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If you have, say, a 2011-vintage tower, you can do quite a bit to upgrade it: add more RAM (4GB to 12GB or 16GB); add an SSD to replace the HD; add or upgrade t
by scholia 11y ago
If you have, say, a 2011-vintage tower, you can do quite a bit to upgrade it: add more RAM (4GB to 12GB or 16GB); add an SSD to replace the HD; add or upgrade the graphics card; add ports via an expansion card etc.
Each upgrade can make a significant difference, and you don't necessarily waste anything, unless you change the graphics card. (If you go from 4GB to 16GB, you waste 2*2GB sodimms.)
Seems to me this was also true of earlier eras, too, only with smaller numbers.
- agumonkey 11y agoSSD is an odd case, it is the simplest yet most impacting improvement to a computer. Graphic card needs fast buses, if your mainboard gets behind you won't have access to the latest. I remember struggling with this long ago (pci -> agp; pcie 2x -> 4x). It may be less an issue nowadays, so my point was off. ps: It's funny you consider 2011 vintage, my most recent computer being from 2009 and I find it modern :)
- makomk 11y agoI think the PCIe buses in standard PCs have been several generations ahead of what even high-end graphics cards need for a while now, actually.
- agumonkey 11y agoIt was a few years ago, it's possible I was into m-itx and these boards have limited pcie buses too slow for normal 3d graphics.
- vostrocity 11y agoPS: I believe he used the noun usage of 'vintage', referring to a desktop manufactured in 2011.
- scholia 11y agoIt's funny you consider 2011 vintage, my most recent computer being from 2009 and I find it modern Well, that's because I bought my i5-2500K desktop in 2011. I just chucked in a new hard drive and it's about to get another 8GB of RAM ;-) My previous tower lasted 8 years. I'm not a gamer, but that one got a graphics card upgrade as well....