Question Suggestions for hardware upgrades ?

[BorneoMatt]

Hello all, I have a gaming pc with:

Motherboard: H110M-2SHP-CF
CPU: Intel i5,
GPU: GeForce GT 710
RAM: 8GB

Could anyone give some tips on hardware upgrades to improve performance?
thank you!

 

[Why_Me]

Budget, location (Borneo I'm guessing) and primary uses of your PC.

 

[BorneoMatt]

Hi the pc is used by my son for gaming. We are in the Netherlands and budget is EUR 150

 

[Why_Me]

Hi the pc is used by my son for gaming. We are in the Netherlands and budget is EUR 150

You can replace the current RAM with this set. That would be a noticeable improvement.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory (€73.85 @ Alternate)
Total: €73.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-15 10:49 CEST+0200

 

[kira-faye]

You can replace the current RAM with this set. That would be a noticeable improvement.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory (€73.85 @ Alternate)
Total: €73.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-15 10:49 CEST+0200

It's a GT710 being used for gaming... And you tell him to replace the RAM. What?

I got used to your weird cookie cutter responses to build threads where you inexplicably push everyone towards Intel regardless of their budget or goals, but this is a new one.

 

[kira-faye]

OP, what PSU are you using? What's the video card market like there? 2nd hand market? With a budget that tight used probably makes more sense.

 

[BorneoMatt]

I tried finding out the power supply, but it is tucked away and I can't easily get access. Is there a way to check via software?

 

[kira-faye]

I tried finding out the power supply, but it is tucked away and I can't easily get access. Is there a way to check via software?

Not usually, no. You'll have to read the label on the side of it.

 

[BorneoMatt]

ok. I will see if I can get a reading. What is it needed for?
Is a GPU upgrade best for gaming?

 

[kira-faye]

ok. I will see if I can get a reading. What is it needed for?
Is a GPU upgrade best for gaming?

Absolutely.

We need to know what PSU you have and its approximate age to determine what GPU upgrade options you have, as swapping out the (woefully underpowered - barely good for more than office work) 710 will mean a higher load on it.

Getting the cheapest used 16 or 32GB (2x8 or 2x16) DDR4 RAM kit you can find is also a great option, but won't do much of anything without a new GPU.

 

[BorneoMatt]

The PSU is a Anima APII 600

APII600 - ANIMA Power Supply

The new APII600 Power Supply has an Ultra-Silent 12 cm and 14 dB Tacens fan with smart thermal speed control and anti-vibration system. It also has a side mesh to enhance the power supply cooling.

www.tacens-anima.com

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Absolutely.

This is not always the case. If you pop in a much stronger GPU, the CPU will still be the same, and can only send pre-rendered frames as fast as it can. Getting a new GPU with the CPU remaining the same does not produce results, where you get a huge benefit. The GPU will always be waiting on data from the CPU, and will sit at low usage even when gaming. Not ideal.

TBH, the OP needs to consider a new build.

Something like this to get started. It will dance all over the current specs. Drop in a dGPU down the line when money is saved.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($181.83 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550 GAMING GEN3 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.00 @ MSI)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $585.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-15 11:11 EDT-0400

I would not throw any money at that older system. It's simply not worth it.

This is a full build. Depending on what PSU, Storage etc, this bill could be reduced.

 

[kira-faye]

This is not always the case. If you pop in a much stronger GPU, the CPU will still be the same, and can only send pre-rendered frames as fast as it can. Getting a new GPU with the CPU remaining the same does not produce results, where you get a huge benefit. The GPU will always be waiting on data from the CPU, and will sit at low usage even when gaming. Not ideal.

TBH, the OP needs to consider a new build.

Something like this to get started. It will dance all over the current specs. Drop in a dGPU down the line when money is saved.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($181.83 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550 GAMING GEN3 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.00 @ MSI)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $585.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-15 11:11 EDT-0400

I would not throw any money at that older system. It's simply not worth it.

This is a full build. Depending on what PSU, Storage etc, this bill could be reduced.

I agree, but also get the distinct impression that isn't going to be in budget.

 

[RaidHobbit]

Hello all, I have a gaming pc with:

Motherboard: H110M-2SHP-CF
CPU: Intel i5,
GPU: GeForce GT 710
RAM: 8GB

Could anyone give some tips on hardware upgrades to improve performance?
thank you!

What`s your budget?

Your CPU is weak and might only be a dual core ,and your GPU is weak too. Is this going to be an eBay build or new components?

 

[BorneoMatt]

it's an i5-6400 4-Core CPU.

It's my sons gaming PC. He wanted to replace the motherboard as a birthday present. I wasn't sure whether that makes sense, that's why I was wanting some advice.

Budget is 150 - 200 EUR

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

it's an i5-6400 4-Core CPU.

It's my sons gaming PC. He wanted to replace the motherboard as a birthday present. I wasn't sure whether that makes sense, that's why I was wanting some advice.

Budget is 150 - 200 EUR

What ram is running in the system?

If you purchased only the 5700g and a suitable motherboard, you could use your existing ram and storage to put something together. Again, it would be a serious upgrade. It might hit the 250€ mark. 8gb of ram is very much on the low side now for even entry level-mid level gaming. 32gb is arguably where new builds go. But 2 x 8gb (16gb total) would be the min I'd recommend for this system.