Which parts should I upgrade?

[advanced_skill]

I recently built my desktop running Windows 7 x64 with old parts. I feel that some of these parts need to be upgraded, but I do not know which parts I should upgrade first (which have higher priority). Also, I do not know what to upgrade to.

So far, I have four parts worth considering:

AMD Phenom II x4 945
Nvidia GT 620 (MSI)
1 TB hard drive
8 GB (2 x 4GB Gskill 800 MHz)

I do not know exactly what model my hard drive is, but in this case I don't think it matters. Should I upgrade it to an SSD, or should I upgrade other parts first? My entire system slows down sometimes when my hard drive is at full load.

If I should upgrade a part, what should I upgrade it to? I'm not building a gaming rig, but a computer that should handle daily tasks with ease, a computer that is fit to today's standards. Since I easily lose my patience when my system hangs, I want to use a desktop that is fast.

Please also consider the monetary values of these upgrades. I am not willing to spend a lot of money on upgrades. Remember, it is not a gaming rig. I don't want to spend hundreds on upgrades.

 

[juhful]

I would say an SSD would gain you the kind of performance you're looking for to do day to day computing. Depending on the space you require they are getting very affordable.

 

[LabZero]

Without a doubt a SSD where you install the OS to get quick boot time and fast management of the processes and applications. Possibly you can use the traditional HDD as a secondary data disk.

 

[_CyberGhosT_]

Judging by your list there, the HDD would be priority 1
Either a newer bigger HDD or go SSD depending on your tastes.
Then maybe that phenom 2, then the Nvidia card
Then your memory and you already have 8 so you bump that to 12, maybe 16.
I would use Newegg & eBay to keep cost down.
PeAcE

 

[Elpibe]

I upgrade my pc this week so i read a lot to know what was the best to buy (i was low on cash so i had to do a good research). If its not a gamer PC, in my opinion the best choice is to have:

SSD vs HDD: You can search in youtube the speed difference, its a lot. If u see prices you can see that: 3TB HDD and a 250Gb SDD worth almost the same. SDD is expensive but faster and safer (it will last longer) so its your choise.
Processor and Motherboard: If you have an old motherboard and buy all new stuff you can have a problem (is just an advice because you didnt say anything about the motherboard). But a good processor its going to make the difference (intel vs amd, its your choice)
GPU: its a waste of money if you dont use it (it depends in what you do in a daily use PC). You can get a processor with in built GPU like AMD 7850k is 3.7ghz QuadCore 4mb cache (in GPU AMD is better than Intel), so you dont have to get a graphic card.
RAM: 8Gb for a daily use its a lot

 

[Purshu_Pro]

I would recommend a 120 / 256 GB SSD for Windows Installations and a Mechanical 500 GB/1 TB HDD with 7200 RPM with usb 3.0 case for your personal files and media contents, you can work all with that. Good Luck.
Extending Ram is a good choice but even more would be better since there may be future tech stuff you may perform which might require more memory. Also if u use SSD, you can use Ram Disk software to prevent writes to SSD which helps it to last longer and simultaneously use your ram at full potential. Rams dont fail so early.

 

[WalterWolf]

Well since you don't want gaming performance. Just put a SSD in there and you're ready to go. If you will go for gaming performance, upgrade that GPU, CPU is still ok, a bit out of time but will still do.

 

[advanced_skill]

Let's say that I upgrade my SSD. I searched online for budget SSDs and got a whole list of them.

I am planning on copying my system files over to the new SSD (user files stay on my hdd). Any recommendations on good, budget SSDs? I guess the size can be around 120-256 GB.

 

[Ink]

128GB SSD should be sufficient for your installed OS and programs. If you play PC Games (ie. Steam, Origin etc..), you can choose the installation location on your 1TB HDD.

 

[DJ Panda]

1tb is a lot of space even for me and I download GB of games from Steam on a daily basis. I can live with 500gb

 

[_CyberGhosT_]

Any recommendations on good, budget SSDs?

This is a question with endless possabilities,
But Newegg has the best diversity of the ones I have found

 

[WalterWolf]

Let's say that I upgrade my SSD. I searched online for budget SSDs and got a whole list of them.

I am planning on copying my system files over to the new SSD (user files stay on my hdd). Any recommendations on good, budget SSDs? I guess the size can be around 120-256 GB.

Go for Samsung SSD EVO Basic or Pro or Intel Series.

 

[generalwu]

@TS You can consider this, Zotac Premium Edition SSD.

Review: here

Many thanks.

 

[Mineria]

Which brand and version is your motherboard?
You might not get the full speed out of the SSD if it has SATA II.
As for budget SSDs, I got good experience with Samsung Evo 850 and the slower Crucial MX100 (those are re-branded Micron SSDs, HP used them in their Elite towers), there are a lot of other budget disks that are good though.
Note that there are differences in speed between models from a brands same series.
Usually 120/128GB is much slower than it's larger versions, so I would recommend 240GB and up.
You could also opt for a PCI-E SSD, depends if your motherboard supports it properly.
Check Tom's Hardware "Best SSDs of 2016", updated April 16: Best SSDs - Introduction