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Thread: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

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    Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Trying to make an old PC semi-decent, it's a pre-built from 2006 and only the graphics card, the power supply, and the hard drive has actually been upgraded so far, the graphics card is an AMD Radeon HD 5450 (a few years old but better than the original that's for sure!) and I'm wondering if the original motherboard (from 2006!) would slow it down significantly and thus need an upgrade.

    Motherboard Manufacturer: Asus
    Motherboard Model: P5BW-LA

    Would that need to be upgraded to see the benefits of that more recent graphics card or no?



    If anyone wants to know the original manufacturer/model to see the CPU (that still hasn't been upgraded) etc. of this pre-built PC, here-

    System Manufacturer - HP Pavilion 061
    System model - RJ170AA-ABU m7635.uk
    Last edited by Colossal; 07-07-2015 at 08:12 AM.

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    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Well if you upgrade the motherboard its effectively a new computer.

    Bit like my old broom. It's over 20 years old, I've replaced the head a few times and the handle in that time...

    So yes, upgrade the motherboard, and the processor, because I doubt you'll find a motherboard for the existing processor, and enjoy a new computer.
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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Okay, what one would you suggest that would make full use of the AMD Radeon HD 5450 graphics card for the cheapest price?
    Last edited by Colossal; 07-07-2015 at 09:09 AM.

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    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Quote Originally Posted by Colossal View Post
    Okay, what one would you suggest that would make full use of the AMD Radeon HD 5450 graphics card for the cheapest price?
    Most modern CPUs come with a built in GPU that's going to give the 5450 a run for its money, so I'd probably just flog it on ebay to help discount the new equipment.

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    The 5450 was an entry level card quite some time ago; it has been overtaken in performance terms by onboard.

    Here is a quick summary
    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming...w-32899-7.html

    You will most probably need ddr3 if you upgrade, the case on your old system may not fit an off the shelf to factor. What do you want to do on your PC?

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    Well if you upgrade the motherboard its effectively a new computer.

    Bit like my old broom. It's over 20 years old, I've replaced the head a few times and the handle in that time...
    but always keeping the same screw!

    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    So yes, upgrade the motherboard, and the processor, because I doubt you'll find a motherboard for the existing processor, and enjoy a new computer.
    I agree with Trigger, you won't get the gains you could get by simply upgrading the mobo, I also think you would be better off at going for a new build as the chances are your PSU won't be strong enough to power much beyond your GPU upgrade as companies like HP don't usually put in PSUs that will do more than power what's included with the PC at the time it leaves the factory.

    Work out what you want to do with your system and how much you can budget for it, then weigh that up against the cost of a new mobo and how long you'd expect your current mobo to last, keeping in mind that your current mobo has no PCIe slots, uses DDR2 RAM and is probably about 8 or 9 years old already.

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    I'm afraid I'll be echoing was has already been said above. Upgrading can quickly become a false economy, and is only of real value in specific situations, such as a GPU upgrade for an otherwise solid system. At the point where you change the motherboard, then the CPU and RAM will usually change along with it. In other words, you're basically looking at a new base system at that point. There are other things to consider too; case design has come a long way in 10 years, and a modern case will likely run cooler, quieter and will be easier work with.

    Personally, I picked up an Intel E8500 for £10 on ebay to make better use of an old socket 775 system that I use as a movie / music (FLAC) box. Worthwhile upgrades can of course be made, but when an 'upgrade' becomes 50% of the base system, then it's usually time to start from scratch. I sold my old gaming PC right down to keyboard, mouse, monitors etc, for £320. That covered a fair old chunk of the cost of my new system for sure.
    Last edited by Quinnbeast; 13-07-2015 at 08:41 PM.

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Quote Originally Posted by Quinnbeast View Post
    Personally, I picked up an Intel E8500 for £10 on ebay to make better use of an old socket 775 system that I use as a movie / music (FLAC) box. Worthwhile upgrades can of course be made, but when an 'upgrade' becomes 50% of the base system, then it's usually time to start from scratch. I sold my old gaming PC right down to keyboard, mouse, monitors etc, for £320. That covered a fair old chunk of the cost of my new system for sure.
    I agree with this, at the point of upgrading your mobo you might aswell get a new system.

    You can probably salvage some stuff from your last computer though (eg: optical drive, storage or the case).

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    There will be a much bigger performance increase with a new system but do salvage what you can and if not for your new system you never know when some extra parts may come in handy.

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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Cheap build suggestion a z97 mobo with G3258. Great for gaming at low cost. Maybe also a nice gpu with it
    Or if you dont mind second hand, look second hand could find something cheaper

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    • Mister's system
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    Re: Is this motherboard slowing me down?

    Depends what your using it for. If it's gaming then there is only so far you can take that board, you might as well upgrade the lot because you will never get close to modern standards.

    If it's just browsing, word processing etc. Just stick a SATA3/USB3 controller and SSD in it. I did this with a 10 year old PC and you wouldn't know it's that old

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