[lcrank41]

Hey guys, sorry if this is a fairly repetitive post, but im asking to see if anyone could give me some opinions or advice on how to go about upgrading my older desktop and if you guys have any solid recommendations. My PC is an old Power spec rebuilt PC from like 2013. 

 

The specs

Here is a link to the exact specs of the pc

http://www.powerspec...?selection=G422

 

The pc runs fine, but it is definitely showing signs of low end performance. A good example is destiny 2, i have to have capped at 60 frames and even that is optimally playing at like 45-55. Looking to upgrade the pc so it can run newer games more casually, not looking to max it out or anything.

 

What piece should i start on upgrading? Video card? Or should I just look to make a new pc? 

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

-Thanks

 

-Edit, I have built my own desktop about like 4 years ago. Built it totally from scratch so i have plenty of experience, i just have not had a desktop for awhile until i inherited my aunts "gaming" desktop. So i have just been out of the loop for so long that i dont really know best place to start without just starting from scratch.

Edited by lcrank41, 08 April 2020 - 08:08 PM.

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   lcrank41,

 

We could do with a little more insight into the present hardware, see the below;

 

Download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here, this will provide us with information about your computer hardware + any software that you have installed that may explain the present issue/s. 

 

To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:

1. In Speccy, click File, and then click Publish Snapshot.
2. In the Publish Snapshot dialog box, click Yes to enable Speccy to proceed.
3. Speccy publishes the profile and displays a second Publish Snapshot. You can open the URL in your default browser, copy it to the clipboard, or close the dialog box.

[phillpower2]

   lcrank41,

 

We could do with a little more insight into the present hardware, see the below;

 

Download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here, this will provide us with information about your computer hardware + any software that you have installed that may explain the present issue/s. 

 

To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:

1. In Speccy, click File, and then click Publish Snapshot.
2. In the Publish Snapshot dialog box, click Yes to enable Speccy to proceed.
3. Speccy publishes the profile and displays a second Publish Snapshot. You can open the URL in your default browser, copy it to the clipboard, or close the dialog box.

[lcrank41]

 

   lcrank41,

 

We could do with a little more insight into the present hardware, see the below;

 

Download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here, this will provide us with information about your computer hardware + any software that you have installed that may explain the present issue/s. 

 

To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:

1. In Speccy, click File, and then click Publish Snapshot.
2. In the Publish Snapshot dialog box, click Yes to enable Speccy to proceed.
3. Speccy publishes the profile and displays a second Publish Snapshot. You can open the URL in your default browser, copy it to the clipboard, or close the dialog box.

 

http://speccy.pirifo...zsfpe5SxImSBROA

 

Here is the speccy URL thanks again!

[phillpower2]

Best Answer

Hello lcrank41,

 

We need to come back to any upgrades as you have a more pressing issue that needs to be taken care of asap and for the reason explained below;

 

Partition 1

Partition ID: Disk #0, Partition #1

Disk Letter: C:

File System: NTFS

Volume Serial Number: 821CF520

Size: 118 GB

Used Space: 111 GB (94%)

Free Space: 6.21 GB (6%)

 

For Windows to be able to run efficiently and to be able to update you need to have between 20 and 25% of the partition or drive available as free storage space at all times, if you don`t you risk Windows becoming corrupt or not being able to update which puts you at risk of malware attack.

 

Data only storage devices should not be allowed to get any lower than 10% of free storage space of the full capacity of the drive/partition on the drive, this also to avoid data corruption.

 

Please note that storage devices can physically fail if the amount of free storage space is allowed to drop below the required 10 or 20/25% minimum.

 

Uninstall as many unused programs, games, videos and music files as you can, Windows is way out of date and cannot install Feature update version 1909 which was released in May of last year which gives you an idea of how far out date Windows is, the update is quite big so you need to free up a bit more space than usual, post back when you have between 28 and 30% of free storage on the C: drive/partition and we can go from there.

 

NB: The SSD that Windows is on is a bit small and would be recommended for upgrading and we are doing the above to keep the computer working in the interim, should the space get any lower Windows could corrupt or the device fail so it needs attending to now.

 

When you next reply can I ask that you do not quote the whole post as it means I must read it in case you have inserted any info in there, snippets are fine though as they do help with highlighting important info you need to put across

[lcrank41]

Uninstall as many unused programs, games, videos and music files as you can, Windows is way out of date and cannot install Feature update version 1909 which was released in May of last year which gives you an idea of how far out date Windows is, the update is quite big so you need to free up a bit more space than usual, post back when you have between 28 and 30% of free storage on the C: drive/partition and we can go from there.

 

 

I moved some bigger files over to my Hard drive to free up space, its sitting about 50% free now. Thanks for letting me know, i didnt even realize this would bog down system performance. Heres an updated speccy link if you need it.

 

http://speccy.pirifo...QlELybNKTVLZr0n

 

What would you recommend my next course of action be? Is it possible to get a new gpu and swap out one GPU for the two older ones i have? Or is it a bad idea with how old the rest of the system is?

 

-Thanks again

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the update 

 

Next thing for you to do is a quick setting change so will address that first then move on, I will first of all mention though that the present PSU is not adequate for the GPU arrangement on this computer, it is under powered and the Bronze efficiency rating falls short of the Gold efficiency rating required for a gaming/high end rig.

 

Power Profile
Active power scheme: High performance

 

Change the Windows Power Plan to Balanced, High Performance is a form of overclocking that is known to cause stability and overheating issues and the setting should only be used for gaming type notebooks that have a discrete GPU that needs the extra power.

 

 

You are welcome btw   

[lcrank41]

 

Power Profile
Active power scheme: High performance

 

Change the Windows Power Plan to Balanced, High Performance is a form of overclocking that is known to cause stability and overheating issues and the setting should only be used for gaming type notebooks that have a discrete GPU that needs the extra power.

 

 

 

 

http://speccy.pirifo...1UR7Jt1cuioG6Tv

 

 

Got it switched over to balanced power settings. What would you say would be an optimal PSU for a more high end gaming rig? previously i had 850 but that was back when the GTX 980 was first released.

(Also feel free to keep going with whatever plan you have if you do have one, as i know my random questions could be getting answered later lol)

 

-Thanks as always

Edited by lcrank41, 09 April 2020 - 05:14 PM.

[phillpower2]

Did you notice that the GPU temps have dropped more than 10 °C since you changed the Power Plan.

 

Next step is to get Windows 10 fully up to date.

 

Create a new system restore point.

 

Go here to download Windows 10 version 1909, you want the Update now option, this is a major update and may take some time to install.

 

Yep one thing at a time and as when and is appropriate 

[lcrank41]

 

 

Next step is to get Windows 10 fully up to date.

http://speccy.pirifo...BTyC6FGei42Dvp6

 

Fully updated, and made a restore point before updating.

[phillpower2]

Any improvement in the computers performance?

 

Only thing left for me to check now and that is the voltage from the PSU, which btw I do suggest that you change asap.

 

Download Speedfan and install it.  Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.  The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.

If you are running on a vista machine, please go to where you installed the program and run the program as administrator.

 

 

So that we have a comparison to Speedfan, download, run and grab a screenshot of HWMonitor (free).

 

To capture and post a screenshot;

 

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... Click on the More Reply Options tab then after typing in any response you have... click on Choose File...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on Attach This File...on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

 

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.