Buying New Computer and Upgrading Old One

Gkelley95 · Jan 8, 2015

So, I have two computers that I currently own. I want to upgrade both, but I have found out that one is kind of old. So I'll just post both builds and tell me what I should do to upgrade one or both. My Budget for Computer 1 and 2 together is $400. I'm not very computer literate, so may you please explain each part that you recommend upgrading to as to why I should get the upgraded piece? The Main Things I do with Computer 1 is Game, Photo and Video Editing, Skype, and Recording. Computer 2 is mainly Minecraft, Terraria, and Skype. Thanks guys!

Computer 1

Operating System - Windows 8.1 64-bit

CPU - Intel Core i7 3770 @ 3.40GHz 39 °C / Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology

RAM - 16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (11-11-11-28)

Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. CM6330_CM6630_CM6730_CM6830_M11AA (LGA1155) 41 °C

Graphics
DELL SE198WFP (1440x900@60Hz)
DELL E198WFP (1440x900@60Hz)
DELL E198WFP (1440x900@60Hz)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 (ASUStek Computer Inc) 45 °C

Storage
931GB TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 (SATA) 38 °C

Optical Drives
ATAPI DVD A DH24ACSH ATA Device

Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

PSU - HBA008-ZA1GT 350 (http://us.estore.asus.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=5628)

Computer 2

Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1

CPU
Intel Pentium D 945
Presler 65nm Technology

RAM
4.00GB DDR2

Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0MM599 (Microprocessor)

Graphics
e15t4 (1024x768@75Hz)
Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family (Dell)
Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family (Dell)

Storage
74GB Seagate ST3808110AS ATA Device (SATA) 43 °C

Optical Drives
PLDS DVD+-RW DH-16AAS ATA Device

Audio
High Definition Audio Device

shadows1234 · Jan 8, 2015

Computer 1 get a better gpu such as a gtx760 or amd r9 280 both are 200$ on new egg or amazon with free shipping
Computer 2 get a fm2+ board and a amd a apu such as amd a8-5600k plus 4gb ddr3 and use old old hardrive and psu and case total 170$

shadows1234 · Jan 8, 2015

Computer 1 gpu is for better gaming and recording video editing
Computer 2 is a cpu motherboard and ddr3 1866 ram and is more powerful than the old stuff and will be like a brand new computer

shadows1234 · Jan 8, 2015

You could also invest all the money on computer 1 and buy a better gpu and put the old one in the old system which should increase the porformance on both since you dont really use the 2nd pc much anyway

bootcher · Jan 8, 2015

For your computer 1 you only need to upgrade the graphics card, as the rest is still pretty good hardware. A decent upgrade would a GTX 750ti, which probably does not require a psu upgrade, but I can't be sure since you didn't mention your psu. Here is a list of different GTX 750 ti cards:
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=164

For your second computer you can basically do a full upgrade, since there is not much left worth upgrading. Since you are on a very tight budget your options are very limited. I sugest an AMD APU, since they perform pretty good and have an integrated graphics core, so you won't need a separate videocard.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($139.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $295.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-08 13:32 EST-0500

Gkelley95 · Jan 8, 2015

This is my psu on Computer 1
http://us.estore.asus.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=5628
Computer 2 has a PSU of 280w. Would that be efficient enough to use Computer's 1 GPU and just buy a better one for Computer 1?

Gkelley95 · Jan 9, 2015

bootcher :

Would this be efficient enough to Run these games as Minecraft and League of Legends without lag? Also do I need another HDD or buy a different one? Also how can I tell how good the integrated graphics are on the motherboard?

shadows1234 · Jan 9, 2015

Gkelly yes the psu is stong enough and upgrade the gpu on yhe first one to a r9 280x or gtx 760 770

The intergrated graphics are great you be able to play get ram 1866 the faster the ram on apu the better the performance and should run everything great if your harddrive is faster than 5400 rpm no need to upgrade

shadows1234 · Jan 9, 2015

My brother has the a8 version of the cpu and play minecraft over 100 fps with everything turned on 1600x900

bootcher · Jan 9, 2015

Minecraft it can run without any problems, it is a not very demanding game. You can see how it fares with other games here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R7-in-A10-7850K.112875.0.html
Scroll down to see benchmarks on different games. It can run pretty much any game on medium settings. LoL however it will run high settings at 1080p: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYV_Oj3sE70

I would recommend a new harddrive yes, one that is only 74 gb must be very old and will likely start to fail soon, also 74gb is very small. Windows alone needs about 20gb for a clean install.

Another option though is to use the current videocard from your 1st pc on the 2nd one. You won't need an cpu with integrated graphics, only a standalone cpu like the X4 860K, which is essentially the same as A10 7850K but without the integrated graphic cores. It will be cheaper, but the integrated graphics on the A10 will perform better.

Gkelley95 · Jan 10, 2015

So would this Computer Build for Computer 2 run better than Computer 1, or Computer 1 still be the dominant one?

slyu9213 · Jan 11, 2015

Gkelley95 :

Computer 1 will always be the dominant one over an AMD build. Now if Computer 2 was built on an Haswell i5/i7 that would be different

Also I agree with bootcher. A 7850K will cost you probably about the same price as an FX 8320. You can get the 860K which is the 7850K without the IGP and use the old GPU with the new Computer 2 build. 860K will probably be nearly 50% cheaper normally and even more cheaper when on sale

Gkelley95 · Jan 13, 2015

slyu9213 :

So May you guys Post a Build that would be suitable for Computer 2? Just give me a complete build and I'll do something else with Computer 2. Just a build from complete scratch.

Gkelley95 · Jan 13, 2015

bootcher :

So May you guys Post a Build that would be suitable for Computer 2? Just give me a complete build and I'll do something else with Computer 2. Just a build from complete scratch. I might invest more into it.

bootcher · Jan 13, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: DIYPC FM18-W ATX Mid Tower Case ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $303.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 19:50 EST-0500

This is the same build, but with the needed harddrive to put the OS on it, and a case.

Gkelley95 · Jan 26, 2015

bootcher :

Would I have to buy a Fan for the case and like a thing that sits on the AMD to keep it cool as well? Or are those already included?

slyu9213 · Jan 26, 2015

Gkelley95 :

As long as you get a boxed CPU (not OEM) it will come with a CPU Cooler/Heatsink. Also the IGP in the 7850K is pretty nice but if you're okay with the performance of your GT 630 you can save more money getting an 860K (7850K without IGP) or 760K (6800K without IGP) and then just re using the GT 630.

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