Is my system too old? Is there any hope for i? Help :(

[Slappydappy1]

I have an old PC, that just can't handle things anymore, especially media. Videos, movies, You Tube, Quick Time, Facebook, Mozilla, Chrome, all of these obliterate my computer, slow it down, lock it up. It keeps getting worse with every update. Reformatting doesn't help. I don't know where the bottleneck is. The temps run fine (in the 30's). Page file fills up pretty fast, especially with a web browser.

Is there anyway to upgrade it? Such as the processor? Or do I need to scrap it all and build a new system? Is there something in the configuration I'm just not seeing? Is this the motherboard just too old? Thanks for any help!

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<<< System Summary >>>

Mainboard : MSI K9N4 SLI-F (MS-7325)
Chipset : nVidia nForce4
Processor : AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @ 2200 MHz
Physical Memory : 4096 MB (4 x 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Western Digital WD5000AAKS-00YGA0 ATA Device (500GB)
Network Card : NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller
Operating System : Windows 7 Professional Professional Media Center 6.01.7601
Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
DirectX : Version 11.00
Windows Performance Index : 4.9 on 7.9

 

[VirtualLarry]

You don't mention the PSU you have.

Look into updating your video card. Modern card can offload decoding various video formats from the CPU. I would look into a GT710 card.

Edit: Also look into upgrading your CPU.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/K9N4_SLI.html#support-cpu

Something on that list, a 5600+ or 6000+ should work. Beware the 125W AM2 CPUs, your board apparently does not support them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon-...567477?hash=item48877a0a35:g:75UAAOSwUdlWesTj

 

[Slappydappy1]

Is there a way I can figure out without pulling out of my PC? It looks pretty generic, no markings on the outside.

 

[XavierMace]

I would not spend a single penny on upgrading that system, it's a waste of money. $300 will get you a brand new computer that's faster in every single aspect. If ALL you are doing with is videos/web browsing, drop that down to $200.

 

[Slappydappy1]

Could I use the same case? I have a nice Lian Li case that it's sitting in. This thing is like family. I don't mind upgrading to a new desktop, 300 is easy money. Where would I buy a system that cheap?

 

[XavierMace]

Yeah, cases really haven't changed much. That said...

1) What's your budget?
2) Do you want to build using your current case or just buy a new system?
3) Does it need to run Windows? If all you're using it for is broswer/media, a good Chromebox will do all of that very cheaply.

A couple of decent Windows options:

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-5...458196328&sr=1-44&refinements=p_36:2421880011

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AXC-705-...458196288&sr=1-15&refinements=p_36:2421880011

 

[Slappydappy1]

Yea, I'm basically looking for something with Windows browse the web on, watch videos, and use Microsoft Office, as well as Java Eclipse IDE.

Do they make integrated boards with everything in them? Now I'm intrigued.

 

[XavierMace]

If you're not gaming, the onboard video from current decent Intel and AMD processors is more than enough for media streaming. Even then, if you're only doing light gaming, HD4000 or better on the Intel side will suffice as long as you have a decent CPU and RAM backing it.

Budget is an important question here because the difference between a $300 system and a $500 system is pretty big. If you're not doing gaming or high level video/database/calculation work, $800 will get you more power than you could possibly need.

If you want to build your own here's a just a quick parts list I tossed together. Others on here could probably give you a better value build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($66.79 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80+ Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $336.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-17 03:59 EDT-0400

550w is complete overkill, but it's Platinum rated. That's based off using your existing Windows license and reusing your existing spindle for additional space if needed.

 

[Blain]

I'd say "upgrade".
You can get a 6000+ Brisbane core and 8GB (4x2GB) DDR2 for $40 shipped off ebay.

Of course it's still not going to be a screamer... BUT IT'S ONLY A $40 UPGRADE!

 

[XavierMace]

Why spend $40 trying to keep an obsolete system alive on life support? Even a 6000+ is half the speed of the i3 (at over twice the power consumption) I suggested and requires either using his similarly aged video card or buying a cheap newer card both of which are then continuing to generate more heat and use more power. Plus you're still running along on a well aged power supply and HD both of which are probably nearing the end of their lifespan.

It's like paying to put performance exhaust on your beater car. It doesn't make the car fast, it just makes you look silly.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Why spend $40 trying to keep an obsolete system alive on life support? Even a 6000+ is half the speed of the i3 (at over twice the power consumption)

It's like paying to put performance exhaust on your beater car. It doesn't make the car fast, it just makes you look silly.

No, it's more like paying to fix your beater car, because it's less than half the price of getting a new car.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'd say "upgrade".
You can get a 6000+ Brisbane core and 8GB (4x2GB) DDR2 for $40 shipped off ebay.

Of course it's still not going to be a screamer... BUT IT'S ONLY A $40 UPGRADE!

This.

 

[nerp]

Pick a budget and we can help you build around that.

Definitely keep that case.

If you do build a system, I recommend a i3-6100 or better, 8 or 16gb DDR4 and a H170 motherboard. With a PSU and an SSD, you will be blown away with the performance. No need for video card, no need for tons of other stuff. Everything you need is on the board. Total system cost is about $300 or less.

 

[XavierMace]

No, it's more like paying to fix your beater car, because it's less than half the price of getting a new car.

No it's not because the car isn't broken, it's just not as fast as he wants.

Edit: And even if it was, once your repair costs exceed the value of the system, it's not worth repairing.

 

[JackMDS]

Given this "especially media. Videos, movies".

There is nothing you can do with the old system (using SSD for the main OS HD might provide some minimal relieve).

The least expensive solution might be getting an old Q8400 C2D system. Using in it your Video card (GeForce 8800 GT) you can get about 80% more power of your current system.

Example - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optipl...521214?hash=item35fc801d3e:g:OoMAAOSwu1VW3Y32

 

[Slappydappy1]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I am going to go with one of those 300 dollar builds. Those motherboards with onboard video seem exactly what I want.

Maybe I could even sell these parts on eBay for 50 bucks or so to help offset the cost (like the 8800GT).

 

[CorsairDemon]

Here's another option! Dell Precision T3500s all day long on Ebay for 135 shipped. They come with more modern chips and usually a more capable graphics card. I use one as a media center and it plays games to boot!

 

[nerp]

Another thought: check out dell outlet and Lenovo outlet. You can get some crazy good deals on refurbs and clearance desktop machines. Pop in a 780Ti or the new gtx950 card that doesn't need a PSU power connection and you can rock on.

 

[MrTeal]

Here's another option! Dell Precision T3500s all day long on Ebay for 135 shipped. They come with more modern chips and usually a more capable graphics card. I use one as a media center and it plays games to boot!

That's a good bet, IMO. A lot go even cheaper than that, though they usually have no HDD in them. You could use your current HDD as a data drive, grab a small cheap SSD to install windows on, and toss your 8800 in there to replace the NVS295. You could end up an pretty capable quad core system for $120 or so if you get a good price on the T3500.

 

[Zorander]

Just chiming in to recommend moving to an entirely new build as well. I had similar issues with an old s939 system (dual core 2.4Ghz chip on 2GB Ram). It couldn't manage 1080p videos and stuttered badly in almost anything CPU-intensive. There was no significantly faster CPU for the motherboard but the bus speed also no longer cut it. Upgrading to a faster CPU would have made little difference with today's software demands.

Today's budget CPUs will easily trump the old CPUs while runninv at lower clock speed and consuming less power (ironically).

 

[sandorski]

Wouldn't be surprised if the Capacitors are failing on that old of a motherboard.

 

[Ketchup]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883283461#close
$185 and comes with an i5.

 

[JimmiG]

If watching videos and browsing the web locks it up, something is really wrong. Even a system like that should handle it with relative ease (considering I often browse the web on a 1.x GHz Atom system with Intel graphics and 2GB RAM...). Try a different browser to rule out software issues like plug-ins. I find Edge works great on low-end systems (more so than Firefox or Chrome).

Otherwise it might be a hardware issue such as a dying hard drive, PSU, GPU, CPU, RAM, motherboard etc. Basically it might be hard to track down the faulty part, because it could be anything. In that case, buying or building a new system might be better.

 

[MrTeal]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883283461#close
$185 and comes with an i5.

Any idea what's in that? The 8100 was a Lynnfield/Clarkdale system, but there aren't any Lynnfield i5s at 3.1GHz.

 

[Ketchup]

Any idea what's in that? The 8100 was a Lynnfield/Clarkdale system, but there aren't any Lynnfield i5s at 3.1GHz.

I actually did spend a minute looking, as I was also curious, but not enough to spend too much time on it. It's an i5. In this scenario(it's a full computer with Win 7 and a good chip for less than $200), I don't think it matters which die.