Should I upgrade an old computer or buy a whole new one?
Should I upgrade an old computer or buy a whole new one?
Thank you for being patient and kind. Below are details about my current computer. I have zero technical knowledge or skill. The only thing I've ever done is install extra RAM into a computer. My question is, should I upgrade this machine, or buy a new one? My perception is that everything is total JUNK now. All reviews of every physical thing say horrible things like "It broke one day after the return period" or "it would cost more to ship it back for warranty service than it cost to buy", etc. I'm age 62. When I was younger, you could go down to Sears, and buy a Craftsman tool or a Kenmore appliance and you knew it would be totally reliable and last for decades. Even before Covid, everything seems to have turned to excrement. When did style become more important than reliability? What companies put all their money into QUALITY instead of LYING MARKETING SCAMS? Do any honest companies exist any more? Is the concept of integrity, of work ethic, totally dead now? My sole income is social security 1200 a month. I'm willing to pay a lot for parts, or for a new machine, but I don't want to get ripped off. It seems with parts, everything snowballs incredibly fast: if you put in that part, you ALSO have to upgrade six other parts, or it's pointless....that's the impression I get. I came here because "Can You Run It" site says I can't run the game called Clair Obscur, gifted me by a friend. ------------------ System Information ------------------ Time of this report: 6/14/2025, 03:27:15 Machine name: DESKTOP-G6RRQI5 Machine Id: {7D6FC6FC-17A1-4AF9-BECC-4721DCE9CA70} Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit (10.0, Build 19045) (19041.vb_release.191206-1406) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: CyberPowerPC System Model: C Series BIOS: P4.20 (type: UEFI) Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-9400F CPU @ 2.90GHz (6 CPUs), ~2.9GHz Memory: 32768MB RAM Available OS Memory: 32684MB RAM Page File: 23462MB used, 37825MB available Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS DirectX Version: DirectX 12 DX Setup Parameters: Not found User DPI Setting: 288 DPI (300 percent) System DPI Setting: 288 DPI (300 percent) DWM DPI Scaling: UnKnown Miracast: Available, no HDCP Microsoft Graphics Hybrid: Not Supported DirectX Database Version: 1.0.8 DxDiag Version: 10.00.19041.5794 64bit Unicode ------------ DxDiag Notes ------------ Display Tab 1: No problems found. Sound Tab 1: No problems found. Sound Tab 2: No problems found. Sound Tab 3: No problems found. Sound Tab 4: No problems found. Sound Tab 5: No problems found. Sound Tab 6: No problems found. Sound Tab 7: No problems found. Sound Tab 8: No problems found. Sound Tab 9: No problems found. Sound Tab 10: No problems found. Sound Tab 11: No problems found. Input Tab: No problems found. -------------------- DirectX Debug Levels -------------------- Direct3D: 0/4 (retail) DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail) DirectInput: 0/5 (retail) DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail) DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail) DirectSound: 0/5 (retail) DirectShow: 0/6 (retail) --------------- Display Devices --------------- Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Manufacturer: NVIDIA Chip type: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC Device Type: Full Device (POST) Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_2184&SUBSYS_1351196E&REV_A1 Device Status: 0180200A [DN_DRIVER_LOADED|DN_STARTED|DN_DISABLEABLE|DN_NT_ENUMERATOR|DN_NT_DRIVER] Device Problem Code: No Problem Driver Problem Code: Unknown Display Memory: 22322 MB Dedicated Memory: 5980 MB Shared Memory: 16342 MB Current Mode: 3840 x 2160 (32 bit) (30Hz) HDR Support: Supported Display Topology: Internal Display Color Space: DXGI_COLOR_SPACE_RGB_FULL_G22_NONE_P709 Color Primaries: Red(0.619141,0.326172), Green(0.311523,0.621094), Blue(0.155273,0.058594), White Point(0.313477,0.329102) Display Luminance: Min Luminance = 0.010000, Max Luminance = 1499.000000, MaxFullFrameLuminance = 799.000000 Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor Monitor Model: 55S41R Monitor Id: TCL0000 Native Mode: 3840 x 2160(p) (60.000Hz) Output Type: HDMI Monitor Capabilities: HDR Supported (BT2020RGB BT2020YCC Eotf2084Supported ) Display Pixel Format: DISPLAYCONFIG_PIXELFORMAT_32BPP Advanced Color: AdvancedColorSupported Driver Name: C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispig.inf_amd64_f52c4b8723f8dd33\nvldumdx.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispig.inf_amd64_f52c4b8723f8dd33\nvldumdx.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispig.inf_amd64_f52c4b8723f8dd33\nvldumdx.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispig.inf_amd64_f52c4b8723f8dd33\nvldumdx.dll Driver File Version: 31.00.0015.2756 (English) Driver Version: 31.0.15.2756 DDI Version: 12 Feature Levels: 12_1,12_0,11_1,11_0,10_1,10_0,9_3,9_2,9_1 Driver Model: WDDM 2.7 Hardware Scheduling: Supported:True Enabled:True Graphics Preemption: Pixel Compute Preemption: Dispatch Miracast: Not Supported Detachable GPU: No Hybrid Graphics GPU: Not Supported Power P-states: Not Supported Virtualization: Paravirtualization Block List: No Blocks Catalog Attributes: Universal:False Declarative:True Driver Attributes: Final Retail Driver Date/Size: 12/4/2022 8:00:00 PM, 772528 bytes WHQL Logo'd: Yes WHQL Date Stamp: Unknown Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-62C4-11CF-1A70-5E330EC2D235} Vendor ID: 0x10DE Device ID: 0x2184 SubSys ID: 0x1351196E Revision ID: 0x00A1 Driver Strong Name: oem25.inf:0f066de38e81edd2:Section055:31.0.15.2756 😛 ci\ven_10de&dev_2184 Rank Of Driver: 00CF2001 Video Accel:
Things are actually better than they used to be when it comes to making sure companies that make computers keep their promises. If you want a good new PC from a trusted company, I suggest buying from Starforge systems. How much money do you have in the bank? Would you consider putting two people together to build your own computer? It is much easier than ever to build your own and you can save a lot of cash compared to hiring a normal building service. Are you close to a Microcenter? You can find every piece of stuff you want and let someone else put it all together for a small price, usually around 100 to 200 dollars. What is the total amount of money you have available?
You are a young person and age doesn't stop you from using software. I know someone who's still running Adobe Lightroom on lots of old computers when they turned ninety-eight. Is the latest version Clair Obscur Expedition 33? You can see what the computer needs here, but it is better to spend more money and follow what experts suggest. https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cy...n-33/25593 The lowest needs are a CPU like an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, eight gigabytes of RAM, and graphics cards. You might even need dedicated video memory if you want the best performance. Your computer needs to run on Windows 10 and it must have at least six gigabytes of free storage space for games. The recommended specs are a much stronger CPU like an Intel Core i7-11700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, sixteen gigabytes of RAM, better graphics cards from the NVIDIA RTX series, more video memory, and Windows 11 running on your computer. Your current processor is too slow for Clair Obscur 33 because you need at least an i7-9700K to start with, or even a faster one like the i7-11700K in the recommended list. You might be able to upgrade your motherboard to handle a new CPU if it has enough power and matches your BIOS settings. Similarly, your graphics card is too weak for modern games right now because developers need stronger cards all the time. It may be possible to change your graphics card as well if your power supply can handle the extra energy needed by a faster GPU. I am not an expert gamer but Tom's might give good advice if you tell him how much money you have in your budget. Unfortunately, buying a GTX 3070 now is probably too expensive, so maybe looking at older cards like the GTX 1000 series or even the older ones from the 2000s would be more affordable for you.
First of all, clean up your post by listing your current parts. Most people won't read every single detail on the list. Tell me what model and case you use for your parts, and include your PSU. Are you having trouble running games or apps right now? Do you have a budget? What is size of your C drive? How full is it? Google search shows these requirements: minimum System Requirements: Operating System: Windows 10 Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB, or Intel Arc A380 6 GB DirectX: Version 12 Recommended System Requirements: Operating System: Windows 11 Processor: Intel Core i7-12700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 55 GB available space Other Notes: The game requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. An SSD is recommended for optimal performance. The game may need more than 55 GB of storage. It was made by a small team, so optimization might be important. Looks like you can run the game. Go ahead and buy it and try it out. You can better tell if you want better performance and if you can afford it. Cyberpower PC built computers are not much liked here because mostly they have very cheap power supplies. When you get the game running, try this simple test: Run YOUR games but lower your resolution and graphics visuals. This makes your graphics card work a bit harder. If your frame rate goes up, that shows your CPU is strong enough for a better graphics setup. However, if you are limited by your CPU, maybe a weak CPU upgrade like an i7-9700K could help. Anything stronger will need a different motherboard. Life is too short to have a slow PC. FWIW, I am 86.
Even outside of computer parts, almost nothing lasts forever or pays for itself when you need to fix things later. Sadly, this is how the retail world acts today. But there have always been sellers trying to trick people who don't know anything about tech. It's been like that since the word "snake oil" was made up and they just called it something else before. Is this the only game you are playing or planning to play? Where do you buy your stuff from? Putting cash into a system with an old mid-range Intel chip and a cheap graphics card is a bad idea, I think. You said that yourself; there will be other problems coming up later for it to actually work properly. Without worrying about how much money you spend on repairs, maybe it's cheaper to buy a gaming console if there aren't many good games out there. If just one game doesn't make sense at all. As I suggested above, loading the game might help see what happens next.