Windows 10: Hardware upgrade advice required

My PC has ECS - H61H2-M2 motherboard. It has 8GB DDR3 RAM. The processor is i3-2100 @3.10 GHz. The graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 of 2GB capacity. The power supply is 450W. The motherboard, processor, one stick of 4GB DD3 RAM, power supply were bought in 2011 or 2012. The second 4GB stick of RAM was bought in 2017. I am using Windows 10 pro 64 bit.

The CPU cabinet was bought in 2005 or 2006. I do architectural work which involves making 3D models of buildings in SketchUp and still image photorealistic rendering in V-Ray.
I also do photo editing work in Photoshop and use layout and graphics software viz. Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. I do occasional video editing that consists mostly of slide shows and the videos are of 4-5 minute duration in Adobe Premiere.

I am planning to buy a new i7 processor or AMD Ryzen 7. I want to keep 8GB RAM or maybe I will upgrade to 12 GB RAM.

I have the following queries.
1. Which processor should I buy from the following ?
Intel Core i7-7700 Processor 8M Cache, Up To 3.60 GHz 7th Generation which will cost me 24,596 bucks
Amazon.in: Buy Intel Core i7-7700 Processor 8M Cache, Up To 3.60 GHz 7th Generation Online at Low Prices in India | Intel Reviews Ratings

AMD RYZEN 7 SERIES OCTA CORE PROCESSOR 1700 for 25,088 bucks. Not much of a price difference between the two processors
https://www.amazon.in/AMD-RYZEN-OCTA...ywords=ryzen+7

Would I require any additional cooling for AMD Ryzen processor as the amazon web page mentions “WITH WRAITH SPIRE COOLING SOLUTION (AM4 SOCKET)”

2. Should I upgrade my graphics card also? The current graphics card that I have i.e. NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 of 2GB capacity was bought in 2017 only.


3. Should I buy a new power supply? I recently faced a hard disk trouble (WD hard disk bought in 2012) in which the pins of hard drive got blackened out that rendered it useless.

4. A friend of mine is suggesting to buy a new i5 processor or AMD Ryzen equivalent instead and buy a heavier better graphic card.

His point is to invest more money in graphic card in order to get better performance instead of sticking to a low end graphics card and pumping money in a high end processor. Is that true?


I am attaching screenshots of my hardware specs, the photographs of power supply and damaged hard drive.

:)

 

6233: Advice required...

That's why it didn't crash - it was very old and probably relayed on mechanics rather than electronics in order to fly.

Otherwise, you should have done this: Menu - Settings - Connectivity - Bluetooth - Paired devices - Options - Pair new device. The phone would go "Searching for devices", then list the devices. Select "Boeing 737" or whatever plane type you find in the list,
setup a passcode and start controlling the plane with your phone's joystick!

This is, of course, a joke. Use the flight mode, that's why it was implemented. I even patched my SE K750i's software so that it cuts off the GSM communication if I select the "Office" profile (this phone doesn't have a "flight mode" profile by default) so
that I would be able to use it while flying, just like I can use my other phone, the huge disappointment called Nokia 6233.

 

6233: Advice required...

That sucks man.

What is the point?

 

Hi archz2

I don't really think you can do what you are planning, as far as I know. Your current processor fits in an LGA 1155 socket. Neither of the CPU's you listed can be used in that Motherboard.

There are several ways to go about this in terms of a starting point. Start with case size, motherboard or CPU. From there each component has to fit or mate. So if you want an i7-7700 you need a MB with a 1151 socket. Then depending on MB bought you buy matching case and matching memory.

Some people start with case as the are building a home entertainment PC, some start with a MB because of feature set, some start with a specific CPU in mind.

The power supply will play into this eventually , right connectors, enough juice, size. There are calculators out there to help with the actual wattage.

Ken

Edit: Of course this all has to fit a budget. Lots of articles out there about building purpose PC's and different monetary levels.

 

Is the card sufficient for your current workload? What are you planning to do with this machine? If you're not gaming and it's working fine for your 3D modeling then I don't see any reason to upgrade.

I would get a new one. Aside from potential damage, that thing looks ancient so it's efficiency is probably very poor. It also has very low 12V current, which your CPU and graphics cards use.

Is your workload more CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy? What is your budget? That would determine whether you need the extra CPU performance or the extra graphics performance.

Regardless of what CPU you get, you need a new motherboard and RAM. So this is basically going to be a completely new machine, except possibly your case and hard drives.

 

To re-iterate from post #2:

Neither CPU will work with your present motherboard.

Both CPUs will require DDR4 memory. (In principle, the I7-7700 would work with DDR3, but a quick search doesn't find any motherboards that use it and DDR3.)

Your motherboard has a PCI-E X16 3 graphics slot, so it can accept most recent graphics cards. Some software can use the graphics processor to crunch numbers, much faster than the CPU, but I don't know whether any of the software that you list can do that, If not, upgrading the graphics cards will mostly help with 3D games. Some of the more powerful garphics cards require additional PCI-E power connectors. Does your PSU have them? (I'd guess not.)

If you wanted to stay with the same motherboard, it is compatible with an I7-3770 (Ivy Bridge) CPU. You may be disappointed by its price; it's an end-of life CPU (from 2012), which means that it'll be more expensive than a current model.

I agree that you ought to wait and do a total system upgrade. Your hardware is too old to make doing it incrementally a cost-effective path.

 

While running multiple software simultaneously viz Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, I often experience lag and the software getting stuck for like 10-12 seconds. I intend to run all the software and perform all the tasks that I have already listed which are architectural 3d graphics modelling, photo editing and layout design. I do architectural work which involves making 3D models of buildings in SketchUp and still image photorealistic rendering in V-Ray.
I also do photo editing work in Photoshop and use layout and graphics software viz. Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. I do occasional video editing that consists mostly of slide shows and the videos are of 4-5 minute duration in Adobe Premiere. I intend to do this kind of work only in the future. I will never play any game on my desktop. I have a 21.5” inch full HD LED display Dell monitor.

There are lots of currents listed for different voltages in my photograph. Should only the 12V current be checked in order to judge the performance of the power supply unit?

As already described I don’t do any gaming. I don’t know whether the software I have listed are GPU heavy or CPU heavy. I guess since they involve CAD modelling, image editing, so they must be GPU heavy. I am not sure about this. My budget is 40,000 bucks.

Moreover, how can I determine the combination of CPU and GPU that won't result in CPU bottlenecks? This will help me in buying better hardware

 

For modern systems the biggest power consumers - the CPU and GPU - mainly use the 12V rail. So unless you have more than 15 hard drives or something else pulling a lot of power off the 5V line, 12V is generally the most important value to look at. That said, your GT 730 uses so little power (23W) that it doesn't really matter.

For example, a decent modern 450W PSU:

I am unfamiliar with those programs so I'll let others who have more knowledge about them to comment on how GPU-heavy they are.

 

You are looking at brand new system, there's not an actual, worthwhile upgrade path on your system. To start with PSU, don't even attempt to use it for new system !!!!
As for platform and processor, I would suggest Ryzen R7 system, it's newer and has longer perspective than Intel I7 7xxx which is replaced by 8th generation. Cooler that comes with R7 processor is very good, good enough for normal use ad even for some overclocking.

 

According to your CPUz screenshots, your Graphics card is running at X1 with a max of X8 and should be running at X16. You are basically getting very little use out of it right now. Which PCIe slot do you have it in? It should be in the slot closest to the CPU.

 

That should change with graphics load.

 

The max length width won't.

 

I really don't see any way to upgrade what you already have to what you need for the work you're trying to do. Minimum specs would be a hyperthreaded quad core with 32GB of RAM. Going by the ECS ECS > H61H2-M2
and Intel Sites Intel H61 Express Chipset Product Specifications it looks like you're limited to 16GBs ?? The i3 is a dual core hyperthreaded CPU and looking at the compatible chips Intel H61 Express Chipset Product Specifications the i5's aren't multi-threaded and upgrading to a https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7.../dp/B007SZ0EHE is Really Expensive so not worth the cost given the RAM limit.

My advice is to start saving to build a new Rig.

 

Okay. I was just conversing with my friend regarding this upgrade and he said that AMD processors are consume more power than intel ones. Is that true? I also watched a video that said that within the same price, one can get a faster AMD processor than an intel one. It is in Hindi language and the YouTuber gives reliable reviews about gadgets and PCs.

Intel Vs AMD Processors? Which One is better for you? | Comparison - YouTube

However I watched another video which two processors of different brand were compared and AMD gave better performance and consumed lower power than intel.

Here's the link
AMD 1700 vs Intel 7700K - CPU Comparison - YouTube



This left me confused because if I pay more money initially in an intel processor, I would be saving electricity that would be consumed in an AMD processor otherwise over a long period of time.

Moreover, should I stick to my existing graphics card or buy a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti?


I am now seeing these two scenarios

1. An i7 or AMD equivalent with my old graphic card i.e. NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
2. Intel Core i5-8400 BX80684I58400 Processor with GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

Which option from 1 or 2 would be better?

Link for i5 processor = Intel Core i5-8400 BX80684I58400 Processor:Amazon:Computers & Accessories

Link for GeForce GTX 1050 Ti = ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti mini ZT-P10510A-10L 4GB GDDR5 PCI Express Graphics Card Online at Best price in India|Computers Accessories -Amazon.in


Is there a reliable website to compare assembled PC hardware through some score and compare them with price?

Moreover, I'll have to buy a new motherboard. Can you suggest any entry level and mid range good models?



I’m really grateful to you all. I feel really happy and fortunate to have this opportunity to discuss my doubts with you guys. Thank you so much!

 

Someone from this post sent me a personal message. I read it and was composing my reply in Microsoft Word. When I went to the inbox folder, the message disappeared. Please send me again whoever it was.

I only have one PCIe slot in my motherboard. In this slot I've inserted my graphics card.

I am confused. I don't understand what you are saying.