I am looking for some tips on how to fix things up. Since 2021, life has changed a lot and I got sidetracked by the pandemic too many times. Here are the parts I bought back then that still come in their original boxes: Case Corsair 200R MB GIGABYTE B460 HD3 LGA1200 CPU Intel Core I5-10400 SSD SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 500GB - M.2 NVMe PSU Seasonic FOCUS GX-650, 650W 80+ Gold. What do I really need? RAM: I don't know what size to pick. Should it be 16 or 32 gigabytes? (CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 RAM 16GB (2x8GB) 3000MHz CL15-17-17-35 1.35V - Black (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15)??) (Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400MHz (PC4-19200) C14 Memory Kit - Black (CMK32GX4M2A2400C14) Cooler: I'm not sure if this cooler will fit. (Scythe Mugen 6 CPU Air Cooler - ODD Need a recommendation. (LG Electronics WH14NS40 14X Blu-ray/DVD/CD?) OS WIN11 – I am currently running WIN7 on my 10-year-old machine. Have tried WIN10 on the office computer but will probably have to switch to WIN11 and get back to work there. Monitor: Probably a Dual HP Series 5 27 inch FHD Monitor 1920x1080 Keyboard Would welcome a suggestion for a good keyboard I do lots of word processing and online research. I use Dragon Naturally Speaking, Note Bene, and MS Office. I run multiple windows on two screens at once. Scan, print, watch movies, and back up regularly to a WD and Samsung SSD. Need an OS. Go to Amazon or Newegg or wherever else. Do not overclock. I admit my computer world experience is zero after four years. But I need to get back in this line of work because my old setup is finally maxed out. Is there anything here that is way too old? Should I swap any parts to tweak things without starting over? Also, by the way, are any deals on WIN11 for $20 etc valid, or should I just buy full price off the shelf? I still have my WIN10 installation disk. Thanks for any help you can give me.
You should check out DDR4-2666MHz RAM kits because your CPU and chipset can only handle that speed. Check these links: https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-1...tions.html For the cooler, check this link: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc...N4u...-techspecs because your case only fits a 165mm width. You might try Thermalright's coolers. The Scythe Mugen 6 CPU Air Cooler will fit, but the stock cooler from the processor comes with more noise and slightly higher temperatures. Is there anything here that is outdated? Honestly, cases today focus on airflow instead of ODD support unless you get a case like Fractal-Design's Pop series. Keyboard: You could look at a mechanical keyboard with hotswap switches. Where are you based and how much money do you have for parts selection, and which site should I buy from?
Your parts look fine for what you want to do. Because of multitasking, buy two sticks of 16gb ram at once. More memory capacity is more important than speed. The Corsair kit with 32gb should work well. Your CPU uses relatively low power. I would try the stock Intel cooler first. That fan can go high speeds when it gets hot, but it's pretty quiet. See my old instructions on how to mount that cooler at the end. The Scythe Mugen will fit there too. There are other good choices like Thermalright at that price. You might as well install Windows 11 or be stuck trying to convince yourself otherwise. Just download it directly from Microsoft. You don't need a license to run it forever, but you lose out on customizing the look of your screen. To get a real official Windows key, expect at least a ten percent discount off the price. No one can tell you what cheap junk in the $20 range includes. Don't buy them. On the keyboard side, try it yourself to see if it works well with integrated graphics.
Check how much the Silicone Power Value Gaming 3200MHz/CL16 costs, but also compare it with G Skill Ripjaws in a similar setup. When you look at price against Corsair Vengeance RAM, none of them will be significantly better than the other ones except for cost alone. Don't worry about finding slower RAM because it might actually end up being more expensive to buy. It won't hurt anything if your motherboard settings force 3200MHz or even 3600MHz to run at a lower speed like 2666MHz. I wouldn't bother buying a cooler for that 10400 CPU unless the stock cooler makes a lot of noise, because that specific CPU won't get too hot even when it's working hard.
Regarding whether you should change anything in your current setup: I run an 11400 on my work computer and it performs very well for almost all the same tasks listed here. My job involves keeping four Chrome tabs open while using Office, Adobe Pro, printing a lot, and moving files back and forth between Dropbox. I have 32GB of RAM in that machine, and when I switch from JPEGs to PDFs, Adobe stops converting at 15 images unless you tell it otherwise. I've never found any limit when compressing the file. I don't know if it's just a limitation of the program or if there are not enough memory slots available.
Another computer in my office used an 8400 and looked outdated for how many things we do today. I upgraded that one to the 12600KF. It is actually faster than my current 11900K in most ways, and it easily beats the 11400. The reason I mention this is because your current CPU and motherboard combo can handle that use case perfectly fine, but they are five generations behind each other. If you decide to buy a new system later, changing just the parts might void the license key on Windows 11.
You can run W11 without a key if you don't want personalization or a watermark, but I would strongly suggest using the system for about a week or two anyway just so you can feel what it's like.
I am sorry to say another time we have not talked -- I completely forgot that we had weekend plans to go out of town. Thanks for these great suggestions. I have researched the RAM and will probably use G Skill 32G (two 16s); I plan to stick with the stock cooler you recommended, at least until something else comes along (thanks for the application instructions). The Win11 approach is new to me and I like the idea of testing the board and chip. If I decide to keep them both, I assume it is fairly obvious how to buy the OS and turn on the key and get the full package. Question: what if I decide to upgrade the CPU and motherboard? Can you recommend a new chip and MB that "mimics and updates/upgrade" my general build strategy from five years ago? Money does not matter, but I would prefer not to start over again just in case. I have had good luck with Gigabyte boards (I had about 5 machines of them) and am an Intel user. It makes sense that an upgrade will likely need a new case and cooler though... Thank you for your help.
Super quick and dirty rundown of the current market landscape. The parts you have are DDR4 which is "basically" dead, give me a moment to come around to that. The motherboard chipset being 10th gen can only be updated to 11th gen which isn't enough better to really do so for the cost. These have been off the market long enough that the price is actually back up again for new stuff. AMD AM4 platform is DDR4 but the new AM5 stuff is DDR5. Intel gives an option at least on the 12th gen chipset (6xx), maybe more. side comment- Intel really fudged up and the 13th and 14th gen K skew CPU are all prone to a power issue that causes them to fail over time. It is said that the under 65W parts are not suffering that same fate, but you have pretty much taken the higher end offerings you might move into later for value to performance and a hop up to the current a poor choice as far as reliability. So, this leaves AMD AM5. They created a situation where the socket is being supported for at least 3 generations with the announcement they are planning whatever comes after Ryzen 9xxx to also be AM5. Even with AM4 there were new CPU for that socket released as late as mid-end of 2024. The AM5 stuff has integrated graphics also. With all that said, and without knowing what your current system is, the 10400 will absolutely be a useable W11 machine. It should not run really hot or use a lot of power. If you don't like it, you already owned it, so outside of paying for a license key you have no reason not to "mess" around and find out while you ponder other options.
Whatever you get right now might not last five years. Soon it could be old, slow, or expensive. You probably want a fresh model soon. Maybe even new windows too. Just pick what fits your needs today and think about just making small changes if things need fixing in the next couple of years. Then... who knows?
Okay. I’m back at this project. I’m stretched a bit thin these days. Thanks, again, for your help. I have decided to continue and complete the present build with your suggestions, as I understand them. Please check the items below for to make sure I’m on target, etc. First, I plan to add the G skill 32 GBG.SKILL Ripjaws V Series (XMP) DDR4 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) – found here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0171GQR0...2WCNY9PQY&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1 Do I understand correctly your recommendation? Second, I’m going to opt for the stock cooling fan. Thanks again for the instructions on installation. Third, the ODD. I’m lost here because I’m behind on the tech advances. Can anyone recommend one for me? I have a lot of software that I need to install that is on CDs. What about this LG?: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GFK6Y9...WCNY9PQY&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it It would require standard SATA cables, right? Fourth, as for WIN11, I found the MS download site and plan to do the dry run as you guys recommended. That is a great strategy. Question: if all goes well, what does one do? – Purchase the $110 Home version and then activate with the key, and that will unleash all the features? And, if I later built a new system from scratch, and if I had already installed WIN11 on this older build we are discussing, can I transfer it to the new build in any way, or do I have to buy another new WIN11 OS? I really appreciate your help. I need to get this machine up and running. After that, I plan to get my head back into the computer world. I’m not as advanced as you guys, but I’ve enjoyed following stuff in the past and hope to get back to it again.
If you have Windows 11 that isn't activated, you only lose the option to change your desktop look. You might also get annoying pop-ups asking to activate. If your old copy was a full retail version (not the cheap OEM one), you can remove it from your old machine and start fresh on yours. If you want more info, feel free to ask those who know better than me.