Should I buy new stuff later?
Should I buy new stuff later?
Hi guys, I'm not sure if that was already said there are so many posts talking about upgrades. Let me jump right in. My PC is really old but it still works fine. It just isn't good enough for upgrading to Windows 10 or 11. I don't know if I need a whole new computer desk or if buying a bundle (motherboard, CPU, RAM) would be enough since I don't need a new hard drive etc. My PC has an Intel i5-4690K processor and 16 GB of DDR3 RAM on the Z97-P motherboard. I have one SSD with 250 GB for my programs and files plus an extra SATA HDD with 2 TB for all the stuff. I also own a BluRay drive. My hard drives are getting really old, some are over ten years. The PC has been upgraded and updated before but nothing that was new ever worked well. I'm not sure if it's time to replace everything or just wait more. I don't use my PC for gaming. I mostly use it for Office work, Adobe apps, surfing the web, listening to music, chatting online, sending email and other things like that. I have a lot of different programs open at once and need a computer that can handle all that without crashing. I'm not sure if the newest CPU is needed but I think an i5 would be okay. I also want to make it future proof so it works well for another 10-12 years like my current one does. Would you recommend replacing the whole PC? If yes, what do you suggest? Or should I just buy a new bundle instead? I'd love to have 32 GB of RAM but not sure if that's too much. Also I want to be able to attach up to four monitors right now and love it because my programs need so many screens. Soundcard isn't really important since I only listen to old mp3 files or Spotify and don't use podcasts. Sometimes I convert DVDs or watch TV on my PC but for that the speakers are fine too. I don't need a super powerful all-in-one system just a working one. I would like to spend around £1000-£1500. Please give me any tips on what I should get and tell me if you have other suggestions. And please ask if I can give you more info about my current computer or how I use it. Thanks in advance, TheAssistant
My current PC has the Z97-P motherboard with an Intel i5-4690K CPU and16 GB DDR3 RAM. Please list the specs to your build like so: CPU: CPU cooler: Motherboard: Ram: SSD/HDD: GPU: PSU: Chassis: OS: Monitor: include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. I am not sure it would be now the time to replace everything. If the system can't do what you need it to do, then yes that's the time for your to move platforms. In fact you won't be able to migrate to Windows 11 or beyond with that processor/platform. I had an EVGA Z97 Stinger platform but the fact that Windows 10 kept downloading the wrong drivers after an OS update, was what crippled my work on the Z97 platform, to learn that Microsoft had no intentions of adding support to a platform from yesteryears. Would you recommend replacing the whole PC? And if yes, do you have a recommendation? If not, what bundle would you recommend? I would love to have 32GB RAM, or is that overdoing it? What is that you do with your system? You might want to also consider stylizing your thread with info asked of in this thread; *How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice* How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel... forums. and the community will chime in with worthwhile suggestions.
Here are some tips: yes, start there. How to Get Advice on a Brand New Build or Upgrade? First things first: always be polite. This is just a copy of an old Animal guide called "How to Ask for New Build Advice." I wrote this because so many people here and in the CPU forums ask about upgrades lately, and I feel... forums.
If you just want a new PC so you can run Windows 11 and get new updates, you don't need a whole new machine. Your current computer might not officially support it right now, but you still can install it without problems and it usually works well. The last time I ran this regularly was an i7 2600 based Optiplex 790, and that's totally fine for me. Just make sure to download the newest version and fix any registry stuff so all the new updates work correctly. It took a little extra step but it didn't cause any issues for me. If you are worried about losing your data, please back up everything before trying anything else. Here is what I figured out after running Windows 11 on computers that don't officially support it for three years: When an old computer moves past the Windows 10 update point, can Windows 11 save it?
I am trying to change my computer's operating system from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Pro, but I don't know if I have to buy a whole new machine or just upgrade some parts like the CPU, RAM, and motherboard. Do these changes make sense? Please help me choose the best option so I can upgrade. Thanks a lot!
I'm getting brand new parts like a CPU, RAM, motherboard, and a cooler. I might also swap out the power supply. Basically, this feels like starting fresh with a whole new computer case. I'll still have my old hard drives.
You're getting great value on your money with what you have right now. I'd suggest buying everything new because the oldest part in any system might break, which could ruin other things around it. Check deals at sites like Newegg or Amazon since some stuff is way cheaper there. The Logical Increments website has a good guide for building something from a budget and shows links to current prices and items.
Here are two computer builds I put together. One uses AMD parts, the other Intel parts. If you plan to do a socket upgrade later on, the AMD setup has more room for future CPU swaps because AM5 support lasts until 2027 with new chips coming out every year. The LGA 1700 board is getting a refresh at the end of this year called Bartlett Lake, but it's basically done already. I also added a graphics card—an Intel A380 that has four display ports—but if you can find a cheap used one or something else works better, that would be fine too.
Here are the parts:
CPU (AMD): Ryzen 5 7600X with a 4.7 GHz clock and six cores for £145.19 at Amazon UK
Cooler (both): Thermalright Assassin King 120 MINI V2 cooling fan costing £17.99 at Overclockers.co.uk
Motherboard (AMD): Gigabyte B850 GAMING X WIFI6 ATX AM5 board selling for £164.49 at Amazon UK
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom with 64 GB of RAM split into two sticks of 32 GB each running DDR5 at 6400 MHz costing £147.99 at Amazon UK
Storage (both): Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB NVMe drive for £61.00 at MoreCoCo
Video Card: Sparkle ELF Arc A380 with a 6 GB graphics card sold for £110.22 at NeoComputers
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 750 W Gold certified power unit for £93.94 at CCL Computers
The total cost is about £740.82 for the AMD build and £782.40 for the Intel one. Prices include shipping, taxes, and any discounts that are available.
Here are all the parts you need to buy this PC for £863.22. The CPU is an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X running at 4.7 GHz with 6 cores and it costs about £145 from Amazon in the UK. For cooling, I'm getting a Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE cooler which moves lots of air and costs around £32 from Computer Orbit. My motherboard is an Asus TUF GAMING B650-E WIFI that fits on an AM5 socket with Wi-Fi built-in and it's priced at £149.99 on Amazon UK. I'm using 64 GB of Patriot Viper Venom RAM running DDR5-5600 CL36 which costs about £126 from Amazon UK. For storage, I'll be getting a Crucial T500 that is 2 TB and runs PCIe 4.0 on an M.2 slot with NVMe support at £120.88 from Amazon UK. On the graphics card side, I have a Sparkle ELF Arc A380 with 6 GB of video memory which costs around £110 from NeoComputers. My case is a Phanteks XT PRO mid-tower computer case that's priced at £54.95 on Overclockers.co.uk. The power supply is a Corsair RM850x 2024 model with 850 watts of power and it comes in fully modular form at £124 from Computer Orbit. I have added shipping, taxes, and discounts to the price so the total will be about £863 for everything included. This was made by PCPartPicker on June 6th, 2025.
The bottom drawer is where you put your big hard drives and discs. Here are the parts I picked for my computer, all from Amazon UK. The CPU is a new AMD Ryzen 7 with eight cores that costs £259.86 on Amazon. To keep it cool, I got an ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE fan priced at £29.99. My motherboard is a Gigabyte B850 GAMING X WIFI6E ATX AM5 board for £164.49. For memory, I used two 16 GB sticks of ADATA XPG Lancer Blade with speeds up to 6000 CL30 costing £95.00. My storage is a Silicon Power UD90 M.2 drive that holds 2 TB in an NVME slot and costs £90.99 on Amazon. The graphics card is a MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus with 12 GB of VRAM for £236.97 from Amazon. My case is a Fractal Design Pop Air mid-tower computer tower that costs £79.98 on Amazon. My power supply is an MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 with 750 Watts and 80%+ efficiency, selling for £88.65 from Ebuyer. If you add everything together, the total cost comes to £1045.93. These prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts if they are available. The parts were picked based on my price filters at PCPartPicker.