Upgrading/Buying a new PC

[gambier]

So I've had my current PC for about 5 years now and I'm starting to feel it getting sluggish (it takes 5 - 10 secs to load multiple Chrome tabs, etc, can't play full screen games with Spotify/VLC running in the background) all of the earlier mentioned I used to be able to do IIRC. When I bought it, it was already considered rather old so I figured it was about time to upgrade.

Current build below for reference:

CPU- Intel Pentium E6800
GPU- Nvidia Geforce GT 610
RAM- 4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3
Motherboard- Gigabyte GA-G41M-Combo
Storage- 465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-00V1A0 ATA Device (SATA)
PSU- 220W PSU

I've had opinions from friends telling me to just change certain parts like changing to an SSD but I'm honestly at the point whereby I'm willing to spend a bit more for performance. I'm generally looking to multitask (downloads in background + music/tv show/game without shuttering, being able to play 2160p or 4K would be a plus, light gaming (I don't even mind playing most titles on the absolute lowest graphic settings).

Was looking at this build from PCPartPicker which is ideally the budget I'm looking at:
https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/cJWG3C/entry-level-amd-gaming-build

Thought of just walking in to my nearest local store, showing them the list and trying to get the best deal for it (I don't mind paying the bit more for assembly + servicing down the line). Wanted to get some opinions/thoughts on this?

 

[punkncat]

Whew, yeah...you got your moneys worth out of that build for sure.

Even if you went with a (that) new budget build you would see VAST improvement over that system. There are LOADS of build suggestions at that price point all over the forums.
I think your linked build looks pretty solid, although with recent deals I would probably forgo the HDD for the time being and use your old one as a tie over, put that money with the GPU to step up one model for the future.
Another suggestion "might" be to choose a cheaper case and put towards an R5 instead...but you have to look at it.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

There's nothing in your existing computer that's worth keeping but perhaps it could be put to use elsewhere? A child's computer for example?

Assuming you have a $500 budget based on the PCPartPicker build you linked, I'd look at this instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg Business)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 570 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-29 09:22 EST-0500

Bear in mind that neither this nor the PCPartPicker build include a copy of Windows, which will set you back another $100.

I don't know why the PCPartPicker build has paired the 2200G with an RX 570; that's just a bad decision, plain and simple.

 

[gambier]

@ punkncat

Yeah I figured haha. Thankfully I'm looking at putting a rather generous year-end bonus to good use!

I'm generally looking to milk a good 5 - 10 years out of this until it's absolutely necessary. I think the added storage is amongst my priorities since I like to hoard BluRay movies or entire TV series and with 465GB now I'm often maxing out my 2nd partition, so I'm willing to pay a bit more to not use the old one. I've read a bit on the r5, general opinions are that r3 is generally good enough for budget builds unless I'm looking more into planning for the future (which I don't, I think)? Not sure if there are any other considerations people usually look at?

@ bicycle_repair_man

Yeah at this point I'm pretty much inclined to buy a new one. Still undecided as to what I'm going to do with the old one though, probably give it to my dad or keep in storage as a spare.

I guess my budget's not really set in stone, but as someone relatively new to PCs I just don't know what considerations I should be looking at to decide on anything other than just picking a generic build off PCPartPicker with decent reviews. I'm comparing both builds, how bad is the 2200G with an RX 570 in layman's terms? Is it because of the integrated graphics? I see that as main difference yes? The rest like G.Skill vs the Viper memory should be negligible differences and I should be ok with whichever is cheaper/the shop I walk into has, yes?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The 2200G is an APU, meaning that a portion of the CPU is dedicated for graphics. This is exactly the same as Intel HD Graphics, but an APU has a much larger focus on the graphics side. As a result, overall performance is weaker. An APU is best suited for an HTPC or similar form factor where decent graphics performance is required but a dedicated GPU won't physically fit.

Regarding RAM, assuming the speed and quantity is the same, the brand is irrelevant.

There's nothing wrong with walking into a store and buying a computer, but you have to know what you're looking for. All too often a salesperson won't have the knowledge or will try and talk you into buying something inferior. If you're confident in building a computer yourself then I always recommend it.

 

[punkncat]

Building a computer isn't hard, at all. The hard aspect of it is when it's all together and isn't working. In an offhand case like that, it's a whole lot easier to take the computer back to the store and exchange for a new one. Parts selection for money will be better on a DIY, as the prebuilt will have to meet margin for the company.

Personally, I am a HUGE fan of the R3 series. When I had the need to use my then current gaming computer as an office machine (long story, but in short I needed a LOT more RAM) I chose to use the R3 1200 as the stepping stone due to budgetary constraints at that moment. For surfing, watching video and 95% of the game titles I play I notice ZERO different between it and the R7 1700 I upgraded to. The R3 overclocked slightly better and produces quite a bit less heat. I think it's a tremendous value in a true four core CPU, in spite of how folks like to knock it.