PC Upgrade - Best bang for buck?

Diceicle

Hello Experts,

I have a very standard PC, its a couple of years old and I am unsure as to whether upgrading or buying new is the way to go.

I'm not looking to build a gaming PC but would like something with a bit more power.

Current specs are:

Intel Core i3-2100 Processor (3.10GHz, 3MB)
Memory : 6Gb DDR3 Dual Channel
Integrated 8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Hard Drive : 500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
Graphics : 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450

My understanding is that I can add another 2Gb of memory so thats ok.
But would I be better off getting an SSD or something else in order to gain an overall performance boost?

Thanks for your time and any helpful advice.

Digital Solitude

SSD would give a nice boost, you can get an i7 2600 or 2600k for under 150 that would be a substantial upgrade for you

Xenoronin

It's possible to upgrade it, it isn't the oldest machine we've seen here

You could get a new CPU, upgrade to a i5 2500, i5 2400, i7 2600. Second hand would be your friend here.
6gb RAM is fine if you aren't doing anything heavy. If you are updating the RAM, it might be worth just swapping it all out for some 4gb sticks of the same make and model. (I'm assuming it is just basic DDR3 1333MHz RAM)
A GTX 1050/RX 460 should be a significant boost on the graphics front if you wanted to run the latest titles with a reasonable framerate. (though this is kinda dependent on a CPU bump)
SSD is definitely something to invest in. Boosts any PC.

TerrorFirmer

For casual use like web browsing, movies, music and all that, the i3 is still pretty good but an SSD would make a major difference.

I'd say if you really want to max it out, or if you're someone who does a lot of multi-tasking, an i7-2600 for €100, 120GB SSD for €40 and another 2GB ram for around €10 would be a major upgrade for €150ish and it wouldn't really be too far behind a modern i7 build.

If you're not that heavy a user, I think just an SSD on its own will make a huge difference.

Diceicle

Thanks everyone for the great advice.
I think you've managed to disuade me from shelling out on a new a PC.

Leslie91

I put SSD & Windows10 into my i5 (was running windows7) at the w/e and it's like night and day.

Diceicle

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

For casual use like web browsing, movies, music and all that, the i3 is still pretty good but an SSD would make a major difference.

I'd say if you really want to max it out, or if you're someone who does a lot of multi-tasking, an i7-2600 for €100, 120GB SSD for €40 and another 2GB ram for around €10 would be a major upgrade for €150ish and it wouldn't really be too far behind a modern i7 build.

If you're not that heavy a user, I think just an SSD on its own will make a huge difference.

Thanks for that.
I think I will move forward with your recommendations.
Are there any sites that you would recommend to buy these from?

TerrorFirmer

i7-2600 is €100 from CEX with 2 year warranty, SSD from Amazon with free postage, and another 2GB of ram can be had from either CEX or Adverts