Hi guys,
A friend of mine is looking to upgrade their P4 computer. It'll mainly used for office task and surfing internet.
Something like this Intel Dual-Core G3240 @ MSY for $360 or Intel Dual-Core G1620 @ centrecom for $299.
Any thoughts would be very appreciated, would AMD machine be any better ( in term of money and performance-wise ). It doesn't have to come these two vendor.
Thanks guys.
Following Syskin's comment on how power efficient Haswells are I would recommend the LGA1150 setup and probably upgrade the PSU to a Haswell-ready power supply to take advantage of the power saving features of the chipset.
And for the love of all that is holy, do not pick the SHAW power supply. I have no idea of how they managed to get an 80 plus GOLD certification for a 550w PSU that costs less than $40.
Try and get a tower that comes with an 'i' series chip. At least 3rd gen. i5 preferred, but i3 will be fine.
G series chips will do fine, but its about how much 'headroom' he has for the next 5-10 years (judging on the age of his old system).
As computers get better, programmers get lazier, processing power becomes more important.
The processing power difference is HUGE (mainly in the cache) and the 3rd gen and onward, actually have a graphics processor onboard worth talking about.
Your friend may not game, and may not need the 'power'. But if he's kept his P4 this long, the 'i series' chip will ensure a nice long life of this system too; and if he decides to watch a bluray or try a casual game, the HD4000 (if you can get 4th gen, HD4400\4600) will handle it more than well enough.
Its all about longevity of the system when you know the user 'runs it into the ground'.
I recently built a pc using a intel pentium g3420 (about same speed as g3240), and its absolutely fine for surfing, word, movies.
The question is if with a faster computer if they'll use it for more? (non webbrowser games, large excel spreadsheets)
An i3 would cost $60 more -much faster at games (but a graphics card is an easy upgrade).
Recommended upgrades:
1. more ram (aim 4gb ~$25 more)
2. ssd (120gb=$80)
Without upgrades, the new computer will still be ridiculously faster than the current pentium 4 system, and be faster than a windows surface pro 2 in raw cpu grunt.
I also have no experience with SHAW power supplies -maybe someone else can comment on the longevity for low-power applications.
Note that these pc's don't include windows, try Ubuntu (free) unless your friend requires specific windows programs.
Or a screen (cheap ones available on gumtree probably)
Very good recommendations. People very rarely upgrade their CPUs (unlike RAM, you can't just add CPU power), so that is one thing to buy a little higher than your current needs. But Windows 7/8 loves 4GB of RAM and everyone loves SSDs.
Another option is to go for something like this:
http://www.graysonline.com/lot/0005-192172/computers-and-it-…
They already come with 4GB of RAM and Windows 7. Add an SSD and voila.
As I said, the argument isnt about 'how fast is it now' but 'how long will it feel fast enough'
This is true. But I wish I had $500 for every time a friend thought their PC was obsolete when actually it was just loaded down with various items of crapware. Sometimes all they really need is a fresh install of Windows.
You should cahrge more if you're cleaning it for them. I get at least $100 every time that happens :P
You'll reinstall Windows for only $100? I should send them to you.
I don't help anyone with their Windows PCs anymore. Its thankless and a pain.
I tell them to sell it and get a Mac.
Anyone incapable of keeping basic crapware off their system, and annually backing up their files and reinstalling the OS (either themselves or their IT department) has no business running Windows.
i5 and 8GB if not 16GB of RAM with at least a 500GB SSD. A P4 is back from 2000 - when they first came out. Your friends PC is likely at least 6 or 7 years old if its a later gen P4. If you want another box for 6 or 7 years I would strongly recommending building for the future not for the present. It is impossible to futureproof some builds but a basic all rounder is a lot easier.
Rubbish, an office tower doesn't need a 500GB SSD. 120GB is more than enough.
have you found a computer? as my mum is looking as well thanks
@bsk i would go for the one @ centrecom.
For me i will give that PC a 2x1GB and see how it goes. As somebody said it might just be clogged up with … software. The specs of their current PC met requirement to runs MS 2007, so yeah, upgrade RAM n go from there.
Thank for all the help guys.
And reinstall Windows.
thanks, the centrecom one looks good, what do you suggest I do about no operating system? thanks
Or this one even better you saved $220. Although, you might need to double check the amount of RAM and buy a Portable HDD ( depend on your mum needs ).
try Ubuntu (free) unless your friend requires specific windows programs.
Im not sure if you can get OEM win7 for $100 with this purchase.
that one is in Ballarat and I am in Sydney thanks for your advice
If you dont really need windows , how about getting a cheap android hdmi stick?
or a better android phone that support MHL or slimport and output to a TV? that's will save space, electricity , and dont need to get 2 devices
Surface rt. Get windows experience and there'd be no need to worry about malware.
their app store is so bad, so hard to find stuff cos lack of apps, and the app store is ridiculously slow.
For a moment I thought your friend was a rich magnate wanting to buy a whole new skyscraper. Extreme OzBargaining.
I think for office apps and surfing what you propose will be adequate. For sure s/he'll save on the electricity powering the P4. :)