Jun 25, 2019
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ACER ATC-605-ES18
Processor:
Intel Core i3 4130 processor @ 3.4GHz
# of CPU Cores:
2
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 8
OS Language:
English/French Option
Memory:
8GB DDR3
Hard Drive:
1TB @ 7200RPM
Recovery Partition:
YES
Optical Drive:
YES
Display:
None
Video Card:
Integrated Intel HD Graphics
Features:
Card Reader, DVD +/- RW, Wireless 802.11
USB 2.0 Ports:
4
USB 3.0 Ports: 2
Other Ports: VGA, HDMI

would like to upgrade this pc to be able to easily run adobe Photoshop, Microsoft office. would like to spend 400$ or less.

*planning on adding an SSD for operating system.

is it worth my while changing the CPU?
 
Solution
I believe that has only got a 200W PSU, so a GPU is out of the question (PS can use GPU's for accelerated processing), an i5/i7 4XXX would be a good swap, but I'd be really concerned about the PSU under sustained load. You may want to stick with 4XXXT processors, they'd be lower power, but more cores and better parallelism.
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/KH/content/model/DT.SRQST.042
I'd not be concerned about the SSD, that'll be a great move.
I believe that has only got a 200W PSU, so a GPU is out of the question (PS can use GPU's for accelerated processing), an i5/i7 4XXX would be a good swap, but I'd be really concerned about the PSU under sustained load. You may want to stick with 4XXXT processors, they'd be lower power, but more cores and better parallelism.
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/KH/content/model/DT.SRQST.042
I'd not be concerned about the SSD, that'll be a great move.
 
Solution
To be blunt. Spending $400 upgrading a five year old platform. Which was a cheap entry level one for it's era. Would be wasteful. If it was a high end workstation or higher end Mac of the era, perhaps. Not something like that.

At $400 you could build a new computer which will do well at those tasks. Plus have plenty of room for upgrades in the future.

New
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($133.84 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX6000 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC - F2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($35.96 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $414.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-26 09:29 EDT-0400
 
Jun 25, 2019
27
0
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Ok, thanks you all. ill probably end up just putting in a SSD and leave it at that. build something in the near future with better capabilities if need be.
 

sdedu77

Respectable
Dec 9, 2018
325
54
2,040
If you plan to add a graphics card to the future build, then you can go for a Ryzen 5 2600 instead, for extra cache and extra 2c/4t; is's about the same price as a 2400g. Of course, at that point prices may be different.