Should i upgrade my CPU on an old Lenovo ThinkCentre M77 ?

pankodomik · Jun 5, 2018

Hi guys, i just bought an old Lenovo ThinkCentre M77 1990 and also replaced integrated GPU: Radeon HD 4250 with MSI GTX 750 1GB and i ask you guys:

Should i buy new CPU like FX 4300 to perform better with gaming because this CPU is only dual core and games like GTA 5 requires 4 core CPU. Also my budget is 100 bucks.

Specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 B26 3.2 GHz
Motherboard: IBM-LENOVO-M77-MOTHERBOARD-03T6227
Memory: 2x4GB DDR3
GPU: MSI N750-1GD5/OC
Storage: 250 GB 7200RPM HDD
PSU: Standard 280W Lenovo PSU

Or should i stick with the CPU and save for better PC?

clutchc · Jun 5, 2018

The easy answer is yes, save up for a better system if gaming is your goal. But with a $100 budget, that is out of the question.

You could try a Athlon II X4 or Phenom II x4 3GHz or better and see if the BIOS recognizes the processor. The CPU support list doesn't show much beyond the 2.8 GHz Phenom II x4, but I've found all that era K10 AMD CPUs seem to be recognized by older BIOSs... usually. (I'm running a Phenom II X4 960T (Zosma) on a BIOS that never had that one listed)

pankodomik · Jun 6, 2018

And do you think my PSU would not damage because of CPU that uses 30 more Watts or should i purchase the CPU with better PSU?

clutchc · Jun 6, 2018

pankodomik :

It depends on the +12V rail rating of the PSU. Can you post a photo of the label on the side of the PSU? Or state the watts/amps for that rail?

pankodomik · Jun 7, 2018

clutchc :

Okay, here it is: https://imgur.com/s90K8en

clutchc · Jun 7, 2018

pankodomik :

Yeah, that's a pretty weak +12v rail. It will work and you'll probably be fine for the most part. But the PSU will be maxed out when both the CPU and GPU hit near 100% usage. I'd use it for now and start saving up for a replacement.
Which one of these M77s is yours?

If a new PSU is out of range right now, Id suggest getting the GT 1030 instead. It has twice the VRAM and is as fast as the older GTX 750. Best of all, it is only a 35W card vs 55-60W for the 750.
Here are some game comparisons.

pankodomik · Jun 8, 2018

clutchc :

pankodomik :

Yeah, that's a pretty weak +12v rail. It will work and you'll probably be fine for the most part. But the PSU will be maxed out when both the CPU and GPU hit near 100% usage. I'd use it for now and start saving up for a replacement.
Which one of these M77s is yours?

If a new PSU is out of range right now, Id suggest getting the GT 1030 instead. It has twice the VRAM and is as fast as the older GTX 750. Best of all, it is only a 35W card vs 55-60W for the 750.
Here are some game comparisons.

It is the bigger one. I should use the stock PSU with CPU and GPU until i buy some better 450W PSU and in the future i could upgrade to a better GPU

clutchc · Jun 8, 2018

Assuming you get a quad core CPU, I would either live with the PC as-is for now until you can afford both a GTX 1050 Ti and new PSU... or grab the GT 1030 now for some gaming fun while saving for the above.No sense getting a new PSU and then staying with anything less than a 1050 Ti. And the GTX 1050 Ti will run on any good quality 300W PSU. No need for anything more.

Of course, there's always the plan B: building a new system.

pankodomik · Jun 10, 2018

clutchc :

And 1 last thing, i red that my Motherboard has a AM3b socket which means it is AM3+, so will an FX series work?

clutchc · Jun 10, 2018

pankodomik :

Well, there's a couple issues that may prevent that. 1) the motherboard BIOS would need to recognize the Bulldozer architecture. Not sure if Lenovo provided for that or not. 2) the AM3(b) socket has smaller pin holes than the AM3+. I can't remember if Bulldozer CPUs ended up with fatter pins as was talked about or if they stayed with the same size as previous. Only by trying would you know unless someone jumps in with confirmation.

You might hop over to the Lenovo forum and ask around. Maybe one of their reps will jump in with an answer.

pankodomik · Jun 12, 2018

So, i discovered that there are many versions of M77 including Bulldozer CPUs https://www.cnet.com/products/lenovo-thinkcentre-m77-1996-fx-4100-3-6-ghz-monitor-none-series/specs/ So, that means i can buy Bulldozer CPU or even buy Piledriver and just update BIOS.

clutchc · Jun 12, 2018

pankodomik :

But are they all using the same motherboard as you?

pankodomik · Jun 13, 2018

clutchc :

Yes, because Lenovo posted this: http://news.lenovo.com/news-releases/new-lenovo-thinkcentre-m77-desktop-built-for-business-professionals.htm
and all stock ThinkCentres M77 uses this IBM 03T6227 motherboard.

clutchc · Jun 13, 2018

I don't see anywhere in that posting that all the boards are the same model/revision. Lenovo may use IBM boards, but that doesn't mean every M77 has the same one.

pankodomik · Jul 8, 2018

clutchc :

So, i bought an old ASUS mobo for 10 dollars with working FX 4100, 4 GB of ram and SATA cable, the processor is working fine on the IBM motherboard but the ASUS one is not working, still a very good buy.

clutchc · Jul 9, 2018

pankodomik :

So, it looks like the Bulldozer CPUs do indeed fit the AM3b socket. Wasn't sure about the pin size. Good to know.
Now that you have a bit better CPU, what are you going to do about the gfx card? The PSU?

pankodomik · Jul 10, 2018

clutchc :

pankodomik :

So, it looks like the Bulldozer CPUs do indeed fit the AM3b socket. Wasn't sure about the pin size. Good to know.
Now that you have a bit better CPU, what are you going to do about the gfx card? The PSU?

Now, I will be saving for GTX 960 or 1050ti and also a new PSU, so it will preform without any problem.

Should i upgrade my CPU on an old Lenovo ThinkCentre M77 ?

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