News 10 Great PC Upgrades For Under $100: RAM, SSDs and More

[Admin]

You can make significant changes to your PC for just a few dollars. Here are 10 ways to do it.

10 Great PC Upgrades For Under $100: RAM, SSDs and More : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

Improve your computer’s performance and utility without spending a lot.

my issues with this is you have cable extensions which do not add utility nor do they improve performance.

they are purely cosmetic.

then RGB ? again neither makes ur pc perform better nor does it add utility.

and more ram is situational.

excluding speed more ram doesnt do anything unless you are using more than you have currently.


if u use 14gb in your most memory intensive application at peak...having more than 16 doesnt benefit you currently.



de-dusting your pc isnt on list (could of just merged aio/air cooler in 1 labled "3rd party cooler") and that can actually benefit you (as dust build up harms thermals)

also replacing thermal paste with a quality one or repasting if your pc is many yrs old as it could dry out.

 

[djsabor7]

Isnt there T force ram at 3600hz at 32gb $94 right now?

TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 3600MHz (PC4-28800) CL18 Desktop Memory Module Ram TLZGD432G3600HC18JDC01 - Gray https://a.co/d/h7KVACx



And there's 3200 Hz at $84?

TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 3200MHz (PC4-25600) CL16 Desktop Memory Module Ram (Gray) - TLZGD432G3200HC16FDC01 https://a.co/d/4WXrzgm

 

[rluker5]

Here's another upgrade for less than $100:
Delete Chrome and use Firefox or even Edge 😛
Or save that $100 on other stuff and the next time you need to replace your chair that has gone flat, spend a little extra to get one with springs in the cushion. Best office chair I've ever had came with wrapped springs. Great for couches as well.

Edit: and an aio is a good idea if you plan on getting a new high end CPU. Those upcoming ones look like they will run hotter than current or past ones.

 

[Co BIY]

Moving from HDD to SSD is great and could allow you to tolerate many more years with your machine. (Second the MX500 recommendation)

I would add mouse upgrade to the list (lower weight, better hand fit) and especially a mouse bungee. I thought the mouse bungee idea was dumb, it's not. It's brilliant. (I'm using a Glorious bungee)

I added a USB 3.0 card to the rear of my ancient PC and attached a 3ft cable to give me easy access for transfers.

 

[Udyr]

This is a "buy stuff so we can earn commissions" post.

 

[evdjj3j]

my issues with this is you have cable extensions which do not add utility nor do they improve performance.

they are purely cosmetic.

then RGB ? again neither makes ur pc perform better nor does it add utility.

and more ram is situational.

excluding speed more ram doesnt do anything unless you are using more than you have currently.


if u use 14gb in your most memory intensive application at peak...having more than 16 doesnt benefit you currently.



de-dusting your pc isnt on list (could of just merged aio/air cooler in 1 labled "3rd party cooler") and that can actually benefit you (as dust build up harms thermals)

also replacing thermal paste with a quality one or repasting if your pc is many yrs old as it could dry out.

You need to realize this is another zero effort article that has become a mainstay of Tom's in he last few years.

 

[Krotow]

my issues with this is you have cable extensions which do not add utility nor do they improve performance.

they are purely cosmetic.

then RGB ? again neither makes ur pc perform better nor does it add utility.

and more ram is situational.

excluding speed more ram doesnt do anything unless you are using more than you have currently.

if u use 14gb in your most memory intensive application at peak...having more than 16 doesnt benefit you currently.

de-dusting your pc isnt on list (could of just merged aio/air cooler in 1 labled "3rd party cooler") and that can actually benefit you (as dust build up harms thermals)

also replacing thermal paste with a quality one or repasting if your pc is many yrs old as it could dry out.

Visuals inside PC case together with RGB are pure gimmick. Though taste differs, somebody may prefer otherwise More RGB indeed will not help to pump up performance except when you are forced to purchase RGB enabled components. Because better performing RAM, GPU and motherboard at today are hard to get without any kind of forced RGB.

De-dusting still cost something. Either the price of compressed air can, dedicated blower or compressor. Blowing with mouth will not help much - proven in practice countless times.

USB 3.2 expansion board for 8+ years old is dubious choice. USB drives on these computer can't work even in max USB 3.0 speed.

 

[salgado18]

my issues with this is you have cable extensions which do not add utility nor do they improve performance.

they are purely cosmetic.

then RGB ? again neither makes ur pc perform better nor does it add utility.

and more ram is situational.

excluding speed more ram doesnt do anything unless you are using more than you have currently.


if u use 14gb in your most memory intensive application at peak...having more than 16 doesnt benefit you currently.



de-dusting your pc isnt on list (could of just merged aio/air cooler in 1 labled "3rd party cooler") and that can actually benefit you (as dust build up harms thermals)

also replacing thermal paste with a quality one or repasting if your pc is many yrs old as it could dry out.

If you use 14GB at your peak usage, then getting 32GB is still a good idea, because the OS might already have made some room in memory. Get too close to the limit, and you don't actually know if you already reached it or not.

Yeah, the AIO and air coolers are the same, like RAM and SSD.

I think the SSD may outlive most systems, so purchasing a PCIe 3.0 today if you can get a 4.0 is a waste of money. Get the best you can afford, drives are backward compatible, and soon every motherboard will have PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots. So, when you upgrade the motherboard, the SSD is still relevant. Get SATA drives only for notebooks without M.2 ports, or you really want to maximize size over speed.

I second the thermalpaste, it's a great maintenance trick for older pcs.

And de-dusting is a good idea, a compressed air can is pretty cheap too.

 

[hotaru251]

De-dusting still cost something

"under $100"
never said cost nothing. just it was under the cost of the topic.

If you use 14GB at your peak usage, then getting 32GB is still a good idea, because the OS might already have made some room in memory. Get too close to the limit, and you don't actually know if you already reached it or not.

you can track realtime RAM usage.

unless you legit use up what you got there is no benefit to increasing amount.

system uses what it can and thats what matters.

if u never use the full 16 gb in system than a 16 gb kit at same speed/timings as a 32gb will not give any performance benefit because thats how it works. any extra doesnt benefit system.


eli5 version:
why buy a 100 gallon tank if you only have 45 gallons of fluid? save $ and buy a 50 gallon tank.