A user received a gaming PC. In fact, he did not purchase the system but received it from his brother. However, the hardware is quite old, as he will soon find out.
In his thread on reddit, he showed images of the system in several posts. It quickly becomes clear that the hardware is several years old. Inside, there is still an older AMD FX 8320 from 2012, combined with DDR3 RAM and an aging AMD graphics card.
He explains: Actually, this is not his computer, as it belongs to his deceased brother. He just wants to find out what is inside this computer. Many immediately tell him that the hardware is quite old, but he should not throw anything away. Because he can still use the hardware today.
In another comment, he thanks the community for their diligent support and says that he has learned a lot about computers in a very short time:
Thank you all for your kind words, I appreciate it. The [RAM sticks] will not end up in the trash, as I said. They will either find a new home, or I will come up with something nice to do with them.
Moreover, I have learned more about PCs in the last 12 hours than in my entire 34 years on this earth. You are really cool.
Old hardware can still be used effortlessly in 2023
Can you still use old hardware? Yes, absolutely. As long as hardware is functioning, you can use it without any issues in everyday life. Just web browsing, checking and writing emails, or even video streaming can be handled by older hardware without any problems.
Modern graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia can also work effortlessly with an older processor, and most older and somewhat new games will run on them. So, you don’t need to buy a €2000 PC for browser games, like a colleague did.
A user also explains in the comments (via reddit.com):
To everyone saying this is outdated technology: It’s only outdated if you’re playing relatively new games. This kind of parts is excellent for building functional PCs. New builds from old parts still have a place in society. You can build a NAS, a media server, or a small web server (…).
After all, you do not need a graphics card with ray tracing or a high-end processor for emails, pornography, or images.
In many cases, DDR4 memory is better than DDR3, as DDR4 can hold more memory (GB) and achieve faster clock speeds. However, DDR3 RAM relies on lower timings than DDR4 and can still be faster in some cases.
A disadvantage of DDR3 is, by the way, that it is no longer compatible with new motherboards. Moreover, you cannot happily combine DDR3, DDR4, and others on a motherboard, as all types rely on different sockets.
What is not worth it? In rare cases, an upgrade within the old generation is worth it. Replacing an old FX processor from AMD with a similarly old processor or buying faster DDR3 RAM is almost never worth it because for the same budget, you can often buy a better and modern CPU:
- You can get a used AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (1st generation Ryzen) for around €40. For the Ryzen 5 3600 (2nd generation Ryzen), you’ll pay around €70 used. For the much older AMD FX-8350 (AM3+), you’ll pay around €80, which hardly makes sense.
- 8 GB of DDR4 RAM is already available new on Amazon for around €20. 8 GB of DDR3 also costs around €20.
If you want to build a completely new gaming system, we would also recommend going for new technology directly, as this will also be supported longer.
User builds a really good gaming PC for €270 – Can play almost all modern games at 60 FPS
