PC Upgrade from 2010 - Need Advice

johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 13:32
Last edited 17/12/2020 - 19:06

Hello all.

My PC from 2010 is starting to feel a bit out dated and sluggish.

My main requirement is to be able to connect 3 monitors and the focus is on multitasking and productivity.

Can any recommend any upgrades that would help?

Current Specifications:

Chassis: Coolermaster HAF RC-922M

Motherboard: Asus P7P55D Intel P55 DDR3

Power Supply: Gigabyte Odin 720W Power Supply

Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz, 4 Cores / 4 Threads, LGA1156

Heatsink/Fan: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme Heatsink + Fan Holder + 120mm Fan

Memory: Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3, Dual Channel Kit

Hard Drive: Kingston HyperX 120GB SH100S3120G

Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB, Dual DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Soundcard: Integrated 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

Edit 1:

  • I mostly use the PC for multitasking. Multiple tabs, videos/ music running in the back ground and Microsoft office/ excel. I do on occasion play Dota 2 which is currently on low to medium settings without any thing else running in the background.

  • Looking for simple DIY replacements. This was a prebuild setup when purchased and only upgrade the hard drive 7 years ago.

  • Maybe looking to spend ~500?

Computing

Comments

  • avoidfullprice on 17/12/2020 - 13:33
    +2

    What do you use this PC for?

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:10

      I mostly use the PC for multitasking. Multiple tabs, videos/ music running in the back ground and Microsoft office/ excel. I do on occasion play Dota 2 which is currently on low to medium settings without any thing else running in the background.

  • urahara on 17/12/2020 - 13:39

    M1 Mac (Mini/Pro/Air etc depends on you) . Peace out..!!!

    • AustriaBargain on 17/12/2020 - 16:21

      You're not wrong for a lot of people.

  • Fergy1987 on 17/12/2020 - 13:39
    +4

    Budget?

    I came up with this

    https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/TfhhF8

    • rompastompa on 17/12/2020 - 16:37

      C'mon, that's overkill. OP doesn't need a NAS hdd in there.

      • Fergy1987 on 17/12/2020 - 16:41
        +1

        Oh yeah you're right. Completely missed the point that it was a NAS HDD - Maybe just a regular Barracuda then.

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:07

      Only about ~$500 so that my computer doesn't have a heart attack when I open multiple tabs and play a video at the same time.

      • avoidfullprice on 18/12/2020 - 00:31
        +1

        Grab a pair of matched 2x8GB DDR3 memory modules, speed rated at least PC3-10600 (PC3-12800 would be better). Second hand should be fine.

        Add a second SATA SSD, go to bios, set it to AHCI mode, make that your Windows 10 boot drive. edit: just checked, your harddisk is already an ssd

        Both will help with your PC conniption using what you have. You are really better off getting a computer with a new CPU.

        • smashman42 on 18/12/2020 - 14:58

          That first gen i5 motherboard and CPU combo likely won't work with 8GB sticks, most of them are 4x4 for 16gig max (or munted ones like my wife's old PC 2x4) - Sandy Bridge up can use 8GB sticks

          Edit: and the SATA SSDs will be limited by Sata2/300 speeds as well. Sata3/600 came in mostly with Ivy Bridge

          • avoidfullprice on 21/12/2020 - 00:40

            @smashman42: Oh wow, that's handy to know. I looked up the mobo manual and saw max 16GB and didn't think twice it is for the 4x4GB config.

            That said ,someone from 2012 got 4x8GB to work https://hardforum.com/threads/asus-p7p55d-i7-860-32gb.172356…

            Can't verify as I don't own the mobo or memory stick.

            • smashman42 on 21/12/2020 - 03:32
              +1

              @avoidfullprice: Ah, by the person that listed what sticks they used, they're dual rank sticks - which work like two sticks plugged into one slot, making the memory controller think it is an 8 slot board, lol.

              So long as OP's i5 being quad core works the same as an i7 and not like the munted 2c4t i5 I have in my wife's PC, it should work with the right memory sticks.

              Dual rank in those days was almost always double sided IIRC - the 8gig stick I tried (that's fine with Sandy and Ivy Bridge) is single sided, so single rank and never going to work, though by that thread my dual core i5 looks like it would have stopped it working anyway. (that single sided = single rank & double sided = dual rank thing isn't always correct though, need to check the specs of the sticks to be 100% sure)

  • jv on 17/12/2020 - 13:40
    +4

    My main requirement is to be able to connect 3 monitors and the focus is on multitasking and productivity.
    Can any recommend any upgrades that would help?

    A fourth monitor?

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:09

      Can, but giving me more space to open windows would surely be detrimental to my current systems health.

  • too_much_boost on 17/12/2020 - 13:44

    I would have thought what you have would be good enough for that task. Potentially could use more ram and a larger SSD though

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:09

      I have an external NAS for storage.

  • pharkurnell on 17/12/2020 - 13:45
    +1

    without a budget its hard to suggest.
    But looks like no gaming only work related?

    few sellers

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/virco
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/techfast

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:10

      A little bit of Dota 2 here and there. It runs mostly okay on low to medium settings.

      Home office/ fun streaming media.

  • slick7 on 17/12/2020 - 13:52

    My old PC got demoted to media player and it's got similar specs - I've simply upgraded the RAM (it was hard to find DDR3 to match my existing stick) and got SSD + new large hard drives to backup my aging NAS

    My video card is only ATI Radeon HD 6800 Series but it's fast enough for media (if anything it's a little loud and I have to reduce fan speed occasionally. I don't use it enough to warrant an upgrade to a silent card. I'll wait for the video card to die :)

  • universe on 17/12/2020 - 14:01
    +1

    It depends on what you're using it for. Could possibly just use an ssd for windows and some extra RAM.

  • nomoneynoproblems on 17/12/2020 - 14:32

    Don't even bother upgrading at 10 years. Build a new one.

    • jv on 17/12/2020 - 15:12
      -2

      Build a new one.

      I'm finding it very time consuming soldering all the transistors…

    • ItsMeAgro on 17/12/2020 - 22:53

      Case (including fans etc), and probably PSU and some of the hard drives will be fine.

  • Bid Sniper on 17/12/2020 - 14:46

    new drive and latest winX ISO. Slow cause SSD is old

    that setup for productivity unless video editing should be fine.

    • jv on 17/12/2020 - 15:13

      Slow cause SSD is old

      That will hardly be the bottleneck here…

      • Bid Sniper on 17/12/2020 - 15:24

        Old SSD are slow, if its over 5 years will cause entire system to lag.

        My desk is covered in old SSDs I'm replacing for work. OP system is fine for business applications.

        • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:11

          I think the SSD is about 7 years old now.

          • Bid Sniper on 17/12/2020 - 22:29

            @johndowy: Replace SSD, fresh install of winX.

            If PCs runs well problem solved.

            If not use new SSD on new pc. No loss trying.

            Ps also blast compressed gas to clean out inside, make sure fans spin and inside free of dust.

            • smashman42 on 21/12/2020 - 03:33

              @Bid Sniper: Hold the fans still when you blow them out, spinning them too fast with compressed air will screw them

  • Bargain80 on 17/12/2020 - 15:11
    +2

    wow I have the same LGA1156 motherboard.
    It's still running fine actually.
    I finished Witcher 3 and currently playing Borderlands 2.

    It depends on what you use it for.
    In general, I think your RAM and HD are too small and your graphic card really needs upgrade.

  • Switchblade88 on 17/12/2020 - 16:26

    If you haven't upgraded in 10 years then you're likely not an enthusiast - therefore a prebuilt will likely suit your needs and budget.

    TechFast's deals on OzB are usually good value for money over a range of prices/specs. Every discrete GPU nowdays has 3+ outputs, so that will work for you.

    If you haven't upgraded your monitors either - I'd definitely recommend doing so (ultrawides FTW!) but standard monitors are currently quite good value if you prefer.

    • johndowy on 17/12/2020 - 19:15

      Correct on the prebuild and correct on the not an enthusiast.

      Was just looking for some affordable upgrades rather than buying another prebuilt system.

      Currently using 3 Asus VE278 monitors. They do well enough.

      • Leo Getz on 20/12/2020 - 01:46

        Used the Asus screens for years and they had been great, faded over many years though.
        Last build switched to AOC monitors, 3x 24" running off an RTX2060.
        Running 1920x1080 on each, not gaming monitors but bright and colour is great compared to how my Asus screen was looking.
        I suggest i7, 32GB RAM, M.2 boot drive on the MB, SSD for programs, games, etc, larger spindle storage for data, etc.
        Went from a full tower rig many years ago to now my second Mini ITX build.

  • DarthAntz on 17/12/2020 - 16:47

    Reading those specs sent me back in time. Thanks for that OP!

    a $600 prebuilt would make a huge difference to your PC experience.

  • Diverse on 17/12/2020 - 21:35

    Something like: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/tCKWz7

    Basically you need:

    Ryzen 3 3200G which is around 160 AUD and work around that for your budget (also supports three monitors).
    Stock cooler
    Motherboard that supports three monitor output
    Minimum of 8GB RAM (any brand is fine)
    SSD is ideal, but HDD is okay.
    Thermaltake/Corsair/Seasonic PSU ~450-500W.
    Rosewill have good budget cases.

  • NotAnExpert4 on 18/12/2020 - 12:41

    Something like this would work: if you already have a case, you can just use that, but your power supply really should be retired if it's 10 yrs old.

    https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/vvhst8

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