Question What to upgrade? (i3 3220 @ 3.30GHz, GT 630, 4GB DDR3)

[moonshnr]

Hey. I'm planning on upgrading at least one of the components my computer has. Which one do you think it should be? Not trying to run the latest most fanciest games, but a few, such as Rust, DayZ, PUBG perhaps would be nice if I could run to a decent extent.

Its current specifications are as follows:

CPU - Intel Core i3 3220 @ 3.30GHz
RAM - Kingston HyperX Fury 4gigs DDR3
VGA - NVIDIA GeForce GT 630
Motherboard - ASUS H61M-A

I don't mean to take up too much of your time so pretty much any feedback is appreciated.
Have a swell day.

 

[AngelTech]

Do you have a certain budget?

 

[Eximo]

Depends on what you have to spend.

But 4GB of memory is low these days. 8GB total would be better.

GT630 is very entry level graphics.

I3-3220 is going to start showing its age. But if you buy too fast a GPU, then it will become a serious problem.

Though I honestly can't recommend spending too much on this system. You can certainly drop in a late model graphics card, but the other two are not going to be wise investments.

 

[Eximo]

If you have $200 to spend, you can jump into a modern platform. This would allow for future upgrades to higher core count CPUs and GPUs (Once you also then get a new power supply at that point)

On this particular build, if you can spend another $40 or so to get 16GB of memory, that would be better.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - T-FORCE VULCAN Z 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $181.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-22 16:52 EDT-0400

 

[moonshnr]

Thanks for stopping by, it's most appreciated! Kind of on a budget here though, so I can't afford a complete overhaul on my machine but I could imagine squeezing in 8 gigs of RAM and possibly a slight upgrade to the VGA. A thing I never got about RAM though is whether or not you could keep your current 4 gigs and install the same model again to make it double and get 8? If possible, it'd bet another cut on costs which would help. As for CPU I've always hoped to get the i5 technology but unfortunately I can't afford that at the moment.

 

[moonshnr]

Sorry for the double-post.

Do you have a certain budget?

The $70 range is as far as I could stretch it out for now.

Motherboard: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)

I haven't even considered a change of motherboard myself. Is it really that important in overall performance?

 

[AngelTech]

Sorry for the double-post.

The $70 range is as far as I could stretch it out for now.


I haven't even considered a change of motherboard myself. Is it really that important in overall performance?

You won't be able to get a good budget gaming PC for $70 so I'd save up your money to like $500 and just build one also yes MOBO upgrade is very important

 

[tennis2]

Look for e-waste recycling centers near you. You can get a 2x4GB kit from them at around $10-$15. Ask them about 2nd gen i5 or i7 CPUs while you're there. i5-2400 are very common in business machines. Report back on price. Then we need to talk about a GPU upgrade.

 

[Eximo]

The reason to upgrade the motherboard is so that you aren't spending money on soon to be obsolete hardware. We are at the tail end of the DDR4 generation and you are talking about buying DDR3. i3-3220 is a dual core four thread CPU with a max clock of 3.3Ghz.

Even the somewhat low end Ryzen 2200G is a quad core four thread with a base speed of 3.5Ghz and a boost of 3.7Ghz. Also includes an onboard graphics chip that easily outdoes your GT630.

If you look at Intel's 8th and 9th generation lines

I don't like the recommendation of getting an i5-2400, there are i5-3570 available for as low as $35. It would be a minor improvement only though. Only sensible upgrade is an i7-3770, but that is about your entire budget. It won't have a huge impact on gaming as that will mostly be tied to your GPU. But at some point you will need to upgrade both. Also doesn't take care of your low memory problem.

In your situation, you should save up more before making any upgrade purchase.

 

[moonshnr]

So the thing is, as cool as it'd be, I just don't need the latest most up to date technology in my machine, really. I've had this build for a couple of years and it's served its purpose well. Of course, that isn't to say I couldn't imagine a decent investment in the future, but for now it's merely just a tiny little plus that I'd like to throw in. Now it's true I mentioned a few games above but with some of these recommendations, (which I really appreciate your time and suggestions btw) I just don't think at this point in life (kind of at a major crossroad rn) it'd be worth to spend so much on gaming for me. So as a first step I'll probably just go out and pick up some more RAM, and of the DDR4 tech if I can.

 

[tennis2]

your motherboard and CPU do not support DDR4 RAM.

 

[moonshnr]

Welp. Then in the same sloppy DDR3 version. As long as it's a step ahead and I'm not spending all that much it's okay with me.

 

[Eximo]

I think $70 is just an unrealistic expectation to see much improvement. Not much you can get graphics card wise for that price. $85 will get you a new GT1030 or RX550. Used, you might be able to track down a GTX750Ti or perhaps GTX950. (this would have the most immediate impact on gaming performance)

You can buy an entire 3rd Gen Intel system for $90: https://www.newegg.com/dell-optiplex-3010-business-desktops-workstations/p/1VK-0001-3HHM3

You could get another 4GB stick of memory for a reasonable price. (Or buy the above and strip the motherboard of the CPU and RAM). You could try and lowball for an i5-3470 or i5-3570 on ebay. All you are gaining is a little cache, still a four thread CPU at about the same frequency. You have 4 threads already, not quite as fast as full cores, but most games you are capable of running don't take advantage of all of it anyway.

Ryzen 2200G is not the latest, but with the release of Ryzen 3000 series the prices have dropped significantly. So the time to buy a new system on the cheap is now. Look at it this way, spend $200 now and not have to replace the motherboard for another 5 years. Vs getting a new CPU, and finding it can't do what you want a year from now (or outright failing at some point)

Memory prices are also at one of the lowest points in recent memory. DDR4 only a year ago was almost exactly double the price (or more).

 

[tennis2]

^ I (and most people would) agree with Eximo that money you spend on this system could be better used on new/modern components. Obviously your bank account balance has a voice, but you need to not only consider the upfront cost of an upgrade/replacement, but also how long the shelf-life is on such purchases. A 3rd gen i5 will kick the can down the road a couple more years if that's what you need. A GPU can be carried over to a new build if it's still powerful enough (the more you spend, the longer it will be relevant). Any RAM you buy for your existing system will only last as long as you keep your current mobo.
Spending $70/2 years = $35/year
Spending $140/4 years = $35/year
Spending $150/6 years = $25/year
etc etc
There's also obviously the requisite that whatever budget components you buy need to provide an acceptable level of performance for gaming.

*Don't buy SFF refubs like Eximo listed though. They require low-profile GPUs which are expensive for the performance. They also oftentimes require specialized power supplies. Also expensive, and usually anemic.

Are you in the USA since you're stating your budget in $$?

If $70 US is your hard limit, we can (have) give suggestions for maximizing performance, but don't expect much from so little (the cost of dinner and drinks for 2 at a decent restaurant, one night in a hotel, etc etc).
If $70 is where you're at, I've bought 2x4GB DDR3 from my local e-waste center for $10, and spend the other $60 on ebay for an RX470 4GB

 

[moonshnr]

Are you in the USA since you're stating your budget in $$?

I'm outside the US so I converted my local currency, so as to make for an easier discussion. E-recycling centers and other means of purchasing used components are much less common here in the mid regions of the EU though. It's kind of a norm here to just get it all fresh off some online store instead, which is why most of these links to cheap stuff I can't quite relate to, plus if I tried to ship any of these overseas, they'd overcharge them highly with fees at our border, not to mention the costs of shipping. But yeah, the deeper this goes though, the more I can see myself extending the frame to about $100 or so. Now I found this GPU called GIGABYTE GT1030 2GB GDDR5 GV-N1030OC-2GI for about the price Eximo said for a GT1030, which I'd find doable. But I'm also thinking of a KINGSTON HYPERX FURY 8GB DDR4 2666MHZ for memory, but then again, that would require that fancy mobo ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 which if I got all three of these, and as a side note I could just shove all responsibilities aside and build a monster should I wish, but even with all three of these I'm thinking of, I'd exceed both the $70 and possibly $100 range (would be about ~$200 total). All this said, I can already sense this urge arising to just go for it but I've already written all this down so we'll see what happens.

 

[tennis2]

What country specifically?
Always state the country you're buying in and budget in your local currency. Otherwise you get suggestions based on pricing in other countries that's not applicable to you.

Buying a new mobo (like the one you linked) will require a new CPU. Your current CPU is not compatible.

 

[moonshnr]

I live in Hungary, and our currency is HUF.

 

[tennis2]

That's a challenging market. What online places are you shopping?

 

[Eximo]

*Don't buy SFF refubs like Eximo listed though. They require low-profile GPUs which are expensive for the performance. They also oftentimes require specialized power supplies. Also expensive, and usually anemic.

My suggestion wasn't to use it, but to harvest it for parts and as an example of what his system is worth. It is a good way to get a fully tested CPU vs gambling on a loose chip on ebay. More expensive, but safer. And some memory.

ebay i7-3770 is about $85-90, fully loaded used business machine is $160 with 8GB of memory, and a hard drive, a fan, and a terrible motherboard and power supply.

ebay i5-3470 is about $30-35, fully loaded used business machine is $110 with 8GB of memory, hard drive, etc.

Since we are looking at Hungary though, you can toss everything I have listed out the window.

Might be better to list components in your price range that you are considering.

 

[Eximo]

I should add you can also swap your CPU and RAM into the refurbished system and have a fully functional computer to re-sell or use.

 

[King_V]

Another point that should be considered: What resolution is your monitor?

That would help determine how much/little graphics horsepower you need when it comes to the GPU.

 

[tennis2]

I should add you can also swap your CPU and RAM into the refurbished system and have a fully functional computer to re-sell or use.

Good point. Sorry. I wasn't thinking along those lines.

Either way...Hungary
(pretty much toss out all the recommendations made thus far)

 

[tennis2]

This is difficult: (as we've already established)
Ryzen 2200G = 25,000 Ft
Gigabyte B450M = 20,500 Ft
2x4GB DDR4-2800 = 13,500 Ft
Kingston A400 240GB = 9,500 Ft (optional, but recommended)
Cooler Master MWE 550W = 15,000 Ft (optional if your current PSU is decent)
Cooler Master Q300L = 11,600 Ft (optional)
Total = 95,100 Ft.... just a tad over 58,500 Ft....

Here's another option:
GTX 1060 3GB = 35,400 Ft
Cooler Master MWE 550W = 15,000 Ft
Kingston A400 240GB = 9,500 Ft
Total = 60,000 Ft.
And save up for the CPU+mobo+RAM upgrade....then you can carry these items into the new build.

While a Ryzen 2200G IGP will do fine at 720p on newer titles, I worry that it may not be the huge upgrade you'll be expecting. On the other hand, a GTX1060 3GB will CRUSH 720p for many more years.
Everything circles right back to which option gives you the best ROI. An SSD will make even your existing system more responsive (2x faster). A GTX1060 3GB will be a HUGE boost compared to your GT630, but it won't reach its full potential at 720p until you upgrade the CPU. A new CPU may not be significantly faster than your GT630, but it gives you a decent [4 core] platform to build on (adding a GPU later).

 

[moonshnr]

First off, I never would've expected to see a singular response, let alone get this many answers and viable tips and information. So needless to say, I couldn't be more thankful. The reason I didn't specify my location, currency etc was because I thought it'd take up more of your time and make things more difficult, yet not doing so did just that to begin with so my apologies for that. Anyways, most options listed above are indeed out of the question, obviously. Now to leave no blank spaces, I'll quickly cover a few of these questions that still arose before my final thought.

Another point that should be considered: What resolution is your monitor?

That would help determine how much/little graphics horsepower you need when it comes to the GPU.

A tiny 1366 x 768 screen.

That's a challenging market. What online places are you shopping?

We have a few generic IT shops online, none of which are in English so another obstacle there. I'd say the prices don't differ as much as I'd feared they would, only the chance to get anything second-handed or play it smart like you guys suggested is reduced big time and I can't expect anyone other than myself to look around locally.

In conclusion, at this point I'd rather not cause you any more trouble trying to make sense of all this. Instead I'll take all of your ideas and tips to the heart and come up with a sensible route of upgrading. (with a higher budget than $70 ofc)

 

[King_V]

First off, I never would've expected to see a singular response, let alone get this many answers and viable tips and information. So needless to say, I couldn't be more thankful. The reason I didn't specify my location, currency etc was because I thought it'd take up more of your time and make things more difficult, yet not doing so did just that to begin with so my apologies for that. Anyways, most options listed above are indeed out of the question, obviously. Now to leave no blank spaces, I'll quickly cover a few of these questions that still arose before my final thought.

Glad to help - but, knowing the location can make things easier, sometimes. Either some of us will be able to help, or we won't, but at least we'll have a more solid answer as to what the limitations are. Don't feel like you're being too much trouble.

A tiny 1366 x 768 screen.

In a way, this makes things a little easier, as, a lower-powered graphics card such as (in order of higher to lower performance, though they are fairly close to each other) a GTX 1050Ti, an RX 560, or a GTX 1050, can perform at your monitor's resolution as fast as, what an RX 580 or GTX 1060 would be required to manage the same speeds at 1920x1080.

(also, if you come across references of an RX 560-8926vs an RX560-1024, go for the 1024 variant).

HOWEVER - depending on who makes the motherboard, sometimes older motherboards won't work with newer video cards, so that's something to consider (although, you usually see that in OEM systems like Dell and HP, rather than motherboards that are purchased as part of a custom build, such as your ASUS board - still, it's a possibility that a newer card might not work).