Is my computer worth buying for ?

[jayjaymozza]

Hey, I have a Acer Aspire M1610 desktop pc, and its only 1.60GHz CPU, I do not have a graphics card yet but it does have 4GB of RAM.
I am wondering if i should buy new parts for this computer to make it run faster/better or just buy a new computer, i do not have much to spend and really do not know what to do

I was thinking of buying a new graphics card a new PSU and maybe a better CPU

OR ..

a full new PC ?

Please let me know what you think

 

[jnkweaver]

Hey, I have a Acer Aspire M1610 desktop pc, and its only 1.60GHz CPU, I do not have a graphics card yet but it does have 4GB of RAM.
I am wondering if i should buy new parts for this computer to make it run faster/better or just buy a new computer, i do not have much to spend and really do not know what to do

I was thinking of buying a new graphics card a new PSU and maybe a better CPU

OR ..

a full new PC ?

Please let me know what you think

You really have to look at your budget and what your potential is for more money to spend in the future. Even if you upgrade a slow computer you may end up being bottlenecked by the motherboard. It will also be bottlenecked by the CPU since you can only upgrade so much. Since it has a PCI x 16 you can put in a decent card but you would have to upgrade the PSU first.

It all comes down to what you expect the computer to run and what your budget is.

 

[faster23rd]

Full specs, budget, and the intended things you want to do with this computer.

 

[stickg1]

I would save for a new computer. The best CPU you can put in there is a Core 2 Duo which isn't awful but is not worth spending money on to acquire. Any GPU over a 650ti or 7770 will likely be bottlenecked anyway. It would be silly to buy parts to upgrade that machine, that is just my opinion though.

 

[jayjaymozza]

You really have to look at your budget and what your potential is for more money to spend in the future. Even if you upgrade a slow computer you may end up being bottlenecked by the motherboard. It will also be bottlenecked by the CPU since you can only upgrade so much. Since it has a PCI x 16 you can put in a decent card but you would have to upgrade the PSU first.

It all comes down to what you expect the computer to run and what your budget is.

I basically want it to run a few simple games (i.e. Minecraft, TF2 etc..), YouTube, and just surfing the internet

I don't really have a set limit on how much i have to spend but all i know is it wont be to much ... cheaper the better

 

[faster23rd]

I would save for a new computer. The best CPU you can put in there is a Core 2 Duo which isn't awful but is not worth spending money on to acquire. Any GPU over a 650ti or 7770 will likely be bottlenecked anyway. It would be silly to buy parts to upgrade that machine, that is just my opinion though.

I second stick. You might end up doing more incremental upgrades that would only moderately improve your gaming experience. It would be a bad investment to spend money on tech generations past.

 

[jayjaymozza]

So best thing to do is just buy a new computer ?
If so would it be cheaper to buy all the parts and built my own ?

 

[stickg1]

So best thing to do is just buy a new computer ?
If so would it be cheaper to buy all the parts and built my own ?

Yeah, this right here will run those older games just fine:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($65.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $380.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-17 17:17 EST-0500)

This includes everything only I suggest you re-use your Hard Drive from the old machine. IF you want to sell the old machine for more money to upgrade then get a HDD like this:
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

 

[jnkweaver]

I basically want it to run a few simple games (i.e. Minecraft, TF2 etc..), YouTube, and just surfing the internet

I don't really have a set limit on how much i have to spend but all i know is it wont be to much ... cheaper the better

Well you would benefit from a Radeon 7750 around $90 but a new power supply is needed

If you are in the states I suggest
Corsair builder 430W $27 after $20 MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
Sapphire HD 7750 $89 after $10 MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969

 

[faster23rd]

So best thing to do is just buy a new computer ?
If so would it be cheaper to buy all the parts and built my own ?

Take my word for it. Just 3 months ago I had an LGA 775 build. P4 E6600, 4g 667 mHz DDR2 RAM and a 9500 GT which I "upgraded" to a GT 440 1g GDDR5 card. Let's just say when I played Metro I had the last straw and decided to build my self a new rig.

Yes, it's always cheaper and better to buy parts and build a PC yourself.

 

[jayjaymozza]

Well you would benefit from a Radeon 7750 around $90 but a new power supply is needed

If you are in the states I suggest
Corsair builder 430W $27 after $20 MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
Sapphire HD 7750 $89 after $10 MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969

Yes and what PSU could i buy that will fit in my case ?

 

[jnkweaver]

Yes and what PSU could i buy that will fit in my case ?

Looking at your case the Corsair should fit. What is your psu dimension now and is there more room for length?

 

[jayjaymozza]

Looking at your case the Corsair should fit. What is your psu dimension now and is there more room for length?

Oh okay thanks, I do not know the dimensions of it, but they is not much room really, so do you think I should buy a new PSU and then a new graphics card, then a core 2 duo processor ?

 

[jnkweaver]

Oh okay thanks, I do not know the dimensions of it, but they is not much room really, so do you think I should buy a new PSU and then a new graphics card, then a core 2 duo processor ?

You could hold off on the processor. The new power supply should be first the graphics 2nd and the CPU 3rd for upgrade order.

 

[jayjaymozza]

Oh okay, so do you think I should buy a new PSU and graphics card for this machine or just leave it and buy a new one ...

 

[faster23rd]

Save money for a newer rig because anything that you do with your current ssetup would basically be like bubblegum on a blown tire, you're just stalling the inevitable. You could probably sell your old rig, then pool that in with your savings then purchase and build a new rig.

 

[jayjaymozza]

How much you think i could get for this ?