Old PC - is this worth upgrading? and what to upgrade

[AsifSaddique 836]

Hi guys

Just ordered a high spec vide editing PC Today.

However this is my old PC which I bought in 2010.

I am wanting to give this to my little one and wanted to see if I can improve it slightly to make it faster etc. I do have an Ssd installed on it now with windows 10 as the main drive.

There are also 3 additional Hard drives installed which are no longer required- will this slow the PC down and by removing them will it improve the PC performance? I will still need to xfer the files from the drives first. I never needed these 3 additional drives but got carried away.

Could I possibly increase the memory? Ifso by how much.

Any other recommendations.?

My little one tried to play the reblox game and I noticed the fan was at full speed and got very hot!

thanks

Case
COOLERMASTER SILEO 500 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D **SPECIAL OFFER**
1st Storage Drive
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SATA-II 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x LG BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
4G Module
NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
TV Card
PCTV SYSTEMS DUAL TUNER TV CARD & WINDOWS MEDIA CENTRE REMOTE
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2010 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC
Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Cordless Desktop Wave™ Laser Mouse & Keyboard Combo
Speakers
LOGITECH X-540 5.1 Surround sound effect with full range and deep bass

 

[Aza]

Regarding the temp, have you ever repasted the CPU/cooler?
Its a very old platform, i'm not sure theres a huge amount that you could upgrade that would also be worthwhile in terms of price.
Possibly upgrading the RAM a little? DDR3 RAM should be pretty cheap, check the specs for the motherboard and the CPU to see what it can support. Perhaps replacing the GPU as well.

A SSD rather than HDD drive should also be a nice boost to performance, and not cost a fortune either.

I'd give it a good clean, all the fans and the cooler etc to make sure you get all the dust build up out of it, repaste the CPU and see where you're at.

 

[AsifSaddique 836]

Thanks, what do you mean by repaste the CPU/ cooler?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks, what do you mean by repaste the CPU/ cooler?

CPU surfaces are not flat and as such would not transfer heat effectively if a heatsink was placed directly on it

As such thermal grease is applied which creates a better thermal contact with the heatplate of the cooler.

Over time this thermal paste starts to harden and loses thermal conductivity. So you have to clean the old paste off and reapply.

On laptops it's about once a year.

On a desktop it will generally last the full lifetime of the build.

That's a very old system though past it's natural lifecycle and could probably benefit from a repaste. But it's always going to max out when running things like Roblox as the CPU will be 100% utilised.

 

[Aza]

So, the cooler sits on top of the CPU and will have thermal paste to then give a contact medium between the two that allows the heat from the CPU to pass to the cooler, and the cooler then vents the heat.

Thermal paste doesnt last forever, it dries out and dies (for want of a better way of putting it). Its generally recommended that you remove the cooler, clean off the old paste and repaste it every year or two.
Have a dig on youtube/google for guides, and i'd avoid liquid metal pastes as you need to know what you are doing or can kill a machine.
Normal thermal paste is non-conductive so (as long as you are delicate and careful) if you accidental slurdge any its not going to fry anything and you can clean off any excess.

Using something like an air duster will help get dust build up out, just be careful of components, i'd remove the cooler, take an airduster to it and make sure all the dust comes out of the heatsink/metal fins and use the airduster in the machine just to get rid of dust build and and ensure fans are clear. Use some papertowel to remove paste from the cooler where it sits on the cpu (youll see a metal plate area) and you can use something like pure alcohol and a cotton wool bud to clean off and residue, do the same to the CPU (you dont need to remove the CPU you are just cleaning the surface of it where the paste is/was).

Repaste it (watch some videos on how to get an idea of how much paste you need etc) and reseat the cooler.

 

[Aza]

CPU surfaces are not flat and as such would not transfer heat effectively if a heatsink was placed directly on it

As such thermal grease is applied which creates a better thermal contact with the heatplate of the cooler.

Over time this thermal paste starts to harden and losed thermal conductivity. So you have to clean the old paste off and reapply.

On laptops it's about once a year.

On a desktop it will generally last the full lifetime of the build.

That's a very old system though past it's natural lifecycle and could probably benefit from a repaste. But it's always going to max out when running things like Roblox as the CPU will be 100% utilised.

He said it was getting real hot and fans were full blast.

I thought it was still a good idea to repaste in a desktop? Or is it more situational, only if you see heat issues starting?

 

[SpyderTracks]

He said it was getting real hot and fans were full blast.

I thought it was still a good idea to repaste in a desktop? Or is it more situational, only if you see heat issues starting?

I reread and saw the bit about getting hot and edited my post.

 

[Aza]

I reread and saw the bit about getting hot and edited my post.

I was also wondering if I could avoid repasting my own machine before xmas Was under impression that it was part of servicing the machine every couple of years... ive no thermal problems but was going to do it anyway, but if youre tell me its situational then saves me a job!

 

[AsifSaddique 836]

Thanks, yes I decided to google it and have an idea already.

so would this paste suffice?

ARCTIC MX-4 Thermal Compound Cooling Paste 2024 CPU GPU No Silver 4g + Spudger | eBay

With an ideal consistency, the MX-4 is very easy to use, even for beginners. The possibilities for its application and the most effectively way to avoid voids between CPU and cooler. Thermal Conductivity.

www.ebay.co.uk

also if I removed one 2gb memory ram and replaced it to a one 8 gb one or remove two 2gb ones and instal 2 4gb ones , will this suffice and be sensible? . I don’t know if I have space for more than three of these, thats why I said I’ll be removing it.

8GB 16GB Memory RAM DDDR3 1333Mhz Desktop PC3 10600 240 Pin Non-ECC 1.35v Lot | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 8GB 16GB Memory RAM DDDR3 1333Mhz Desktop PC3 10600 240 Pin Non-ECC 1.35v Lot at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks, yes I decided to google it and have an idea already.

so would this paste suffice?

ARCTIC MX-4 Thermal Compound Cooling Paste 2024 CPU GPU No Silver 4g + Spudger | eBay

With an ideal consistency, the MX-4 is very easy to use, even for beginners. The possibilities for its application and the most effectively way to avoid voids between CPU and cooler. Thermal Conductivity.

www.ebay.co.uk

also if I removed one 2gb memory ram and replaced it to a one 8 gb one , will this suffice and be sensible? . I don’t know if I have space for more than three of these.

8GB 16GB Memory RAM DDDR3 1333Mhz Desktop PC3 10600 240 Pin Non-ECC 1.35v Lot | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 8GB 16GB Memory RAM DDDR3 1333Mhz Desktop PC3 10600 240 Pin Non-ECC 1.35v Lot at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

thanks

I wouldn't recommend buying anything on eBay, that's where you get fakes.

Amazon will have plenty of stocks.

 

[AsifSaddique 836]

Ok il check Amazon but looking at the specs of my motherboard m im I correct in thinking there will be space of 6 memory slots?

6 x DIMM, Max. 24 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)*/1600/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory Triple channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) *Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

also would removing the extra hard drives improve performance?

could you kindly post and links for Amazon for the memory ram please and the thermal paste so I dont end up buying the wrong items.

thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Ok il check Amazon but looking at the specs of my motherboard m im I correct in thinking there will be space of 6 memory slots?

6 x DIMM, Max. 24 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)*/1600/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory Triple channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) *Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

also would removing the extra hard drives improve performance?

Yes, it's triple channel so works best in triplicate sets of dimms.

But for simple uses unpaired sticks should be ok so long as they're compatible which you won't know until you fit them.

So long as they're the right timings and voltages, they should be fine, but it's always a gamble.

You can be certain of the voltages of your current DIMMS by using CPU-Z and checking the current RAM stick voltages

CPU-Z | Softwares | CPUID

CPU-Z for Windows® x86/x64 is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system : Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels. Mainboard and chipset. Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD). Real time...

www.cpuid.com

Hard drives don't affect performance unless you're writing to them and they're full.

But something to massively improve performance will be adding a simple SATA SSD of say 250Gb or 500Gb if you want some headroom. Then add that as the main OS, program and game drive.

 

[Aza]

Changing the HDD for SDD should improve performance, removing extra HDD's shouldnt really change anything (but reduce overall power draw from the PSU)

The RAM might be a good shout though, remove all the current RAM and try 1600MHz DDR3?
But as spyder said, i'd avoid ebay.... seen a lot of stories about fake items, broken items and just generally bad vendors...

 

[AsifSaddique 836]

Changing the HDD for SDD should improve performance, removing extra HDD's shouldnt really change anything (but reduce overall power draw from the PSU)

The RAM might be a good shout though, remove all the current RAM and try 1600MHz DDR3?
But as spyder said, i'd avoid ebay.... seen a lot of stories about fake items, broken items and just generally bad vendors...

Any links for these Ram sticks on Amazon please?

happy to buy in triplets if it’s easier. Looks like I can max out to 24gb? .

thanks

 

[Aza]

Any links for these Ram sticks on Amazon please?

happy to buy in triplets if it’s easier. Looks like I can max out to 24gb? .

thanks

I dont think theres any value to maxing out teh RAM to 24GB...especially for such an old machine...
Clean it up first and repaste, see what difference that makes, then assuming its not toast and should be thrown maybe look at SSD and that would likely be one of the biggest boosts to performance.
MAYBE then look at 1600MHz RAM, given it seems to support it and you have 1333MHz in now... 3 x 4GB if it exists? Youd need to look around.

But no point throwing lots of money at it until you know its not going to keep overheating, and worth remembering just how old it is before spending hundreds on it.

 

[AsifSaddique 836]

Do I remove this CPU Cooler? I am waiting delivery of thermal paste but just wanted to open and check it out. I will also check for vids on youtube too

thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Do I remove this CPU Cooler? I am waiting delivery of thermal paste but just wanted to open and check it out. I will also check for vids on youtube too

thanks

You won't be able to access the CPU without removing the cooler.