Upgrading ancient PC on a budget?

[Crayons&Qoo]

Hi guys, haven't been keeping up with new stuff but my really old rig just died and I'm wondering what I should do with everything I have.

AMD Athlon x4 955
Biostar A880G+
1x 4gb Kingston DDR3
3R-V120-V2SE Black
AMA Axe Plus 500W
Sapphire HD5850
Sandisk 120gb SSD (cant rmb model but rly old)

Desktop powers up, but no image displays - mobo graphics died a long time ago so I'm not sure if it's the 5850 or something else that's dead

I guess if possible I'll reuse casing, psu and ssd (not sure if gfx card is dead)

I have a budget of about $600, a friend recommended getting a Ryzen 3 mobo with basic DDR4 ram and a secondhand 750ti.

Any recommendations that fit within the budget would be greatly appreciated!!


edit:

probably getting a basic b350 board with r5-1400, 8gb ddr4 ram and a bit left for a 2nd hand gfx card. Which b350 board should I get though?

 

[Rashkae]

Your PSU may not have the necessary connector (additional 4/8 pin) for motherboard power.

And a PSU that old should be replaced.

 

[Crayons&Qoo]

Your PSU may not have the necessary connector (additional 4/8 pin) for motherboard power.

And a PSU that old should be replaced.

Dug around online and this is what came up
1 x 20 + 4 pins mainboard
1 x 4-pin CPU
5 x 4 pin Molex
1 x 4 pins Floppy
4 x 5 pin S-ATA
1 x 6 pin PCI-E
1 x 6 + 2 pin PCI-E


Friend recommended the following:

r5-1400 + msi b350 mortar $402
kingston ddr4 $95
about $100 for 2nd hand gpu left

I'm not sure about psu tbh, a bit unsure about digging for more $ for a new one :l

 

[Koenig168]

You can try re-seating the GPU and RAM to test if the PC can boot.

Your rig is currently limited by the 4GB of RAM, you need 8GB to run smoothly.

As to how your budget should be used, it would depend on what you use the PC for.

 

[Crayons&Qoo]

You can try re-seating the GPU and RAM to test if the PC can boot.

Your rig is currently limited by the 4GB of RAM, you need 8GB to run smoothly.

As to how your budget should be used, it would depend on what you use the PC for.

tried reseating both, PC powers on but no image thru both HDMI and VGA.

keyboard and mouse plugged in doesn't light up either, but all the fans are powered on and working

I think the gfx card should be okay, might be the mobo spoilt..?

Should I bring the desktop to SLS to check?


PC is basically for light gaming and casual usage for now as I'm not chasing HQ settings

 

[Koenig168]

Without doing some trouble-shooting, it is difficult to tell which is the defective component. You can try Nigel at SLS (there is a thread here). You can also try borrowing a GPU from a friend to test if it is a GPU problem.

Since the parts are quite old, you can consider new CPU+MB+RAM. Intel G4560 rig should be doable, especially if you make use of the Qoo10 discounts.

 

[Crayons&Qoo]

Without doing some trouble-shooting, it is difficult to tell which is the defective component. You can try Nigel at SLS (there is a thread here). You can also try borrowing a GPU from a friend to test if it is a GPU problem.

Since the parts are quite old, you can consider new CPU+MB+RAM. Intel G4560 rig should be doable, especially if you make use of the Qoo10 discounts.

Checked around and I think this is his shop - Sim lim square #02-32
Will head down soon! thanks

can I ask why G4560 over ryzen 5? the Intel rig seems quite alright but i thought the ryzen would probably be more future-proof and better room for upgrades

 

[gld998]

the cheapest option is to replace your motherboard. Yes u can still get them from taobao for around $30

 

[Koenig168]

can I ask why G4560 over ryzen 5? the Intel rig seems quite alright but i thought the ryzen would probably be more future-proof and better room for upgrades

Price. Ryzen 5 is the better CPU but that option will leave you with about $100 for GPU, which might be a bit tight.

 

[Crayons&Qoo]

the cheapest option is to replace your motherboard. Yes u can still get them from taobao for around $30

The processor is ancient though, seems like it won't really last another year or two like this. Gaming and multitasking is a struggle too

Price. Ryzen 5 is the better CPU but that option will leave you with about $100 for GPU, which might be a bit tight.

I guess I don't mind digging around for a bit more cash for the future proofing - found a few gtx750/tis available online that's like <100, seems like a decent option!