# Updating PC



## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Hi all,

I’ve got an older PC that has pretty much just been pieced together into a working system. It does ok for day to day use however it struggles to do certain tasks. This most likely because of the CPU. This CPU was purchased just to complete a BIOS update and was stuck with this old motherboard.

I’ve been thinking of upgrading, to something with a little more power and it seems as if I have two options. 

1) Buy an older 6/7 series CPU as a drop in upgrade. 

2) scrap a lot of what I have which would require another CPU, Mobo and RAM. Maybe even a PSU. 

Luckily this PC is only used for browsing, word processing etc, but the CPU stutters while even doing that.

I know things change fast and I am pretty much out of the loop nowadays, just looking for input. 

Thanks

CPU: Celeron 3900
mobo: MSU b250m pro vdh 
Ram: 8gb @ 1066
Video: EVGA GTX460
PSU: Corsair cx500

Plus of course the irrelevant Ssds, case, etc.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Copied MOBO specs from MSi:

Supports 7th / 6th Gen Intel® Core™ / Pentium® / Celeron® processors for LGA 1151 socket
Supports DDR4-2400 Memory
DDR4 Boost: Give your DDR4 memory a performance boost
Audio Boost: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for a HI-FI experience
EZ Debug LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot
Turbo M.2: Delivering Speeds Up to 32Gb/s, Intel Optane Memory Ready
X-Boost: Great tool to boost your USB & Storage performance
Doublo ESD Protection: Double layer grounding motherboard mounting holes
Military Class 5, Guard-Pro: Latest evolution in high quality components for best protection and efficiency
Click BIOS: Secure and Reliable UEFI BIOS solution
You might have done better with an i5 (certainly i7) since you have an additional graphics card installed. Also do a memory check.


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## steve32mids (Jun 27, 2012)

more down to your needs and how much money you want to spend etc, and what will you be using it for?


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Will not have much hard use, as stated. Why are the 6/7 gen processors so expensive? Almost to the point where I could get a Newer CPU and mobo for only a bit more...


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

I would just upgrade a few parts...ie CPU, RAM and then add a SSD if you don't have one. 

If your looking/thinking of going new. I would suggest a 3 piece combo either AMD or Intel from newegg. You can get one a pretty darn good combo for around $500. Then you would need a new PSU something of high quality and that's another $150 (avg price). Then a new GPU....nothing to beefy, a GTX 1070 will do nicely. 

All this is dependent on Covid - 19....supply and demand as to what's avaiable online. What I've been noticing/seeing that the GPU's and PSU's....all the high end ones are out of stick and when they do come in....the prices are double.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

You could do without a discreet gpu and just use integrated graphics for the tasks you mentioned, if you're on a tight budget. The 8GB ram is also plenty for those tasks. That cpu should be the first to go!


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Well i have a dedicated GPU already, so no trouble there.

My question is whether I should just buy an updated 6/7th gen(thats all my 250M will support) or whether I should scrap my CPU/Mobo/RAM and start fresh. Seems like AMD has the better value for the buck kind of, but I have nothing against Intel. Does look like 10th Gen Intel will be the thing here shortly..

6/7th Gen are still very expensive and feel like I might as well almost start fresh.

Any suggestions?


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

What's your budget?


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Probably around 3-400


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Jtsou said:


> Probably around 3-400


Parts from the $500 intel or $400 AMD build here https://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-recommended-builds-2020-a-1235670.html#post7732664 should get you sorted, that is, CPU and motherboard, and optionally RAM and power supply.


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## zeekstern (Jan 11, 2008)

Unless you are sure it is a CPU problem, you might consider installing Linux on it and see how that goes. I recently did that with the XP system I am still running on. You can install Linux beside (not over) whatever OS you have on there and boot into whichever OS you want. It made a world of difference on my old PC. 

Just a thought..


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## geppetto (Oct 31, 2012)

You may want to do some troubleshooting before you make a purchase. I'm running an AMD 2.0 Ghz dual cpu with 4GB ram, Win7 SP1, LOTS of open tabs in Firefox, GIMP, and the occasional word processor and spreadsheet running, and do not have the performance issues you described. My system is smaller and slower than yours. It is a Toshiba laptop and there is nothing special about the hard drive, WD I think. 



I would start with a look at the Task Manager to see what is running and if something is sucking up your cpu resources. I'd also try booting a live CD/DVD of a Linux distribution to help check performance of the hardware. 



Good luck!


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## dwight_parker (Jun 8, 2010)

Celeron is an issue in my opinion.... found i5 on Amazon for $165 that will work with your MB.....with your budget might as well upgrade ram and get an ssd if you don't have one.... how long have you been running this system without a fresh reload of Windows? I personally have seen a fresh load of Windows, reload applications, and restore your data which you back up regularly to speed up many a system.... systems tend to get "kludged" up with crap over time and a reload sometimes works wonders. Your info says Windows 7 Home Premium....any reason you don't upgrade to Windows 10? I also suggest you give Linux a try, dual booting to Windows if you wish.... but if you're not a techie, you might hold off on that as sometimes after Windows updates, the GRUB bootloader can get corrupted and that can be intimidating to fix if you are a Linux newbie....but if you jump in and give it a try, you won't be a newbie forever....


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

It's for sure the CPU. I just installed a fresh copy of Win10. CPU usage(idle) is around 60-70%... I'm probably going to invest in a new Mobo/CPU/RAM setup using the Ryzen line.

I've never messed with Linux, but I'm open to ideas.


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