New PC advice

[liner33]

Device Name DESKTOP-BT3EIBR
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz 4.00 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB
Storage 932 GB SSD CT1000MX500SSD1, 1.82 TB HDD ST2000DX001-1NS164, 466 GB SSD Samsung SSD 870 EVO 500GB, 238 GB SSD Samsung SSD 950 PRO 256GB
Graphics Card AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB)
Device ID
Product ID 00325-96179-18038-AAOEM
System Type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

My PC has started to be a bit clonky and I can't upgrade to Win 11 due to the processor

Do I bite the bullet and buy a complete new package or should i just update a few bits

Or perhaps I should just switch a laptop

I have a budget of around 2k if need be and have a decent screen, keyboard etc

I tend to play games much less nowadays but like to watch youtube, play with photos and play music

[dan98]

I can't see any need to upgrade this for your needs, apart from if you have a burning desire to move to W11 and/or get a flashy new PC.

By clean installing W10 iot LTSC and it'll basically run as well as anything you can buy new (assuming the hardware is OK).
You'll get another 7 years out of it at least - just download all the drivers first as it doesn't come with them.

Edited by dan98 on Monday 5th May 14:09

[ARHarh]

What makes you think that PC cant run windows 11? Looks like it would be easily run win 11 to me. I run win 11 on far older and less powerful machine than that.

[bitchstewie]

That should run Windows 11 without breaking a sweat.

[liner33]

I've tried upgrading but it states hardware compatibility issues , i think its due to the motherboard not being TPM 2.0 compatible its a z170x gaming 5 and I think you need a 7 at least

[ARHarh]

Just buy a tpm and plug it in, less than £10.

[liner33]

Didn’t even know that was a thing , many thanks

[Matty_]

Or you can use Rufus to create a bootable Win11 image that bypasses the checks:
https://www.makeuseof.com/rufus-bypass-tpm-secure-...

[nikaiyo2]

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/FU9D3B/A/Ref...

Have you considered going down the Mac route?

£500 leaves £1500 for a pretty epic screen.

[WrekinCrew]

Before spending money on a separate TPM check the BIOS for any settings that mention security / trusted device or similar, and enable it. Most CPUs less than 10 years old or so include TPM 2.0 functionality.

[ARHarh]

I checked out his m/board and it needs a TPM module.

[liner33]

nikaiyo2 said:

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/FU9D3B/A/Ref...

Have you considered going down the Mac route?

£500 leaves £1500 for a pretty epic screen.

We have a Mac laptop but I don’t really get on with it

[jonsp]

ARHarh said:

What makes you think that PC cant run windows 11? Looks like it would be easily run win 11 to me. I run win 11 on far older and less powerful machine than that.

It won't. That's not a function of age/power.

Here's the processor combability list from the horse's mouth.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware...

That said I'd question upgrading. I have 10 and 11 PCs (pro) and get on much better with 10

Edited by jonsp on Tuesday 6th May 10:01

[dan98]

jonsp said:

t won't. That's not a function of age/power.



That said I'd question upgrading. I have 10 and 11 PCs (pro) and get on much better with 10

Edited by jonsp on Tuesday 6th May 10:01

Exactly this.
W11 offers no tangible benefits, with a drop in performance on many systems, including all of mine.
It seems to me the only thing allowing MS to get away with this 'upgrade' scam is a lack of general awareness of all the options available, along with rampant consumerism, ie. desire for new shiny gear.

If it's loss of support you're concerned about there are several options here as discussed previously.

[Solocle]

ARHarh said:

I checked out his m/board and it needs a TPM module.

But a 6th gen i7 won't support Windows 11 upgrades anyhow. Bypassing the checks is necessary.

[WrekinCrew]

ARHarh said:

I checked out his m/board and it needs a TPM module.

Maybe. But my Gigabyte motherboard is similar vintage (2015) and has a TPM socket, but doesn't need one to run Win11. The CPU (7th gen i7) provides the function if enabled in BIOS. I still needed the registry hack for the unsupported CPU.



I'd really like to upgrade to a modern mobo, CPU and DDR5 - I've never run anything this old before - but Win11 and all my software run just fine so it's hard to justify.

[QJumper]

If it's just photos, video and music, then I can't see the point in spending anyting like £2k on a PC.

My media PC is a small shuttle PC that runs windows 10, and cost 2 or 3 hundred. My work/everyday PC is mini PC running windows 11, that I bought from amazon for around £130. The first is about 8 years old, and the second 1-2 years old. My view is that I'd rather do this and upgrade every few years if I need to, than send a couple of grand on something that will be out of date in a couple of years.

Probably better to spend the money on faster, bigger drives, which can either be transfered to a new pc, or used for backups, when you upgrade.

[jonsp]

QJumper said:

If it's just photos, video and music, then I can't see the point in spending anyting like £2k on a PC..

Spot on. The OP seems to be concerned that he can't upgrade to win 11 - which he can't at least in the short term.

My question would be whether he's seen win 11 and thinks it's better - or whether he just wants the latest.

Either way no need to throw £2k at this.