yeah, that works. But I can't control fan speeds with that mobo which causes all my fans to runs at very low RPMs, including the CPU fan which causes it to get to higher temperatures. The CPU thermal thottles when I batch render, so I don't do that anymore.  Faster RAM would be very nice.

[Energycore]

4 minutes ago, QuantumElement said:

Yeah, that works. But I can't control fan speeds with that mobo which causes all my fans to runs at very low RPMs, including the CPU fan which causes it to get to higher temperatures. The CPU thermal thottles when I batch render, so I don't do that anymore.  Faster RAM would be very nice.

Try to control your fans with Speedfan. It's not the simplest program to setup, but it should allow you to control your fans and set them to certain speeds. If you get it, go to the Configure menu and click the speeds tab. If anything shows up in that tab, it means you can control your fans through the software.

[PSUGuru]

2 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Try to control your fans with Speedfan. It's not the simplest program to setup, but it should allow you to control your fans and set them to certain speeds. If you get it, go to the Configure menu and click the speeds tab. If anything shows up in that tab, it means you can control your fans through the software.

Why keep a motherboard that seemingly is not supported? As far as I am aware, I can't update the BIOS. Wouldn't it be better to get a newer motherboard? I want the PC to be functional for a while longer which is why i am upgrading it.