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Upgrading Older Computer

M

mMike01

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
110
1) Budget - $400-$500, less is better though

2) Figure out which components you would need for your setup. - Operating System, Graphics Card, Extra Hard drive

3) Determine what the computer is going to be used for. - Gaming, newer games like the new Doom, Fortnite

4) Figure out which features you want on your computer. - Older PC, not interested in features, just compatible upgraded parts

5) Determine whether or not you are planning on overclocking any of the components. Computer for upgrade currently overclocked

6) Determine how long you want your machine to last. - Few more years, 3-4 maybe

7) Come up with a list of what you want. Windows 10 64 bit - Home OEM - 99.99, Western Digital Black WD2001FASS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal - 99.99, Graphics Card Unknown, rest of budget.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAD5G6YT4199
Current PC Looking to Upgrade

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366

EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

6 GB of GSKill memory

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express
2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card x 2 in SLI

128 gb Intel SSD

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC

Vista 64

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Looking to see if it is possible to upgrade older PC to play some newer games. It's been such a long time since I've looked at hardware, i'm not sure what a good PCI 2.0 graphics card would be for this PC anymore. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
Unfortunately for you now is a really bad time for GPU upgrading, since cryptocurrency mining and shortages have pushed up the prices on GPUs from 30-50%.

Looking at your system (i7-920, GTX 260, 22" WSXGA 1680x1050) your current GPU is a huge bottleneck. It's so old and outdated, even an old midrange card would be a big step up.

My suggestion is look for a used GTX 970 4gb for $150 first. If you can't find one, then look for a 670/680/770/780 3-4gb card for $100-120.

The fact is you don't need a newer CPU as the i7-920 will serve just fine. And I recommend not to spend $100 for a Windows 10 key if you already have Windows 7, because the gaming performance will be virtually the same.

With the newer GPU and your current i7/Win 7/monitor you will be able to play Fortnite/Doom just fine at good framerates since neither are very demanding.

mMike01 said:
6) Determine how long you want your machine to last. - Few more years, 3-4 maybe
Click to expand...

Honestly it has lasted you this long, I'd run it for 1-2 more years, or at least until PC prices come back to normal. Why bother paying more if you have something that's working fine for now?
 
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Stick in the best 1366 processor you can afford. 4 core 3.0 ghz+ will do wonders. 1366 Xeons work also. double the ram. compatible DDR3 is easy to find.. PCIE 3.0 graphics card will work just fine, so buy what you can afford. A GTX 1060 variant matches the power of a 1366 rig to play modern titles at 1080P quite well, but ANYTHING is better than a GTX 260, so even a RX560/ GTX 1050 will be an upgrade. Since your gaming I would recommend a 4gb model.. You should be in well under budget for CPU/ ram so you can splurge a bit on a graphics card.

Also, there is no need to buy Windows 10 if you have a Vista 64 COA/ key. You can enter the Vista/7 key into a 10 install and 10 will activate on it. Aside from that, there are actual MS certified resellers that are selling Win 10 keys for $10-50 each depending on version, legitimately
 
Thanks for the quick replies. Sounds good, I'll look for a used 970 gtx.

And from what I gather, If i upgrade to Win7(i prefer this OS to 10 anyway), I could still use the 7 key to upgrade to 10 if I wanted.

Thanks again.
 
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