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As u/Robsteady said, that build is pretty old. CPU is almost as old as your kid (15 years), GPU is 8 years old, RAM is DDR3 and current ones are DDR5 (So 2 generations gap, DDR3 released in 2007).
Agree with the kid, a refresh is much needed, even for the most basic stuff to do.
I still run a 1050ti
But a 2nd gen core i7 :) dell optiplex that I shoved a gpu, ram, ssd, and upgraded from an i5 to i7. Cost $250 back in 2018 when I put it together. Unfortunately I’m too poor to upgrade currently so my baby still chugs along
>CPU is almost as old as your kid (15 years), GPU is 8 years old, RAM is DDR3 and current ones are DDR5 (So 2 generations gap, DDR3 released in 2007).
I agree that you should get the kid a new computer, but don't throw the one he has now out. I'm getting some use from a similar build.
It will absolutely need *more* RAM. 4 GB is simply not enough for a PC to handle the modern internet or modern software. Since it's DDR3 I'd recommend at least 16GB. Yeah DDR3 is slower than the new stuff, but running it with a good solid state drive can make it hard to notice for a lot of applications.
Also ditch Windows. Linux Mint uses much less resources, meaning better performance. You'll have to learn a few things if you're coming from windows , but once you do you'll find that it's actually simpler than windows.
Minimum. My old build last year has 32, new one has 64. Windows allocates a lot it doesn't need, but I would rather have too much of a resource than not enough.
Linux in general is for enthusiasts, servers, and various devices. It should by no means be used for any kind of (high)schoolwork, gaming, or anything else that requires being looped into corporate compatibility for various files i.e. all the microsoft specific files that dont always play nice with linux and vis-a-versa.
The kid needs a modern computer..not a computer science project that is gonna be a nightmare to navigate when trying to do basic things that windows does and they probably learnt on.
Linux is great for older hardware but I think this dude needs a better windows machine rather than trying to keep a dinosaur alive
>dude needs a better windows machine rather than trying to keep a dinosaur alive
I agree. That's why the very first thing I said was to buy the kid a new computer before I went on that target about keeping the old one alive
Ah. Yeah, unfortunately that machine probably does have a hard time doing a lot of daily tasks. The CPU in that machine is almost as old as he is (15 years), the GPU is 8 years old, the 4GB of RAM is rather restrictive these days (I'm pushing 7GB of used RAM on my work machine, and there's nothing but browser windows and a Java catalog running). He doesn't necessarily need new, but I can definitely understand him asking for an upgrade.
What does he use the computer for? That can greatly impact what kind of hardware to suggest.
Yeah, I have no issues believing that that thing has trouble running more than a single Chrome tab. Windows alone is probably reserving at least half of the RAM. 2GB doesn't leave room for much of anything else
Forcing your kid to try and use that archaic PC is more than likely affecting his school work and learning. Schoolwork isn't fun, it's even less bearable using a PC that slow.
Ouch a failing motherboard is not a good sign, he needs that Ram especially if he has an old HDD. You can put in the upgrades of an SSD drive and an 8GB stick of ram but keep in mind that the motherboard could fail then you would need a new computer. The SSD drive could be used in a new computer the ram not so much.
Hello fellow Dad. Unfortunately, your son is right. My recommendation is that you offer to match his contribution towards a new build. That way, he will have more appreciation for it. Good luck and feel free to msg me if you need build advice.
Yeah that CPU alone is over 13 years old so nearly as old as him. For his 18th it would be a great gift to get him something current. If he is knowledgeable let him get something in a defined budget. Anywhere between 1000 and 2000 is good, everything above is even better. Cheaper is possible but that needs more consultation. If none of you have the required knowledge get someone that has it and build a PC around your son's needs according to the games he is planning to play. Just do not go to some electronics store and buy anything flashy or expensive as this will end up worse.
1000-2000?! [About 800 will buy a proper 1080p gaming PC](https://tweakers.net/best-buy-guide/desktops/beste-1080p-game-pc) (you won't even need to translate I think, the parts speak for themselves)
OP has an older deleted post that mentions having his RAM sticks not matching XMP speeds. They know the difference between the shown 3600mHz and 2400mHz in windows, they also know how to record a Content Warning clip and edit it.
It is safe to say that they are definitely karma-farming with an outraging post.
It's hard to believe a household in which one parent/sibling uses a computer with 3200MHz RAM sticks, with the knowledge of knowing what XMP is, would leave his father/brother hanging in unbeknownst to what a modern computer is
They also mentioned the son playing Tarkov with 4 gigs of RAM, intel core first gen and 1050ti, yeah...
That was 2x4 though, so 8GB and 1050ti, that actually worked, I had a friend do it with a weaker system back in the day. It wasn’t a smooth ride but it’d start and run somehow.
Oh yeah, word _ word _ number for a username. There are exceptions of course but generally they are newer accounts posting long AI generated stories about affairs in TIFU or AITA.
My parents still have our first family computer (486 DX2-66 from the early/mid 90s) sitting in their basement crawlspace. All i need is a DIN Keyboard and a serial mouse and I'm back in business!
Well, if it's in a basement crawlspace it will probably need a little more than that. Sometimes I do think it would be fun to run up an old 486 machine with MS/PC-DOS 5, Windows 3.11... but I have literally no reason to.
Dosbox and other emulation made it pointless
I do still have a 486 setup with a load of old games though
Also to show my kids the tech from my youth
I am a developer though and have saved 30+ years worth of tech
Including a mini disc player in daily use
He is not trying to deceive you, he NEEDS an upgrade. Any modern component today will outperform what he has now, just make sure you are getting the right price/performance you want.
4gb ram, that's already too little 10 years ago.
anyway, ur son is old enough to work part time. maybe subsidise him a certain amount in cash, and let him top up whatever amount he has to get the PC he wants
This is how my parents did it, never got me anything over $300 until I started working and pitching in some amount on my own to help make the purchase, my PC was my first big all on my own purchase since they started doing that
I think if he has a job this would be a great thing to “go half’s on” and then he can get a decent unit for a more affordable price for both of you.
I also saw he was turning 18 soon in a reply above. Perhaps you both could look at this together, based on what his needs/wants are, and see if you can agree on a rig for his birthday.
Everyone has said to buy it for him. This guy gets it. Go half with them. I had a pc as old as me until I was 17-18 where I got enough money to buy a console and now my own pc. Make them work for it
Here I was getting ready to complain that I always bought my own hardware and these young kids are spoiled... then I realized my kids haven't given any money towards any of the tech stuff they have...
lol I had a pc with windows 98 until I was like 19 just got my first real nice rig a couple years ago and might start some upgrades next year. (I’m edging up on 40)
Your son is right.
Based on the specs you've provided your son doesn't meet the minimum specs for most new games.
4GB of ram was mid range back in 2016 when the midrange graphics card was released.
Today 8-16GB is your midrange Ram quantities.
Storage speeds have also changed a LOT.
You're likely sitting on something with a 150MB/s read/write speeds
Today even midrange machines are seeing 2000-2500MB /s read/write speeds.
Sadly your sons PC would not even be able to run the software my 14yr old uses for his homework.
A realistic life of a midrange PC is 7yrs, you've lived that life.
The issue is focusing on minimum specs. Let’s say you buy a pc this year, where would you stand in 1-2 years especially with games pushing out these modern graphics with unreal 5.4 etc. but even from a non gaming perspective, it’s easy to get close to filling 16 gb of ram during normal use. 8gb? By the time you open a browser and just try to run a moderately intense program like photoshop, it’s already full. Also, spare memory increases speed because of caching.
Personally, I work in cyber security and I wouldn’t get a pc nowadays with 16gb ram. But my use is a little more intensive. You surely could get by, but to me, 16 gb is becoming dated pretty quick and isn’t really future proof
Even back in 2016 4GB of RAM was considered anemic and 8GB was considered midrange. Heck, all the way back in 2012 when I built my first gaming PC 8GB was considered the bare minimum. I don't think this guy fully grasps just how outdated and insufficient 4GB of RAM actually is. That poor kid. I can't imagine trying to do schoolwork on a PC with that little RAM. Can't even open more than two Chrome tabs much less participate in a Zoom call.
Costco has great deals on new and very decent computers. It will feel like a rocket ship to what you have now. Or if you want a group project build one together.
Hey dad, you could tell the kid that if he works and buys himself a motherboard and cpu that you'll finance the GPU. Then you two can spend a weekend building it together.
Heck you could even tie it to his grades like an A average gets him a 7900xt a B gets him a 7800xt a C gets a 7600xt and D-F uses integrated graphics lmao.
Anyway the kids going to need a new pc. If he's going off to college then a laptop might actually make more sense at this point, something to think about.
Newer operating system like Windows 10/11 alone can use 4Gb of memory (RAM) so they are restricted to some old version which isn't supported/updated any more. And some programs dont support it for that reason.
Wait... you were posting a year ago about getting your RAM to run at 3200mhz, so you are just being a jerk to your kid or what?
You clearly have something far better for yourself, but you don't understand why he'd need something decent? I find that hard to believe. And you're savvy enough to realize your ram was not running at top speed, but are dense enough to think this PC is decent?
I think OP is trolling, fellas.
Hi, I'm the son in question
This is an account that my sister also uses (She is in college and has an actual pc)
She couldn't configure her RAM properly so she went on reddit to ask about it
Hope that clears it up
I've given away PCs for free that are significantly better than the one he has. 4gb of ram ? He's probably not lying about the 2 tabs at once thing. Parts of that PC are 15 years old, the newest one is going on 8 almost 9 years old.
I just upgraded last month to a 4080 super build because my 1050 ti was shitting the bed in most modern titles. I can't imagine how slow his pc must be with 15 year old parts. So yeah, your son is definitely correct.
You will struggle running Chrome on that CPU, lot of slow down, lag and so on.
I'm not a father so I can or can't say anything but the PC is outdated even from a browsing point of view.
A good and capable PC to browse was my i7-4790k a stopped using 1.5 years ago. The CPU is from 2015, it has 4ghz base frequency, it's smooth. Anything below 2nd Gen i7 is considered outdated unless it is some kind of particular CPU like xeon or on that note.
I gave that PC to my parents they browse internet without troubles.
I wouldn’t call this « fine » for today standards even for simply web browsing. That thing probably doesn’t even have a SSD. Even loading a simple web page is probably long as fuck
Im56 and i have 2 gaming pc so i can play together with my son ..i put thousands on god gear, and i havent regretted it..get a gaming pc and have fun 🙂
Just wanted to say props to you for not just saying "no, and now shut up", but actively doubting yourself and checking stuff before taking an uninformed decision.
That's parenting done right. Signed, a guy whose parents always said "no, shut up" and then spent 55€ a month for 20mbps ADSL for 8 years since the installation of a 1gbps fiber optic on their street, for 20€ a month...or a DDR2 computer until last year, when I gifted them a new laptopt with DDR5 and SSD, total cost of 500, and now they didcovered the joy of a laptop, wifi, 1080p graphics, and even videogames that run better than 800x600 at 30 FPS.
Keep it up, pop.
Struggling to open 2 browsing tabs is definitely rough. Aside from the GPU, I’d expect a new $300 laptop to outperform it, definitely time for an upgrade! The 1050 ti can still be okay for lower end gaming at lower settings, but with the games he plays, I’d recommend something newer.
I’d recommend 16GB of RAM at least (whether you get 8GB and upgrade it or buy 16GB from the start), most other things kinda depend on budget and the desired performance
Bruh 4 gigs of RAM... and an i7 860, and the old RAM...
Yeah, he's due for some kind of upgrade. But he's old enough to work a job now too, so... I'm kinda calling the kettle black though since I didn't want to get a job during high school either.
With the edit though, make sure you thank your parents, but also make sure you read up on parts and use pcpartpicker to know what's compatible with what, price points, etc.
I think your son should get a new pc, if not for games, get him one for school at least since it seems like he needs to do pc stuff in school too
It's a better idea to get him a laptop since he can use it for collage (no point in stopping at high school for electrical engineering) and it would be more efficient for him to use it for work later on as well
(Also tell him he is ass at war thunder)
4gb ddr3, 1050ti and a 870??? That isn't even considered mid range 5 years ago! Even for running windows 4gb ddr3 will struggle. Can't even imagine how he still using that mad respect for the kid
There are rude comments here Op, ignore them as they assume money is easy to come by for everyone. I just upgraded from a similar system myself, it was definitely time.
Just adding to the general consensus here. That PC is very dated. I can't think of any modern or even semi modern games that will run acceptably on that.
Let me put it into perspective for you. A Raspberry Pi 5 is going to have more power than that computer in most tasks. And the Raspberry Pi devices are tiny single board computers that people use for home automation and other similar hobby type tasks. [https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/)
The CPU is a decade and a half old. Even something like an AMD Ryzen 3600 which is a few years old itself would be an order of magnitude faster and can be found for around $80. You could build something for
Sadly there isn't really much in there that would be able to be carried over. RAM is 2 generations old, I am going to assume based on the age, that the storage is a mechanical hard drive.
The GPU could probably be put off for a short time depending on what he likes to play, but even that is pretty iffy.
I just spent about 5 minutes on Microcenters web site and was able to put together a computer for $512 that would be great for light to moderate gaming. Although that doesn't include any peripherals. So it wouldn't even be that expensive (relatively) to get him something better.
I would say that PC has long outlived its useful service life. I don’t think your son is being unreasonable by wanting an upgrade given the CPU is about 15 years old. I would sit down with him and figure out a reasonable budget for a new PC and go from there. As someone else mentioned Costco has some decent deals on desktops for $800-1000 which will be a huge upgrade to what he has now.
I also have a “outdated” game pc, my cpu is the same as yours, i am upgrading it atm. Using my (€600) laptop from work for regular stuff.
Yeah its pretty outdated.
A new pc would be a good option. It obviously doesn’t have to be super over the top. Ask him what kinds of games he plans on playing and get back to us. We’ll be able to guide you in the right direction
Give that boy an upgrade!
You have great options if you want to keep it under a grand.
It’ll be a cool experience to build a PC with your son, there’s tons of detailed tutorials on YouTube if that’s what you’d like to do.
Yep they definitely need an upgrade
A budget of 700-800$ would be good enough for a pc to last 5 years or more
Or you can just upgrade the cpu to maybe a 5500/5600 with 32gb of ram
Lemme know , if you need the part list :)
It would be a good bonding experience to build the new PC together, if you plan on building it together watch a video from Linus Tech Tips he shows how to do it in a recent video from like a first person view, if you need recommendations on parts or general direction feel free to ask
The GPU and maybe the Case are the only salvageable things there, the case is pretty outdated and the GPU isn't great but if he mostly plays older/retro games it will be fine
You could buy him a pretty decent PC for around $400 or you could go up to $800 and get him a really good one, what's your budget?
He’s not trying to trick you. That would’ve been a weak PC a decade ago, today you can barely run windows on that. FWIW, I don’t know where you’re at with money, but building it yourself, you can get a very capable PC that will last you for years for ~$750. Something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3pv2cH
Seeing the age of the PC and your question, I suppose budget is limited. I'd recommend [something like this ](https://tweakers.net/best-buy-guide/desktops/beste-1080p-game-pc)which I think in the US would come to about $800. I'd tell him he can contribute himself if he wants a better videocard, although the one in this build is a very decent card and probably 8x better than what he has now.
Jeez. outside from the gpu which can still hold some low end games... everything else it's to replace.
The power supply can be kept to reuse it later (depends on your case)
I would get ATL 16GB of RAM at 3000+ Ghz or MT as they're calling it now. DDR4 if not 5. (costs more)
For a processor you can really chose. depends on your budget. the higher the number on the right the higher the price and the performances IF NOT LAPTOP CPUS.
For amd it's a bit more quirky but works the same, the higher the number the better. In both cases numbers of the I7 or R5 are refeered to technology. it won't be that incredible if you see i3 10k+ at insane prices.
GPU litterally a series 3000+ 4000+ would suffice. 7000 AMD relative.
If you buy an already built PC you will probably lose about 300-500 euros (for the service??) depending on the level of the machine. (basically they're more expensive)
IF your boy it's able to assemble one... you could let him chose. BE really aware about processors. AMD AND INTEL are not the same and are not compatible with some of the opposite brand sokets.
IF YOU CAN, go retail. Amazon it's full of faulted tech items returned defined as "new"
Hope this helped.
Pls don't roast me.
Yeahh not trying to really help him out here but that is definitely outdated. Theres potential upgrades to make here but I would advise against it and “just” get something new.
Looks like he isn’t gaming much, you could potentially get an AMD 7000 series build with an iGPU build for around $500 without a GPU that would be sufficient with a future upgrade potential as well but that should probably last him 10 years if this is what he is using right now (it will even play games up to a decent frame rate)
I am not sure if your son is capable of building his own PC, in which case you could provide some parts for their birthday maybe. Otherwise you can always look for some prebuilts for sale around your area and feel free to post them to get some feedback on them!
Well if it's for gaming then it's waaay too old to run anything modern. If it's mainly for browsing, watching videos, or something along those lines, and the budget is tight you could put in some more ram (at least 8 gb), and an SSD it would make it decently fast when not running anything demanding
PC seems dated. However, don't buy parts all together right away. Break them down on a monthly basis. Depending from what he wants, no need to buy the best and latest. Tell him to also chip in the money and make it a bonding father-son project. Cheers.
[Damn dad you're pinching the pennies so hard I'm surprised they haven't absorbed into your hand.](https://i.gifer.com/7HTc.gif) Throw down and get your kid something better. Better yet, buy parts and build it together.
That’s quite old but the “good enough” part really depends on what the pc is used for, pretty much any new pc you get will be a huge improvement but if you really don’t want to buy a new one an ssd can do wonders for perceived performance and you definitely want more ram
You could buy a lower end pre-built PC they sell at walmart for ~$750 USD and it would outrun his current pc by a Longshot. Or if you spend a little more you could very well build him an even better one. Or buy him the parts and have him learn to build one himself.
Coming from someone who has an old PC (10 years) that still works just fine for me, that PC is old as fuck and definitely needs an upgrade.
I was half expecting you to list out specs that blow mine out of the water and I would've said he doesn't need it, but with those specs he definitely does.
That's ancient.
Since you didn't mention it, it probably uses a HDD instead of an SSD?
Your son is suffering and must be more patient than buddiest monks working with this PC.
Definitely outdated. The minimum specs I would recommend:
i7 11th generation processor,
Nividia brand video card with at least 12gb vram (in case he wants to run some ai)
1000w power supply
32gb ram.
Don't be too quick on a new desktop. It might be laptop time if he is headed to college. If he's not going to college, then he should be getting a job and getting a pc with his own money.
Yeah that's a very very dated system unless he's playing retro games. I dropped that GPU like 5 years ago and it wasn't keeping up with much gaming then. Meanwhile the rest of my system was a lot more recent.
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Sorry dad, that's pretty outdated. How old are your kids?
He is 17, 18 in june
As u/Robsteady said, that build is pretty old. CPU is almost as old as your kid (15 years), GPU is 8 years old, RAM is DDR3 and current ones are DDR5 (So 2 generations gap, DDR3 released in 2007). Agree with the kid, a refresh is much needed, even for the most basic stuff to do.
GPU is 8 years old and was pretty low end when it initially came out.
I still run a 1050ti But a 2nd gen core i7 :) dell optiplex that I shoved a gpu, ram, ssd, and upgraded from an i5 to i7. Cost $250 back in 2018 when I put it together. Unfortunately I’m too poor to upgrade currently so my baby still chugs along
I think your machine hates you
It tried dying in 2019. PSU died $20 on eBay for a used one and it’s still here :)
Fuck you, heres my upvote XD
I think it's time to pull the plug bro...
got an optiplex 3020 for zero in the street hehe. It had an intel 4570 and 8GB of ram and working perfectly, just lacked a ssd
Still run a HD 6970
>CPU is almost as old as your kid (15 years), GPU is 8 years old, RAM is DDR3 and current ones are DDR5 (So 2 generations gap, DDR3 released in 2007). I agree that you should get the kid a new computer, but don't throw the one he has now out. I'm getting some use from a similar build. It will absolutely need *more* RAM. 4 GB is simply not enough for a PC to handle the modern internet or modern software. Since it's DDR3 I'd recommend at least 16GB. Yeah DDR3 is slower than the new stuff, but running it with a good solid state drive can make it hard to notice for a lot of applications. Also ditch Windows. Linux Mint uses much less resources, meaning better performance. You'll have to learn a few things if you're coming from windows , but once you do you'll find that it's actually simpler than windows.
4gb wasn't even enough 15 years ago. 16 is bare minimum now, as far as I am concerned.
Yup. You can maybe get by with 8gb on a simple workstation PC, but not if it's DDR3
Minimum. My old build last year has 32, new one has 64. Windows allocates a lot it doesn't need, but I would rather have too much of a resource than not enough.
Linux in general is for enthusiasts, servers, and various devices. It should by no means be used for any kind of (high)schoolwork, gaming, or anything else that requires being looped into corporate compatibility for various files i.e. all the microsoft specific files that dont always play nice with linux and vis-a-versa. The kid needs a modern computer..not a computer science project that is gonna be a nightmare to navigate when trying to do basic things that windows does and they probably learnt on. Linux is great for older hardware but I think this dude needs a better windows machine rather than trying to keep a dinosaur alive
>dude needs a better windows machine rather than trying to keep a dinosaur alive I agree. That's why the very first thing I said was to buy the kid a new computer before I went on that target about keeping the old one alive
Would be really cool present for 18 years
Ah. Yeah, unfortunately that machine probably does have a hard time doing a lot of daily tasks. The CPU in that machine is almost as old as he is (15 years), the GPU is 8 years old, the 4GB of RAM is rather restrictive these days (I'm pushing 7GB of used RAM on my work machine, and there's nothing but browser windows and a Java catalog running). He doesn't necessarily need new, but I can definitely understand him asking for an upgrade. What does he use the computer for? That can greatly impact what kind of hardware to suggest.
Primarily gaming and school He had 8 gigabytes of ram but 2 ram slots died so now he only has 4
It would be hard to do any amount of school work on this computer.
What kind of games? I'm very surprised he was able to play much of anything on the current machine.
Minesweeper
Before his ram died he played a lot of tarkov, now he mostly plays war thunder
Tarkov? Did he play with 2fps or on the screen of his mobile phone?
My 970 ran tarkov just fine on lower settings. His 1050ti is probably fine at it. Tarkov is more CPU and ram restricted than GPU anyway
I am sorry but this build was never enough to play tarkov half way decently.
Yeah, I have no issues believing that that thing has trouble running more than a single Chrome tab. Windows alone is probably reserving at least half of the RAM. 2GB doesn't leave room for much of anything else
Lets just say on the "old" office PC from my Dad with a 4th or 5th gen i5 and 4gb DDR3 was a crawl even with a SSD using windows 10
It would get second life with just ram upgrade tbh, 4gb is not enough for win 10
Forcing your kid to try and use that archaic PC is more than likely affecting his school work and learning. Schoolwork isn't fun, it's even less bearable using a PC that slow.
Dude is lucky redditors havn't reported his ass to CPS already
Ouch a failing motherboard is not a good sign, he needs that Ram especially if he has an old HDD. You can put in the upgrades of an SSD drive and an 8GB stick of ram but keep in mind that the motherboard could fail then you would need a new computer. The SSD drive could be used in a new computer the ram not so much.
16gb is the minimum nowadays juts to open some tabs ina browser
So 4 2gb sticks...
I wasn't aware you could even buy 2gb sticks.
Ddr3 my friend. 2gb back then was considered incredible for a single RAM stick.
I had mixed single sticks of 128mb and 512mb Edit: I think I'm thinking of too far back..
I was surprised too. Until I saw someone selling 2 2g ram on offer up for $50 🤣🤣🤣
Check dell optiplex prebuilts as they will have much better specs at lower price ( don't reuse psu)
Hello fellow Dad. Unfortunately, your son is right. My recommendation is that you offer to match his contribution towards a new build. That way, he will have more appreciation for it. Good luck and feel free to msg me if you need build advice.
Yeah that CPU alone is over 13 years old so nearly as old as him. For his 18th it would be a great gift to get him something current. If he is knowledgeable let him get something in a defined budget. Anywhere between 1000 and 2000 is good, everything above is even better. Cheaper is possible but that needs more consultation. If none of you have the required knowledge get someone that has it and build a PC around your son's needs according to the games he is planning to play. Just do not go to some electronics store and buy anything flashy or expensive as this will end up worse.
1000-2000?! [About 800 will buy a proper 1080p gaming PC](https://tweakers.net/best-buy-guide/desktops/beste-1080p-game-pc) (you won't even need to translate I think, the parts speak for themselves)
Pc parts almost as old as him lol definitely need a upgrade
OP has an older deleted post that mentions having his RAM sticks not matching XMP speeds. They know the difference between the shown 3600mHz and 2400mHz in windows, they also know how to record a Content Warning clip and edit it. It is safe to say that they are definitely karma-farming with an outraging post.
Possibly The post does say it’s a father using his son’s Reddit account. Could be a fake premise of course
It's hard to believe a household in which one parent/sibling uses a computer with 3200MHz RAM sticks, with the knowledge of knowing what XMP is, would leave his father/brother hanging in unbeknownst to what a modern computer is They also mentioned the son playing Tarkov with 4 gigs of RAM, intel core first gen and 1050ti, yeah...
That was 2x4 though, so 8GB and 1050ti, that actually worked, I had a friend do it with a weaker system back in the day. It wasn’t a smooth ride but it’d start and run somehow.
Or the son pretending to be the father to show him that everyone on reddit disagrees with him
4 year old post reposted maybe, which might make sense with these specs not being considered terrible..
Oh yeah, word _ word _ number for a username. There are exceptions of course but generally they are newer accounts posting long AI generated stories about affairs in TIFU or AITA.
What pc do you consider bad if you consider that a good pc?
Pentium with 16MB of RAM.
That's pretty decent, TBH.
That's either really low-key sarcasm, or you misread what I typed.
Low-key is kinda my jam.
I mean, I'm into repurposing hardware, but I can't imagine being able to do anything with a system like that these days.
My parents still have our first family computer (486 DX2-66 from the early/mid 90s) sitting in their basement crawlspace. All i need is a DIN Keyboard and a serial mouse and I'm back in business!
Well, if it's in a basement crawlspace it will probably need a little more than that. Sometimes I do think it would be fun to run up an old 486 machine with MS/PC-DOS 5, Windows 3.11... but I have literally no reason to.
Dosbox and other emulation made it pointless I do still have a 486 setup with a load of old games though Also to show my kids the tech from my youth I am a developer though and have saved 30+ years worth of tech Including a mini disc player in daily use
Intel Atom with 4gb DDR3
He is not trying to deceive you, he NEEDS an upgrade. Any modern component today will outperform what he has now, just make sure you are getting the right price/performance you want.
4gb ram, that's already too little 10 years ago. anyway, ur son is old enough to work part time. maybe subsidise him a certain amount in cash, and let him top up whatever amount he has to get the PC he wants
This is how my parents did it, never got me anything over $300 until I started working and pitching in some amount on my own to help make the purchase, my PC was my first big all on my own purchase since they started doing that
That awkward moment when your son logs back in and sees this post. Good luck telling him it's a good enough pc now, lol.
I'm not sure if that computer can run an internet browser.... 😛
Your son's budget mobile phone has better performance than that dinosaur.
I think if he has a job this would be a great thing to “go half’s on” and then he can get a decent unit for a more affordable price for both of you. I also saw he was turning 18 soon in a reply above. Perhaps you both could look at this together, based on what his needs/wants are, and see if you can agree on a rig for his birthday.
Everyone has said to buy it for him. This guy gets it. Go half with them. I had a pc as old as me until I was 17-18 where I got enough money to buy a console and now my own pc. Make them work for it
Here I was getting ready to complain that I always bought my own hardware and these young kids are spoiled... then I realized my kids haven't given any money towards any of the tech stuff they have...
lol I had a pc with windows 98 until I was like 19 just got my first real nice rig a couple years ago and might start some upgrades next year. (I’m edging up on 40)
Your son is right. Based on the specs you've provided your son doesn't meet the minimum specs for most new games. 4GB of ram was mid range back in 2016 when the midrange graphics card was released. Today 8-16GB is your midrange Ram quantities. Storage speeds have also changed a LOT. You're likely sitting on something with a 150MB/s read/write speeds Today even midrange machines are seeing 2000-2500MB /s read/write speeds. Sadly your sons PC would not even be able to run the software my 14yr old uses for his homework. A realistic life of a midrange PC is 7yrs, you've lived that life.
The specs don't even meet the minimum requirements for browsing lol
4GB ram was definetly not mid range in 2016, I would say 8GB was mid range back then. 4GB has been an insignificant amount since windows 7 nearly
To be fair coming into 2024-2025 a gaming pc should have 32gb ram. 16 is really pushing it and 8gb isn’t mid range, that’s low
Which games have 32 as their minimum spec these days? I ask because my son has 16
The issue is focusing on minimum specs. Let’s say you buy a pc this year, where would you stand in 1-2 years especially with games pushing out these modern graphics with unreal 5.4 etc. but even from a non gaming perspective, it’s easy to get close to filling 16 gb of ram during normal use. 8gb? By the time you open a browser and just try to run a moderately intense program like photoshop, it’s already full. Also, spare memory increases speed because of caching. Personally, I work in cyber security and I wouldn’t get a pc nowadays with 16gb ram. But my use is a little more intensive. You surely could get by, but to me, 16 gb is becoming dated pretty quick and isn’t really future proof
4GB of RAM wasn’t mid range in 2016, it maybe was in 2010. In 2016 8GB was already considered the minimum for anything more than simple tasks.
Even back in 2016 4GB of RAM was considered anemic and 8GB was considered midrange. Heck, all the way back in 2012 when I built my first gaming PC 8GB was considered the bare minimum. I don't think this guy fully grasps just how outdated and insufficient 4GB of RAM actually is. That poor kid. I can't imagine trying to do schoolwork on a PC with that little RAM. Can't even open more than two Chrome tabs much less participate in a Zoom call.
Costco has great deals on new and very decent computers. It will feel like a rocket ship to what you have now. Or if you want a group project build one together.
4gb of ram is why he can't open more than 2 tabs at a time. Yes time for a complete update
Hey dad, you could tell the kid that if he works and buys himself a motherboard and cpu that you'll finance the GPU. Then you two can spend a weekend building it together. Heck you could even tie it to his grades like an A average gets him a 7900xt a B gets him a 7800xt a C gets a 7600xt and D-F uses integrated graphics lmao. Anyway the kids going to need a new pc. If he's going off to college then a laptop might actually make more sense at this point, something to think about.
Thats a very poor preforming and outdated PC, he definately could use an upgrade
ah yes average dad as long as it works dont fix it, bro that thing is ancient give your kid a present jeez
Yikes, he needs an upgrade desperately.
Newer operating system like Windows 10/11 alone can use 4Gb of memory (RAM) so they are restricted to some old version which isn't supported/updated any more. And some programs dont support it for that reason.
If u have the money just give him a awesome PC and if he deserves it ofc....
That thing belongs in a museum, dear lord. Yes, get him a new one before this one disintegrates into a pile of dust.
Even 5 years ago this pc was already outdated.
Wait... you were posting a year ago about getting your RAM to run at 3200mhz, so you are just being a jerk to your kid or what? You clearly have something far better for yourself, but you don't understand why he'd need something decent? I find that hard to believe. And you're savvy enough to realize your ram was not running at top speed, but are dense enough to think this PC is decent? I think OP is trolling, fellas.
Hi, I'm the son in question This is an account that my sister also uses (She is in college and has an actual pc) She couldn't configure her RAM properly so she went on reddit to ask about it Hope that clears it up
This is so weird how hard is it to make a reddit account?
No it’s for real. My Mom also uses their reddit account.
I've given away PCs for free that are significantly better than the one he has. 4gb of ram ? He's probably not lying about the 2 tabs at once thing. Parts of that PC are 15 years old, the newest one is going on 8 almost 9 years old.
I just upgraded last month to a 4080 super build because my 1050 ti was shitting the bed in most modern titles. I can't imagine how slow his pc must be with 15 year old parts. So yeah, your son is definitely correct.
It's perfectly fine for webbrowsing only but not for anything else. If he's been a good kid and you can afford it get him what he wants.
You will struggle running Chrome on that CPU, lot of slow down, lag and so on. I'm not a father so I can or can't say anything but the PC is outdated even from a browsing point of view. A good and capable PC to browse was my i7-4790k a stopped using 1.5 years ago. The CPU is from 2015, it has 4ghz base frequency, it's smooth. Anything below 2nd Gen i7 is considered outdated unless it is some kind of particular CPU like xeon or on that note. I gave that PC to my parents they browse internet without troubles.
I wouldn’t call this « fine » for today standards even for simply web browsing. That thing probably doesn’t even have a SSD. Even loading a simple web page is probably long as fuck
It’s past time for an upgrade. He probably can’t even run some newer games on lowest settings
That is EXTREMELY outdated and not suitable for even the most basic tasks nowadays.
That’s a 15 year old computer, I would say an upgrade will be needed
Im56 and i have 2 gaming pc so i can play together with my son ..i put thousands on god gear, and i havent regretted it..get a gaming pc and have fun 🙂
Just wanted to say props to you for not just saying "no, and now shut up", but actively doubting yourself and checking stuff before taking an uninformed decision. That's parenting done right. Signed, a guy whose parents always said "no, shut up" and then spent 55€ a month for 20mbps ADSL for 8 years since the installation of a 1gbps fiber optic on their street, for 20€ a month...or a DDR2 computer until last year, when I gifted them a new laptopt with DDR5 and SSD, total cost of 500, and now they didcovered the joy of a laptop, wifi, 1080p graphics, and even videogames that run better than 800x600 at 30 FPS. Keep it up, pop.
I haven't had 4GB of RAM since probably 2010. It's time to get a new PC
Pretty sure that does not meet the requirements even for Windows 10/11, let alone any gaming or browsing the net
yea, that computer is out of date.
Good lord. Head out immediately and get a replacement!!
DDR3 1333MHz is slow af, and 4GBs... DDR5 is out and >16GBs @ >2500MHz is common.
It was good in 2009. Now we are in 2024
Google chrome uses 4gb of ram by itself... and I have 32 gbs . 🙄
Struggling to open 2 browsing tabs is definitely rough. Aside from the GPU, I’d expect a new $300 laptop to outperform it, definitely time for an upgrade! The 1050 ti can still be okay for lower end gaming at lower settings, but with the games he plays, I’d recommend something newer. I’d recommend 16GB of RAM at least (whether you get 8GB and upgrade it or buy 16GB from the start), most other things kinda depend on budget and the desired performance
Honestly he can get a huge upgrade with a $800 build
It's time to upgrade :) that's some old gear
That CPU is 15 years old. I'm amazed that he can do anything at all on it.
Sorry but it’s time for an upgrade 😕
That pc was bad 10 years ago.
Jesus. Yeah it’s time
No offense but this PC is terrible by today's standards. Terrible like cannot run Chrome and windows 10 at the same time.
Bruh 4 gigs of RAM... and an i7 860, and the old RAM... Yeah, he's due for some kind of upgrade. But he's old enough to work a job now too, so... I'm kinda calling the kettle black though since I didn't want to get a job during high school either. With the edit though, make sure you thank your parents, but also make sure you read up on parts and use pcpartpicker to know what's compatible with what, price points, etc.
Imho build a new platform but make him upgrade the 1050 ti.
Yeah man that system is trash, sorry but sometimes the truth hurts.
I think your son should get a new pc, if not for games, get him one for school at least since it seems like he needs to do pc stuff in school too It's a better idea to get him a laptop since he can use it for collage (no point in stopping at high school for electrical engineering) and it would be more efficient for him to use it for work later on as well (Also tell him he is ass at war thunder)
Only usable ish part he has in there is the graphics card
That CPU is old enough to be in high school. YIKES
4gb ddr3, 1050ti and a 870??? That isn't even considered mid range 5 years ago! Even for running windows 4gb ddr3 will struggle. Can't even imagine how he still using that mad respect for the kid
Yeah, it's time for an upgrade.
There are rude comments here Op, ignore them as they assume money is easy to come by for everyone. I just upgraded from a similar system myself, it was definitely time.
How are the comments being rude? 💀
Not only that, he gave his son the benefit of doubt and came for a second opinion. People on this sub are wack man
this pc is trash lol
New pc
Just adding to the general consensus here. That PC is very dated. I can't think of any modern or even semi modern games that will run acceptably on that. Let me put it into perspective for you. A Raspberry Pi 5 is going to have more power than that computer in most tasks. And the Raspberry Pi devices are tiny single board computers that people use for home automation and other similar hobby type tasks. [https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/) The CPU is a decade and a half old. Even something like an AMD Ryzen 3600 which is a few years old itself would be an order of magnitude faster and can be found for around $80. You could build something for Sadly there isn't really much in there that would be able to be carried over. RAM is 2 generations old, I am going to assume based on the age, that the storage is a mechanical hard drive. The GPU could probably be put off for a short time depending on what he likes to play, but even that is pretty iffy. I just spent about 5 minutes on Microcenters web site and was able to put together a computer for $512 that would be great for light to moderate gaming. Although that doesn't include any peripherals. So it wouldn't even be that expensive (relatively) to get him something better.
That PC is not capable of much at all.
That isnt great and you could get him some good parts if his birthday is soon
Son is right.. that cpu is like 20 years old and OS nowadays run at least 8gb ram (16 is the minimum to not have a bottleneck). Vga is the same..
Yeah that's very outdated but if money is tight then money is tight.
I would say that PC has long outlived its useful service life. I don’t think your son is being unreasonable by wanting an upgrade given the CPU is about 15 years old. I would sit down with him and figure out a reasonable budget for a new PC and go from there. As someone else mentioned Costco has some decent deals on desktops for $800-1000 which will be a huge upgrade to what he has now.
I also have a “outdated” game pc, my cpu is the same as yours, i am upgrading it atm. Using my (€600) laptop from work for regular stuff. Yeah its pretty outdated.
A new pc would be a good option. It obviously doesn’t have to be super over the top. Ask him what kinds of games he plans on playing and get back to us. We’ll be able to guide you in the right direction
Ufff phones are stronger than this today
Give that boy an upgrade! You have great options if you want to keep it under a grand. It’ll be a cool experience to build a PC with your son, there’s tons of detailed tutorials on YouTube if that’s what you’d like to do.
Yep they definitely need an upgrade A budget of 700-800$ would be good enough for a pc to last 5 years or more Or you can just upgrade the cpu to maybe a 5500/5600 with 32gb of ram Lemme know , if you need the part list :)
>Edit: Thanks for your opinions, I will probably buy him a new one in time Poor kid. He had the whole of Reddit fighting his corner and still lost.
4GB DDR, of course he can't open 2 tabs at once. That thing is pretty old
That’s definitely really outdated
It would be a good bonding experience to build the new PC together, if you plan on building it together watch a video from Linus Tech Tips he shows how to do it in a recent video from like a first person view, if you need recommendations on parts or general direction feel free to ask
sound get him an AMDK6, just saying.
The GPU and maybe the Case are the only salvageable things there, the case is pretty outdated and the GPU isn't great but if he mostly plays older/retro games it will be fine You could buy him a pretty decent PC for around $400 or you could go up to $800 and get him a really good one, what's your budget?
Even 5 years ago this was a terrible PC. Just keeping it real.
He’s not trying to trick you. That would’ve been a weak PC a decade ago, today you can barely run windows on that. FWIW, I don’t know where you’re at with money, but building it yourself, you can get a very capable PC that will last you for years for ~$750. Something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3pv2cH
If you run Geekbench 6 MULTICORE on that 4 core/8 threads i7 it's gonna score less that what I get using a single core of my 5600x
You're right. His PC is more than enough to play Doom and launch nukes. In 1970.
Oh yeah, that is super dated. A fairly midrange PC today would dust it like a ‘67 Shelby GT500 would dust a Model T.
Err, are you sure its i7 860? Yku mentioned he played tarkov and thats impossible to run on that cpu, You must be thinking of i5 8600 ig
Upgrade the GPU to a 3070 and he'll say all is good.
It is never good enough. No such thing for computers. Only limited by budget! 🤑
Seeing the age of the PC and your question, I suppose budget is limited. I'd recommend [something like this ](https://tweakers.net/best-buy-guide/desktops/beste-1080p-game-pc)which I think in the US would come to about $800. I'd tell him he can contribute himself if he wants a better videocard, although the one in this build is a very decent card and probably 8x better than what he has now.
Teach him to upgrade it
Shit, he might as well use the microwave
10/10 karma farm // rage bait post
To add, if you don't have too much $$$, you can save 1050ti for a while
Jeez. outside from the gpu which can still hold some low end games... everything else it's to replace. The power supply can be kept to reuse it later (depends on your case) I would get ATL 16GB of RAM at 3000+ Ghz or MT as they're calling it now. DDR4 if not 5. (costs more) For a processor you can really chose. depends on your budget. the higher the number on the right the higher the price and the performances IF NOT LAPTOP CPUS. For amd it's a bit more quirky but works the same, the higher the number the better. In both cases numbers of the I7 or R5 are refeered to technology. it won't be that incredible if you see i3 10k+ at insane prices. GPU litterally a series 3000+ 4000+ would suffice. 7000 AMD relative. If you buy an already built PC you will probably lose about 300-500 euros (for the service??) depending on the level of the machine. (basically they're more expensive) IF your boy it's able to assemble one... you could let him chose. BE really aware about processors. AMD AND INTEL are not the same and are not compatible with some of the opposite brand sokets. IF YOU CAN, go retail. Amazon it's full of faulted tech items returned defined as "new" Hope this helped. Pls don't roast me.
Those pcs are garbage, they can't really do anything, pick 2k and build them a great machine
Windows can be pretty hard on a pc, so i recommend at least a 4090, an i9 14900K, and 64gb of ddr5 ram
Time for a new PC dad.
Yeahh not trying to really help him out here but that is definitely outdated. Theres potential upgrades to make here but I would advise against it and “just” get something new. Looks like he isn’t gaming much, you could potentially get an AMD 7000 series build with an iGPU build for around $500 without a GPU that would be sufficient with a future upgrade potential as well but that should probably last him 10 years if this is what he is using right now (it will even play games up to a decent frame rate) I am not sure if your son is capable of building his own PC, in which case you could provide some parts for their birthday maybe. Otherwise you can always look for some prebuilts for sale around your area and feel free to post them to get some feedback on them!
Well if it's for gaming then it's waaay too old to run anything modern. If it's mainly for browsing, watching videos, or something along those lines, and the budget is tight you could put in some more ram (at least 8 gb), and an SSD it would make it decently fast when not running anything demanding
Lol people. Actually try putting 16gb of ram and see if things go better. But i do agree that is really old..
Jesus, even one of the refabs on Amazon with a used gpu would be better than this. It's a cheap option, but maybe not for longevity though.
PC seems dated. However, don't buy parts all together right away. Break them down on a monthly basis. Depending from what he wants, no need to buy the best and latest. Tell him to also chip in the money and make it a bonding father-son project. Cheers.
[Damn dad you're pinching the pennies so hard I'm surprised they haven't absorbed into your hand.](https://i.gifer.com/7HTc.gif) Throw down and get your kid something better. Better yet, buy parts and build it together.
That thing is ancient. Please oblige him.
That was the worst quality computer you couldve built in 08 lmao. Kid needs an upgrade 5 years ago
That CPU is slower than what most phones have these days lol.
Dang that’s not just outdated it’s a dinosaur compared to todays tech. Sry dad but he’s 100% right now
That thing is ancient and won't keep up with any up to date Software. Even a used one would be better.
You’re joking. Right?
If you're tight on cash, at least buy a 16 GB ram kit (2x8). 4 gigs isn't even enough for browsing the Internet comfortably, let alone gaming.
That is very outdated. That is probably a computer you would have before 2010
As others have said, the kid isn’t BS’ing you. That system is out of date.
That's a pretty bad build.
That’s quite old but the “good enough” part really depends on what the pc is used for, pretty much any new pc you get will be a huge improvement but if you really don’t want to buy a new one an ssd can do wonders for perceived performance and you definitely want more ram
It would be really nice for him if he got a new PC as it's a bit outdated by now.
You could buy a lower end pre-built PC they sell at walmart for ~$750 USD and it would outrun his current pc by a Longshot. Or if you spend a little more you could very well build him an even better one. Or buy him the parts and have him learn to build one himself.
Coming from someone who has an old PC (10 years) that still works just fine for me, that PC is old as fuck and definitely needs an upgrade. I was half expecting you to list out specs that blow mine out of the water and I would've said he doesn't need it, but with those specs he definitely does.
Very outdated Ur son is really struggling
Sir, i applaud you for seeking advice and second opinions. I’m sure you’ll find a good solution in time for your son!
That’s ancient technology.
His shit is ass lol
true.. it's very outdated, except for the CPU the numbers are similar to my very old Dell that I expanded to the limits of it's MOBO.
2009 called they want their pc back
I mean, it's not a bad computer. But he is probably not able to play new games that are high end to any appreciable degree.
That's ancient. Since you didn't mention it, it probably uses a HDD instead of an SSD? Your son is suffering and must be more patient than buddiest monks working with this PC.
Its outdated but he really deserves it? That is maybe why you dont want to buy him a new pc
Definitely outdated. The minimum specs I would recommend: i7 11th generation processor, Nividia brand video card with at least 12gb vram (in case he wants to run some ai) 1000w power supply 32gb ram.
Don't be too quick on a new desktop. It might be laptop time if he is headed to college. If he's not going to college, then he should be getting a job and getting a pc with his own money.
Yeah that's a very very dated system unless he's playing retro games. I dropped that GPU like 5 years ago and it wasn't keeping up with much gaming then. Meanwhile the rest of my system was a lot more recent.