Is this even upgradable?

[LukeS]

So for years now, I've been wanting to build a PC. It hasn't worked out time wise or financially. 

 

Recently, my friend has decided to throw away his really junkie PC (attached is the model look-alike/mirror image. It is exactly this EXCEPT it only has 4 GB of RAM, not 8) (throwing away implies I give him $150). What I want to do is upgrade the RAM to either 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM and pump in my current laptop's SSD card (running a 250? GB SSD by Kingston). 

 

I'm currently running an Inspiron 15 3000 Series Laptop on 4 GB of RAM and "Intel "HD" Graphics". I believe buying this PC would be a minor upgrade. 

 

My question is, how good of an upgrade would this truly be? What (if any) graphics card could I throw in it to make this desktop run better?

 

Otherwise, would I be able to salvage some of the pieces and buy a new motherboard (and CPU, duh) and make this baby work like a nice PC?

 

I'm a low-profile gamer who occasionally streams for fun (nothing too extravagant). I really just want to be able to run Battlefield, Paladins, and Arma 3. Like literally. I can't run any of those now with my current rig.

 

Thank-you for your time and help!

 

-LukeS

[Aereldor]

It should be, but isn't really worth $150. I'd get it for $75-100.

First, you need to check the motherboard and power supply. Make sure the 20/24-pin connector complies with standard wiring. This will allow you to upgrade the power supply, which will allow you to install higher-grade graphics cards and more powerful CPUs, although the motherboard's power delivery may be insufficient to get higher-end CPUs to boost adequately.

 

As it sits, the Core i3 4130 can still hold its own in modern triple-A titles and makes a good pair with a GTX 1050 Ti; a card that will work on all but the crappiest power supplies.

 

I'd also get it up to 8GB of RAM, and the SSD will definitely help.

[TheGlenlivet]

Yup, it would be upgrade able.  If nothing else, you could install a dedicated graphics card.  The motherboard inside looks like it will handle 4000 series cpus too, so a 4770K would go in if you have the $$$.

Good luck.

[done12many2]

Your friend is smoking some powerful hallucinogens if he thinks that he can sell that PC for $199 or hook you up for a special friend discount of $150.

[cazetofamo]

Just now, Aereldor said:

It should be, but isn't really worth $150. I'd get it for $75-100.

First, you need to check the motherboard and power supply. Make sure the 20/24-pin connector complies with standard wiring. This will allow you to upgrade the power supply, which will allow you to install higher-grade graphics cards.

 

As it sits, the Core i3 4130 can still hold its own in modern triple-A titles and makes a good pair with a GTX 1050 Ti; a card that will work on all but the crappiest power supplies.

 

I'd also get it up to 8GB of RAM, and the SSD will definitely help.

 

I agree, although you may just want to look into getting a 120gb ssd for fairly cheap and use that with the mechanical drive. Keep the first SSD in your laptop and have two computers

[LukeS]

1 minute ago, cazetofamo said:

 

I agree, although you may just want to look into getting a 120gb ssd for fairly cheap and use that with the mechanical drive. Keep the first SSD in your laptop and have two computers

I actually don't mind running and HDD on my laptop; I spill enough chemicals and get bodily fluids on it from school and such (highschool student and EMT. Not weird at all). I'm a pretty big miser when it comes to computers, so I don't want to spend the extra money to get another SSD when I have half a thousand Laptop Harddrives lying around.

[Aereldor]

4 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

The motherboard inside looks like it will handle 4000 series cpus too,

You're stating what is painfully obvious- It already has a 4000 series CPU installed. 

 

4 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

so a 4770K would go in if you have the $$$.

Good luck.

And his $$$ would be wasted if his power supply can't deal with the load and his motherboard's power delivery doesn't allow it to boost beyond a certain limit.

[LukeS]

5 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

It should be, but isn't really worth $150. I'd get it for $75-100.

First, you need to check the motherboard and power supply. Make sure the 20/24-pin connector complies with standard wiring. This will allow you to upgrade the power supply, which will allow you to install higher-grade graphics cards and more powerful CPUs, although the motherboard's power delivery may be insufficient to get higher-end CPUs to boost adequately.

 

As it sits, the Core i3 4130 can still hold its own in modern triple-A titles and makes a good pair with a GTX 1050 Ti; a card that will work on all but the crappiest power supplies.

 

I'd also get it up to 8GB of RAM, and the SSD will definitely help.

Let's pretend that I'm stupid or haven't worked on a PC in 2 years because my summers have been packed... So let's pretend that I don't know how to tell if the pin connectors comply with standard wiring or not. And let's also pretend that I don't know how to check what power supply I'd need...

 

Just standard 8 GB or DDR3 RAM should do, right?

 

4 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

Yup, it would be upgrade able.  If nothing else, you could install a dedicated graphics card.  The motherboard inside looks like it will handle 4000 series cpus too, so a 4770K would go in if you have the $$$.

Good luck.

What graphics card should I be looking at? I'm trying to spend as little money as possible.

[Aereldor]

4 minutes ago, cazetofamo said:

 

I agree, although you may just want to look into getting a 120gb ssd for fairly cheap and use that with the mechanical drive. Keep the first SSD in your laptop and have two computers

Wouldn't hurt to save a few bucks if he/she doesn't care about the performance of the laptop.

[Aereldor]

Just now, LukeS said:

Let's pretend that I'm stupid or haven't worked on a PC in 2 years because my summers have been packed... So let's pretend that I don't know how to tell if the pin connectors comply with standard wiring or not. And let's also pretend that I don't know how to check what power supply I'd need...

 

Just standard 8 GB or DDR3 RAM should do, right?

 

What graphics card should I be looking at? I'm trying to spend as little money as possible.

A GTX 1050 Ti is the best value and will run on anything. If you're on a really tight budget, I can't recommend anything over that. RX 470s go on sale, but your power supply may be insufficient. Check on the model and wattage and get back to us; there's a small chance it may not even run a 1050 Ti properly.

 

As for the motherboard, check the colours on the main cable. Here's the standard- see if it matches up. They're the same plug, except the 24-pin variant has four extra pins. If the wires match up, your power supply is upgradable and you can get an RX 470 or better.

 

Yeah, that's more than enough RAM for gaming.

[TheGlenlivet]

Just now, LukeS said:

Let's pretend that I'm stupid or haven't worked on a PC in 2 years because my summers have been packed... So let's pretend that I don't know how to tell if the pin connectors comply with standard wiring or not. And let's also pretend that I don't know how to check what power supply I'd need...

 

Just standard 8 GB or DDR3 RAM should do, right?

 

What graphics card should I be looking at? I'm trying to spend as little money as possible.

As stated above by Aereldor, you should look at the power supply before anything else to see what it will support, the stock power supply is only 180 watts, so that would need to be upgraded before anything else.

Is it upgradeable, yes.  But you will need to spend some $$$ before it will play games like you want it to.

[LukeS]

So it looks like this $150 desktop is turning into a $400-500 build pretty fast. Should I just bite the bullet and go for a low end gaming desktop which is Intel i5 or AMD's mirror?