Talk about using a Learning PC for an 11-year-old.
Talk about using a Learning PC for an 11-year-old.
I can only edit my posts, not reply to anyone. If I try it will flag as spam.
Added another image at the top. We have a Peerless Assassin 120 SE and we’ll install it this Wednesday.
Once we remove the radiator and fan setup, should we install a larger fan behind the PC?
We plan to upgrade the CPU after we understand the basics; still can’t figure out how to update the BIOS, but we’ll manage it in time.
Currently reading what settings to change. Last night I accidentally chose optimize defaults, and the SSD wouldn’t boot after several hours. We identified the setting to ACHI or similar and it now works.
I’ll start a new thread once we learn more, thank you again.
This PC will be used so my 11-year-old niece can study computer hardware, overclocking, and she’ll only play Warcraft or Blizzard occasionally. I performed a factory reset and everything is functioning properly.
The CPU has an old sealed liquid cooler that likely needs replacement, along with new thermal paste. What’s recommended for the CPU fan?
What other upgrades do you suggest? Upgrades are limited on this old PC; we might just swap the CPU to learn how.
I don’t use computers except for work. We’ll learn together from this forum and YouTube. I’m unsure how to upload photos from my phone.
We also need a wireless option.
Here are the specifications:
HAF 932 case with multiple case fans
i5 - 2500k
Z68X-UD3H-B3 Award Bios
Win 10 Pro
24 GB RAM (2x8GB and 2x4GB)
EVGA GTX 1060 (6GB)
Scan Disk SDSSDXPS (480GB)
ST 500 DM002-1BC 142
Power Supply TX850M
Any USB wireless adapter should suffice.
Ensure you purchase a model compatible with both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz.
You could track down an i7-3770k, they are usually pretty cheap. That would gain you hyperthreading on top of the speed increase from Sandy to Ivy Bridge.
USB wireless, or a PCIe add in card.
TX850M is a fine PSU, though overly large for the system. Replacing it would be a good lesson on internal computer wiring.
Though a complete swap to something like an i3-14100F and a DDR4/DDR5 motherboard would also be good to do. i3 are quad core with hyperthreading as well. Room to upgrade to i5 and i7 later on if that becomes necessary.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i3-14100F 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor
($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Asus PRIME B760-PLUS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory
($117.99 @ Amazon)
Total:
$337.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-02-12 13:43 EST-0500
This situation is quite interesting, offering a lot of flexibility. If you need to replace front USB-C ports or anything similar, you can easily fit it into one of the numerous 5.25" bays. For cooling options, thermalright provides decent and budget-friendly coolers. You can purchase one for around $17, which should handle most systems except those with high-end components like a 14900k. Consider adding a 2TB SSD for storage upgrades, as it’s versatile for new builds. An LGA 1155 Xeon might be a better choice than trying to source a 3770K, though they come with limited overclocking potential. If you’re planning a platform change, used AM4 kits are available, such as a Ryzen 7 2700x with 16GB RAM and a B350 board, which can be found at reasonable prices. Future upgrades could include a 5800X3D or similar.
I agree with the suggestion to look for a 2600 or 3770 variant. That, together with the 1060, would be quite suitable for gaming at 720P or lower framerate on a 1080P resolution display. In my opinion, upgrading the old hardware (CPU/mobo/RAM) might not be the best approach, even though it seems more efficient to allocate resources toward a better system.
To give you a clearer picture of what to expect, I recently assembled a system using a non-K 3770 and a GTX 970 graphics card. For games that use FSR, it performs well at mid-low settings around 60 FPS for many AAA titles. Those that don’t would benefit from lowering the resolution so frame rates remain stable without stuttering. I was pleasantly surprised by how Fortnite ran smoothly, Baldur’s Gate 3 maintained ~60 FPS on low settings, and CB77 struggled significantly.
If you encounter any hardware problems, I wouldn’t invest much in repairs for such an old system unless you’re certain of the issue and can easily find affordable replacements (which is straightforward on platforms like eBay right now).
I hope everyone enjoys their building and gaming experience.
I’m still trying to grasp some of these terms. I picked up an MSI USB wireless at the base exchange today and need to familiarize myself with the jargon. Would the Thermalright peerless assassin be suitable? The memory is close to the CPU, so a smaller model would work better if it’s quiet. I’m interested in the Xeon CPU and will have to look into that later. I wish I could learn how to upload photos. This PC has numerous additional components—different sound card, separate Ethernet card, and a Bluetooth that seems to be unplugged. The top fan is huge, the case is over 2 feet tall, and it moves easily on casters. I should update the BIOS, but I need help with that too. Thanks for your reply.
The graphics card occupies two slots, it’s quite large with two fans inside. There’s a sound card, an Ethernet card, and the power supply is located at the bottom, leaving no extra space—some components might be taken out. I bought an MSI USB antenna today; there are more than 10 USB ports on both sides, so it should work now.
A top-quality assassin would be suitable, as it offers excellent RAM space. Your case is sufficiently deep so the cooler height shouldn’t pose an issue. It will also handle most CPUs, allowing you to relocate the cooler whenever needed for upgrades. Regarding the BIOS update, there are two methods: one via Windows using the @bios tool from Gigabyte, and another with a USB drive formatted to fat32 using Q-flash from the BIOS. Q-flash is recommended, though both options should function. Detailed instructions are available in the manufacturer’s manual. A sound card is beneficial but not essential, as your motherboard includes one internally. Ethernet is also fine; you can add it if the internal ports aren’t sufficient, perhaps for dedicated virtual machines or improved performance. Unless you require specific features, built-in Ethernet and sound on modern boards have been adequate since around 2006.
I used to have a sound card during that time.
The audio would sometimes not be fully separated from the motherboard. As my frame rate increased, more interference appeared (from the power supply or graphics card). With hard drives still common, I could also detect the electrical hum from the mic input.
At one point, I owned a small PCIe sound card.