I have built a few PCs for myself over the years but every time I do, I have to re-learn everything since technology changes so quickly. I currently have a PC I built about 5-7 years ago and am looking to upgrade it and am wondering if I should try keeping some of the components, or just start from scratch.
Here is what I currently have:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800 2.51 GHz Dual-Core, Socket AM2 (940)
MB: ECS GeForce6100SM-M (V1.0/1.0A)
OS: Windows XP (don't laugh, I love XP)
RAM: 4 GB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM) - only able to use 3.0 GB in Windows XP
HD : WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0 Gb/s
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 1GB DDR3
PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 500W Power Supply
Monitor: Dell U2711 27" 2560x1440 and a second Dell 20" that I use when I need more screen real estate (I upgraded the original video card a few years ago to the GT430 to support dual monitors)
... in a standard tower case with a few quiet fans
The machine runs ok but the 500GB hard drive is a bit limiting these days. I started looking into getting an SSD (like the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB) but then I thought if I am going to spend ~500 on that, it might make sense to build a new machine that will last me another 5+ years.
I primarily use my computer for general work stuff (internet, docs, scanning/printing, etc), photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc) and that's about it. No gaming.
My primary goals are:
- really fast so I don't waste time
- really quiet because I leave it on 24/7 in my room (I spent a lot of time finding the quietest HDD and fans when I built this one, which is a reason I liked the SSD idea)
- plenty of storage space
So my question is - should I just buy an SSD and transfer my current HDD to it and hope I can get another year or two out of this one, or should I buy all new components? If so, what should I get? Budget isn't a huge concern but shouldn't be too expensive given that I don't need any kind of crazy setup (except I know the SSD alone is $500). Oh and I already have a purchased copy of Windows 7 so if I did upgrade I would install that and start fresh.
Thoughts? Thanks in advance. (by the way I was a member here a LONG time ago, 15+ years ago but I couldn't remember my login info)
Here is what I currently have:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800 2.51 GHz Dual-Core, Socket AM2 (940)
MB: ECS GeForce6100SM-M (V1.0/1.0A)
OS: Windows XP (don't laugh, I love XP)
RAM: 4 GB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM) - only able to use 3.0 GB in Windows XP
HD : WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0 Gb/s
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 1GB DDR3
PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 500W Power Supply
Monitor: Dell U2711 27" 2560x1440 and a second Dell 20" that I use when I need more screen real estate (I upgraded the original video card a few years ago to the GT430 to support dual monitors)
... in a standard tower case with a few quiet fans
The machine runs ok but the 500GB hard drive is a bit limiting these days. I started looking into getting an SSD (like the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB) but then I thought if I am going to spend ~500 on that, it might make sense to build a new machine that will last me another 5+ years.
I primarily use my computer for general work stuff (internet, docs, scanning/printing, etc), photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc) and that's about it. No gaming.
My primary goals are:
- really fast so I don't waste time
- really quiet because I leave it on 24/7 in my room (I spent a lot of time finding the quietest HDD and fans when I built this one, which is a reason I liked the SSD idea)
- plenty of storage space
So my question is - should I just buy an SSD and transfer my current HDD to it and hope I can get another year or two out of this one, or should I buy all new components? If so, what should I get? Budget isn't a huge concern but shouldn't be too expensive given that I don't need any kind of crazy setup (except I know the SSD alone is $500). Oh and I already have a purchased copy of Windows 7 so if I did upgrade I would install that and start fresh.
Thoughts? Thanks in advance. (by the way I was a member here a LONG time ago, 15+ years ago but I couldn't remember my login info)
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