Dell Inspiron 560 - Worth Upgrading?

[Kesha]

Hey! I have a super quick question (hopefully), I had an old computer that I decided to starting using for The Sims 4 only. I ran Malwarebytes & Microsoft Security Essentials to remove anything that is harmful.

I'm not able to have Windows Update check and show recommended updates, I tried steps from http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91738-windows-update-reset.html ,didn't work.

But I tried steps from, http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-...-windows-7-update-stuck-checking-updates.html .

When I restarted the computer, it automatically connect to wifi, which never did on it's own. I had to manually connect it. Now I'm waiting on it to finish checking for Windows Update. I know it's been over 2 years or so since it was used.

My question is, should I invest money in buying a new graphics card and/or any other hardware parts? So I can play The Sims 4 without serve lagging. I seen videos of a Sim running or exercising on a treadmill normal. But my Sim will gallop or skip, I have a feeling it can be I need to have Windows Update the computer. And/or my hardware is too old. (Also, thought about getting a $500 PC from Amazon.)

Forgive me, if I'm not using the correct terminology. I can post any info about the computer, if you tell me how to get it.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Mellon Head]

I'll give you the quick answer. It's not worth it.

For a couple of reasons:

1. It's a Dell. You're locked into the sort of hardware you can put into it. The means probably not being able to change CPUs to get a faster one. If you can find an old CPU that will fit the motherboard.
2. A graphics card upgrade of any decent quality would likely require a new power supply. You are not likely to be able to get one that A) fits in the Dell chassis, and B) is electrically compatible without a lot of rewiring which is difficult for anyone but an experienced tech/user.

Your best bet is a new PC. You can buy the components yourself and build it for not too much money, or you can buy a new one off the shelf. Realize that a new, off the shelf computer locks you into the same sort of hardware situation that you are in with the Dell. Also, most OEM manufacturers put crap power supplies into their off the shelf rigs. This means that a powerful graphics card is a difficult, if not impossible upgrade.

My advice is to limp along with what you have and save about $600 to $800 and build a new PC with the components that you want in it. You can build a pretty good PC for that money or even less. When it comes time, we can help you pick the parts.

 

[Kesha]

That Makes Sense

Thank you, for replying back to me and explaining I should keep it or build a PC myself. I don't know anything about building a PC. Is there a video or article that can help with getting the parts I need?


Thanks again!

 

[Mellon Head]

Advice here is always free, and we're happy to help you choose some parts for a new PC. We just need to know a couple of things:

1. What you plan to do with the PC, particularly if you are gaming.
2. Which games you would like to play, if any.
3. Your budget, and what is your local currency.

If we have all of that we can probably find you some good components that you can select from.

Here are a few videos to get you started thinking about building, and what you need:

 

[Kesha]

Building a gaming PC

Awesome! Thank you! I truly appreciate your help! And thank you for the videos!!!!




1. What you plan to do with the PC, particularly if you are gaming.

To be honest, I'll just play The Sims 4. Maybe record a few videos of The Sims 4. I may start back playing The Sims 3. Stream YouTube videos, Netflix, and have iTunes music. I have 2 Dells; 1 with all The Sims 4 but there's about 100gb of hard drive available. The other Dell that I start using and put The Sims 4 and it's lagging. That has over 459gb of hard drive available. The gaming PC, I would use it everyday to search the web, play The Sims, listen to music & watch movies/videos.



2. Which games you would like to play, if any.

I doubt I play any other games beside The Sims. I have an Xbox One that I play videos games on. I wouldn't be a hardcore gamer on the PC, I would like to play The Sims 2, 3, and 4 without any lagging.



3. Your budget, and what is your local currency.

It would say, it would be around $500. My currency is US Dollars; USD.



Thanks again!

 

[Mellon Head]

Kesha,

I'll do a little research and get back to you on this very soon.

 

[Megahertz07]

I agree with Mellon Head. Don't put money on an old computer.
But...as you already have the old computer, launch factory restore, (to clean all garbage) install SP2, and as you're not going to use to download suspicious programs, don't install a anti virus, just a good firewall. (Well, I never had a virus on my computer, but with broad band, I have more than 2 attempts to invade my computer, every day.)
Then give a try with the The Sims 4.

 

[Kesha]

Thank you Mellon Head. Thank you Megahertz07! Well.. Lol. I do use Mods for the Sims 4 which are on some suspicious websites. But I have thought about doing a factory restore. I wasn't sure, if I mess something up then the hard drive doesn't show the same free space/storage, like it does now. I hope I'm explaining it right.

 

[Megahertz07]

I'm not a gamer, so don't know what Mods are.
What I know is that antivirus can use a lot of resources (memory, CPU, etc) that on an old machine makes a big difference, specially if you're gaming.
To launch factory restore, normally you can do it by BIOS or by Dell software under Windows.

 

[Mellon Head]

Kesha,

I did some looking around, and I did find out that your PC can take a quad core CPU, specifically the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650. They are available on eBay for not a lot of money. I don't know what you have in your PC at the moment for a processor, but a quad would definitely help the performance. Especially if you currently have a Celeron or Pentium CPU right now. The Core 2 Quad Q9650 is a major speed increase over the Celeron and Pentium chips.

They are available on here:

Access Denied

It's certainly cheaper than building a new PC, and you won't have to buy a new copy of Windows.

(I don't know why it says "Access Denied" but it's a valid eBay link. Must be some forum weirdness.)

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
I got a 9550 on amazon
Amazon I believe is easier to deal with just make sure you get the replacement policy I went through 2 before I found a good one from a different vender than the first vender that sent 2 bad ones
Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Processor 3.0 GHz 12 MB Cache Socket LGA775

 

[Mellon Head]

Ah, an even better idea than I had. I'd much rather buy from Amazon than eBay.

The price is better too. When I looked at Amazon, the price was $469 CDN, which is pretty steep. Granted, the CPU was brand new, but jeez...

 

[Kesha]

Megahertz07 - Ah, sorry! The mods for the Sims adjusts what EA/Maxis "doesn't" allow you to do when playing the game. When you get some mods, they can be on a website that will take you to another website, where you can download them. But you can download the file immediately or might have to wait for 5 secs then the file to download the mod will show up. Most of the time, you'll get a pop up or an ad that won't let you "leave page" or close it.

Mellon Head - Awesome, thank you so much! Yeah, I can do that. I attached of photo of the processor I have.. I think I have... If I didn't, I'm sorry. But if you tell where to find it, I can let ya know! Thank you for looking!!




Thanks again guys!

 

[Kesha]

Ah ok! Thank you ThrashZone! I'll take a look at that too!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Just to show a bad and good cpu or what I said was bad is here
The left core temps were so different it was weird to me
The good one on the right shows only a 4c temp difference which is the one I finally kept
All 3 9550's worked but only the last was in my mind normal or should be normal
Download Real Temp 3.70 | techPowerUp