Consider enhancing a used Dell PC from the 3470 series.
Consider enhancing a used Dell PC from the 3470 series.
During the recent graphics card shortages I upgraded my son's Dell system with a GTX950, 16GB DDR3 RAM, and switched the PSU to 400W. I assume a 500GB SSD would work well as a boot drive. The CPU is an i5 3470s on a standard PCIe 2 motherboard. He’s now reaching the point where he genuinely wants more upgrades. Are you considering Boulders Gate 3 and Starfield as a starting point for his game choices? Are there any suitable graphics card upgrade options that won’t cause throttling because of the unit’s age? I have a 6700 10GB which is relatively low power (110W under load), so would you recommend trying it or should I skip and build a new case with an AM4 setup for better value? At the moment, the upgrade path isn’t a priority.
I prefer a new build. Not sure if I’d pick AM4, but it’s perfectly fine. Pick a balanced B chipset for features and cost. To stay within budget, you could reuse the SSD from the old setup, but NVMe would likely be the first upgrade. 6700 could still be a solid choice for the GPU.
Both options perform better with a 6/12 setup, while the Ivy Bridge platform supports only 4/8. It’s wise to begin fresh here, or at least with a significant refresh. This advice applies broadly to nearly every system, though you should search actively for offers. PCPartPicker’s current listings remain useful for this configuration.