Old man needs upgading...(so she says)

[uknickuk]

Hi guys.

I need some help, mainly because I am a 55yr old neanderthal when it comes to Techy/Gadgety/Electronicy thing👍s, so here it is...

I've had this Advent DT1404 pc for about three years, she's been excellent, no problems, whisper quiet, never let me down; However, now i'm playing
more performance demanding games (I cannot express the wonder a man of my generation feels when he discovers the world of pc open world gaming), I'm
beginning to realise I need to "upgrade" as I am experiencing:- low frame rates? Lag? slow ingame load times? I use the ?(interrogative) to symbolise the
fact that I've used Google to research my problems....and thats what it told me haha.

So, you, youth of today, with experience over hyperbole in mind, I come to you with cap doffed..First my "setup" then my questions:-

___________________________________________________


Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1

System Manufacturer: Advent

System Model: DT1404

ACPI x64-based PC

Motherboard:Foxconn H61MXL/H61MXL-K (SOCKET 0)

Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G620 @ 2.60GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.6GHz
Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology

Psu: CWT pufp305p DC O/P 305w max

Storage: 931GB Seagate ST31000524AS ATA Device (SATA)

Memory: 4096MB RAM Single-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (7-7-7-20)

Available OS Memory: 4078MB RAM

Display Memory: 2795 MB

Dedicated Memory: 1012 MB

Shared Memory: 1782 MB

Graphics Card : 1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 6670 (ASUStek Computer Inc)

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Monitor Model: Panasonic-AX630 series 48inch 4K Ultra HD TV

Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Native Mode: 3840 x 2160(p) (30.000Hz)

Output Type: HDMI

DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)

Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)

Case size: H 36cm - L 40cm - W 18cm (maxi? midi? mini?)
________________________________________

a)..the Foxconn website tells me my M/board will accept upgrade to 2nd gen i7, can it? should I? will there be much processor improvement?

b)..the Foxconn website tells me I can uninstall the 4GB RAM and install 2x8GB RAM (16GB) can I? should I? will it give me the hallowed "sweetspot"? (haha,
thanks Google).

c)..Radeon R9 series or Nvid GTX series, I know you guys butt heads but I don't care, which would suit my "setup" better, I opened my DT up a couple of
years ago to put an AMD HD6670 card in and have had no problems till now (hence my bravado here-haha thanks google!) seriously, performance over
politics guys..

d)..I know I need to upgrade my PSU with a higher spec graphics card involved, bearing in mind my case size, CWT are the manafacturers for top brands like
Corsair and Thermal.. will a larger capacity PSU fit in my case, and should I stick with CWT? what size PSU should I get? I know it's relevant to
CPU/Graphics card/other hardware specs but you guys have the knowledge,

e)..SSD's/Hybrid drives..I've heard (Google in my ear again) that they are a real boon to faster load times/ingame loadgates etc. Are they a benefit? if so
which are the best?

f)..for "F*** It" I've got about £500 sterling ($750-ish) to spare and although those fast talking youtube johnnies (er, i hope thats not you) tell me I
could build a half decent gaming rig from the ground up for that (me, yeah,haha, no thanks google) I want to stick with my old DT, it cost less than £400
three odd years ago, I know because my kids borrowed the money from me in the september to buy it for me for christmas, they paid me back (ish) before they
gave it to me so I guess I raised them right (ish), so i just want to refresh her not replace her...and I think £500 is more than enough, or am I just
being naive? Like I said guys...you have the knowledge.

The type of games I'm playing now are:-

ARMA (I'm an old Trooper - really)
GTA (my mates game-the new one, can't get into it....)
FALLOUT 3 (I'm an old survivor)
NEW VEGAS (I like a laugh)
SKYRIM (a gift from an ex along with the posh tv above)
METRO (both)
DEUS EX (all of them, the original is the first game I ever played, I love it, I play it over and over and over...you get it.. right?)

The reason I want to upgrade now is Fallout 4 coming soon to a quiet room near you.... without any hiccups, CTD's or chuffing lags..

I thank you all in advance for any help and advice,

(thanks Google !!)

 

[uknickuk]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-i5-2400-3-1-GHz-Quad-Core-/262059426924?hash=item3d03f5846c £70

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerColor-TurboDuo-270-GDDR5-OC/dp/B00HRSGO9O/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1443374269&sr=1-5&keywords=r9+270 £120

http://www.ebuyer.com/715869-xfx-ts-series-550w-power-supply-unit-80-plus-bronze-certified-oem-p1-550s-gren £46

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-Performance-Desktop/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1443374714&sr=1-1&keywords=ddr3+8+gig £36
Total; £272.

Comparisons;
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+G620+%40+2.60GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2400+%40+3.10GHz
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html


http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+6670
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+R9+270+%2F+R7+370
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32899-7.html

Switched to an a.m.d. graphics card, I've never needed a bios update with those (yet).

so thats triple the cpu power. quadruple the graphics power, and double the ram (8 is the sweet spot, for gaming anyway).

Your old card and chip will fetch £35 on ebay.
You will also need some thermal paste (£4) or you could buy this to keep the noise down;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-Alpine-11-Rev-2-Sockets/dp/B0039P998M/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1443376884&sr=1-2&keywords=arctic+alpine
It comes with mx-4 paste pre applied.

Lastly, power supplies guide is here;
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Generally,the XFX TS is the cheapest tier 2 unit.

 

[uknickuk]

Wow, fast work Tea, much appreciated mate..Going by what you've intimated about the life expectancy of my old M/board and the total cost for your recommendations being around £272 I guess I should have enough left for a new M/board? Perhaps I should bite the bullet and attempt my first build? Yeah I can hear you laughing from here, old dogs etc...I have to say discovering the other side of my PC, other than surfing, e-mailing and gaming is becoming very interesting and addictive...I understand I need a "anti-static wristband" Do I need a rubber mat to build on for the same reasons? Most importantly...IS IT THAT DIFFICULT?...haha. So can you recommend a suitable M/board please. Also any tutorials on youtube that you would respect.
Thanks very much for your help.
uknickuk...

 

[uknickuk]

Ok Tea, thanks mate, I will purchase your recommendations and upgrade my setup, may I come back to you in the future if I have any probs/need advice?
Thanks again.

 

[sora]

Wow, fast work Tea, much appreciated mate..Going by what you've intimated about the life expectancy of my old M/board and the total cost for your recommendations being around £272 I guess I should have enough left for a new M/board? Perhaps I should bite the bullet and attempt my first build? Yeah I can hear you laughing from here, old dogs etc...I have to say discovering the other side of my PC, other than surfing, e-mailing and gaming is becoming very interesting and addictive...I understand I need a "anti-static wristband" Do I need a rubber mat to build on for the same reasons? Most importantly...IS IT THAT DIFFICULT?...haha. So can you recommend a suitable M/board please. Also any tutorials on youtube that you would respect.
Thanks very much for your help.
uknickuk...

I would personally go for a new motherboard.