I've had this same computer for over 25 years and it's as good as it ever was. It's only had 3 new cases, 4 new motherboards, 6 CPU changes, 4 memory updates, 12 new drives and and 5 graphics card upgrades.
Assuming your mobo even does that before going straight to the post screen. :-) My new one has a speaker attached, but I don't notice much of a beep when it boots.
The close-up shots of the tiny connectors even when the motherboard is sitting within the case is very impressive and of course very useful. Few channels can manage such tight shots with perfect clarity and camera stability.
I've done it more times than I care to remember. But for someone starting out, this is invaluable. Though Christopher did omit the blood sacrifice you must make when dealing with nice, sharp cases.
@@peterbrown6224 LOL, I've donated my share... one of my old cases has considerable duct tape along the inner edges, from sheer self-preservation... And yeah, I too was impressed with the nice clear shots of those tiny connectors. Good way to make them less intimidating for the newbie.
Many thanks. I think that the algorythm is now kicking me for having no midrolls, but I've not plan to includue them, as they drive me mad as a viewer.
@doomtomb3 without vpn i could not watch this video because of cruel government censorship because our government thinks if they shut YT completely down nobody use these scammy apps just like you
Other channels: "I had to spend $5000, bribe border guards and take the COO of FedEx hostage to build this MEGA GAMING RIG!!!" Explaining Computers: "This is the best I could get hold of at the moment without paying silly money." This is what we love about this channel. It's based in the real world. Any of us could go online, buy these components right now and follow the video to build exactly the same PC.
That motherboard size is called Mini-DTX. It is compatible with some Mini-ITX cases because it uses four screws in the same position as Mini-ITX, but you can only install single-slot GPUs in most of those cases.
Exactly...i'm pleased someone pointed this out..DTX form factor is not recognised in Asia..they name them all mATX..This size is limited to only a couple of manufacturers..AsRock mainly..i bought one years ago from this make..i believe it was a Socket 1155 Sandy bridge..
22:45 A word of WARNING on Passmark Scores!: Version 9.0 of Passmark Performance test is used on the video but score number scale has changed since version 10 came out, at least with the CPU test. I've tried both versions as a quick test before posting this (hence the CPU test only, sorry). If you look up the mean submitted score for this Pentium Gold CPU on the Passmark website, based on Version 10 as I suspected, you can see it now gets 4161 points. This is quite relevant for people who compare CPU's relying on the said website (me for one).
One tip to keep in mind is that some coolers have plastic over the thermal paste. Some it's like a sticker you have to remove, so just check before putting the cooler on. I have seen people put the cooler on like that (with the plastic sticker protector in place) and then wonder why their computer idles at 60 degrees F instead of a more reasonable 25-35 degrees.
although i also like other channels like LTT, EC is the only i one i know that builds PCs with affordable and realistic components (at least for me). So: Thanks!
I appreciate the down to earth upgrade in terms of budget. We computer enthusiasts have a tendency to make a hole in our pockets, and actually most users don't really need all that computing power. A lot can be done with budget hardware and free software, and that's is why I'm looking forward to your next video. Those close-up shots are really good. Thanks a lot, I always forget what is the negative in the front panel connectors, but it won't happen again.
but the problem is if you are on the smaller budget why would you go for the new stuff over used, you are pretty much paying more for weaker hardware just so you can have that insurance
Thank you for this clear explanation! I'm researching how to exactly the same thing....replace an old motherboard and processor, retaining as much of the old components as possible. This video showed me a number of things that hadn't occurred to me to consider.
There's something relaxing and heartwarming about your videos. And this one looks like it could be a little toned down LowSpecGamer video regarding the capabilities of the PC. Looking forward to the next one, hope to see you again very soon!
You are a genuine tech teacher! Chris! Hopefully you should continue and keep up the good work. You are also a good founder to building up items perfectly. 😊
@@call_me_stan5887 I totally agree with you! XFCE is brilliant, even on older computers. Even my gaming pc is running linux, (MX Linux) and it runs everything perfectly. I also love how it is possible to change the appearance of XFCE to make it look absolutely beautiful! Thanks for the reply my Linux friend :)
18:25 You have part of the HDMI I/O shield bracket (earth connector) tucked inside the HDMI socket where as it should be resting on top of the socket. Don't worry, I have done this many times before on various different motherboard connectors and it's something I now specifically look out for when building new machines, as the only way to fix it is to remove and re-seat the motherboard, and you don't want to do that once you've continued to build the rest of the machine!
Do remember this is not real life -- it is a video shot single camera! :) On the B-roll take where the motherboard pokes through the back it is indeed a little offset. But this is not the case in the build.
Well spotted! You have a good eye for detail. Those metal earth tabs are always a pain when inserting a motherboard. I often tweak the angles of the tabs before assembly, as they often get flattened in the packaging (causing this “into the socket” assembly error).
Maybe, but the board with the Pentium Dual-Core would have taken a Core 2 Quad or a 771-to-775-modded quad-core Xeon, which would have made an even greater video. Once the motherboard is replaced it's not the same PC anymore. At least the G4600 doesn't actually perform that much better... By the way (posting here because this got "lost" in the too many comments) the power supply happens to be good quality, made by CWT who makes some power supplies for Corsair.
@@spuds6423 It solely depends on your personal needs and what you exactly defines as "worth it". The epic need for speed will cost you a fortune however which way you look at it.
A superb video as always, Chris! As a longtime ago PC bench technician, this is one of the clearest explanations of upgrades for novices that I have ever seen. Now I know where to direct my less PC savvy but hands-on father if his old PC needs resurrection during lockdown. Those zoom shots of the connectors are terrific.
This basically how my PCs evolve over time. Incremental upgrades over time. The best thing to do of course is to figure out whether a big jump spending a bit more money in the end is more cost effective than all those incremental upgrades. But then again - taking restrictions on time and money considering something chosen at one point in time might be different at another point in time. It's all relative. Thanks for sharing this.
Yep... I have some that have crawled into the near-present through 3 or 4 upgrades, vastly extending their useful life. But once in a while the jump can't be made, or isn't really economical... and then we start the process again with a newer base. But I still have parts in everyday service that were made in 1992.
@@ElmerFuddGun Actually, some of my still-installed floppy drives are older than that, tho see little use. But the P4 with ISA slots still has my 486's old original sound card -- bought in 1994, but manufacture date is 1992... it makes sound in DOS, and that's its job, so everybody happy. DFI now makes an i7-9th-gen board with ISA slots, but they didn't think it would support a sound card. Still, if I were buying new....
@@Reziac - Wow a new motherboard with ISA slots. Maybe for those few companies that use some old (obviously) interfacing hardware that doesn't have a more modern implementation at reasonable cost.
@@ElmerFuddGun Yep, and DFI makes very nice quality boards (when I was building custom systems, I used them for my clients), and actual humans with real clues answer your questions. If I were buying a new modern board, their latest is seriously on my radar. (And you can buy direct cheaper than via any vendor.) And yeah, there are tons of industrial setups that rely on ISA interface boards (which commonly cost 10 grand or more) that still do the work required, and replacing all that with "modern" equipment would be prohibitively expensive. So there's still a small but steady market for ISA slots. But it gets worse... up through the late 1990s a friend scrounged every XT motherboard he could find, because his work needed them to interface with their garment cutting machines.... a better solution than coughing up six figures apiece for new cutting machines. I have a P4-3GHz with ISA slots, an iBase MB800, that I got as a DOS gaming rig specifically for the ISA slots. It is now 18 years old, but still does the job. Tho I think its boot drive is even older. :)
Nice video. Just did an updated of my 12 year old system, a z600 workstation. Added an SSD, USB3 card and a 2nd hand Xeon 5675. Still running just fine and keeping my room nice and warm. 😅
I am watching this video on a laptop with a Pentium Gold processor. I paid $150 USD on Black Friday 2020. This has become my daily driver as it is hands down the best PC I have at this time. I am an AMD fanboy. but I cannot beat this price performance of this 14 inch laptop!. Great video showcasing the strengths of this CPU.
Sunday's morning coffee doesn't taste the same without your video Chris, greetings from Honduras. Has been many years since l don't do a computer upgrade like this one, thanks ! Loved seeing the old CPU with all expansion cards!!!
I can't help but think of Trigger's broom with this project. Great stuff Chris. With the supply and demand gap at the moment, new builds are so much harder, so some selective upgrading is worthwhile.
A good, cost effective upgrade that will be more than adequate for the usual things like TH-cam, email, and buying stuff from Amazon. 😊 My own favourite upgrade for old hardware is a reasonably priced SSD and Linux Mint, which invariably gives a great performance boost, though I appreciate that many feel that leaving Windows is a step too far for them.
Thanks for yet another great video!! When I started watching your channel about a year ago I was a life-long but very disillusioned Apple 'fan boy' looking to move onto an open source platform, and not knowing where to start. I'm pleased to say that I watched this latest video on my newly self-built, silent, compact, desktop machine running Linux Mint. Thanks for showing me the way, by making it all so understandable and look so easy.
Nice how you demonstrated the performance gain possible with modest hardware. The average person could easily do the same following your video. You also kept the build cost very reasonable but still chose good, reliable components. So many channels build extremely high cost systems that the average person really can not afford. With current shortages and cost increases your video will help a lot of people!
Great upgrade series. It reminds me of an axe that was in my family for 160 years. In that time, it has had three head and seven handle replacements. I've been a Mac user for a decade and the two computers I own are heavily proprietary and unupgradeable. One wasn't eligible for the newest OS upgrade. The next PC will be a Windows/Linux model. It's amazing how much things have changed in the past decade and a bit, but also how much remained the same.
pc is all abt budget, buy whats best when you decided to buy we used to 'compete' to buy used good ones, bcs availability was really bad back then, nothing but silverstone or kingston in stores, nowadays you can buy basically everything easily
I have done exactly the same thing on a pc. I kept case, fans and psu. I also have no gpu. But my suggestion is to buy always a good psu. On another old machine i changed refurboshed dd3 mobo and ram and the refurbished psu (corsair) was shit causing random restarts. So i bought a new seasonic and now it works fine. PSU is the most important part of a pc while case is the less important.
This just goes to show that you don't need fancy odds and bits to get a *simple* , modern computing experience. No RGB, no water cooling, no dedicated graphics card.
This actually looks like a mini-ITX motherboard rather than micro ATX. Also maximizing the chance of a new machine working by applying all relevant stickers has been standard practice for me for years :D
@@jb31842 There are a few DTX boards out there, and unless you know the differences to look for it's very easy to think they are ITX. Some cases sold for ITX will take them too, but many don't so you need to check.
I remember watching this channel around three years ago and then two years ago with Techquickie, it taught me what I needed to build my first computer and since then I haven't watched your video's since, it was interesting getting one of your videos recommended to be after almost two years.
Those old midi tower cases with their HDD stack at the front are few and far between these days. Always useful to keep hold of a case with plenty of space for spinning rust :) they make great NAS/Server cases on the cheap.
I subscribe to most of the Tech channels and I am happy to admit this one is my favorite. We are close in age, I took my first programming class in 1981, my first real computer was an Osborne running CP/M and was the only pre-built system I have ever owned, I have built every one of my PC's since. I am proud of only owning one Intel CPU and that was a 286/12 that was the first PC I built, since then every one has been an Intel alternative. It does my old heart good to see you build with less than state of the art, mega buck components. Please continue on as you always have, it is content that is invaluable and I salute you for producing it.
Cheeky little cameo from a 386 there, sporting a math coprocessor. Very nice! 😍 I couldn't see if you had removed the battery or not. Rifas, Vartas, tantalums, and other ticking timebombs 😆
Excellent tutorial, I have been toying with the thought of doing exactly what you have done to the old 32 bit Desktop PC I have. I am going to to have a go, thank you. 👍
as always, an excellent video. The pacing, script and footage is spot on an makes understanding the whole process perfectly clear. Glad to see some love for the Pentium G6400, it's amazing how capable the entry level cpus have become. Looking forward to the next video testing on linux and opensource software.
its 2 years old comment but i have to ask when you sayed "it's amazing how capable the entry level cpus have become" what did you mean since they are pretty much uselless outside of using them for net browsing, whats more entry level cpus become uselless like back in the day entry level cpus were the same as the higher tier one but just with a lower clock
Hi Chris. Your channel was my first go to TH-cam learning centre about 2 years ago. I picked up enough knowledge from you that aloud me to build my first PC in 15 years. Today’s budget build will help anyone the has an old PC and a has limited funds. This is definitely not a build for anyone that interested in building a Expansible system that will allow them to swap out parts and upgrade there system to something more powerful. The parts section put limits on what you can add. The motherboard is a major holdback, adding a higher end CPU would require a larger power supply and the lack of a M.2 slot is disappointing. Anyone that is in need of a more expendable system should review some of your past PC builds, the Ryzen system comes to mind. Take care and will see you next week
The only difference I'd make on this build is to get the faster memory if you can afford it. The MB may support memory overclock and if the memory is rated faster it will be easier to overclock.
@@kevin34ct The H410 chipset is locked to 2666MHz for celeron-i5s and locked to 2933 for i7's and i9's I believe so it won't get past 2666MHz if I recall correctly. However, Intel doesn't really depend on RAM bandwidth as much as AMD Ryzen.
Transforming an outdated computer into a new powerful one is one of the most exciting hobby. Watching a freshly installed operating system start is also a moment of joy.
Excellent video as always Chris! I would add that there are also ways to extract the windows 10 key from bios, and if your lucky enough to have a windows 7 sticker key on the side of an old PC that you no longer use, as of right now, it still activates windows 10.
Good video as usual. I actually "sidegraded" last year; I have a PC I built in 2013 with an AMD processor from a couple of generations back that didn't like Windows 10 very much. I got a Dell Optiplex 9020 mini-tower and swapped my PSU, graphics card, RAM, drives, my front panel USB 3 adapter with SD card reader and it works very much better with Windows 10. The only thing I added was an I7 4470 and a Dell to ATX PSU adapter cable. Total for the PC and parts was about $320. The reason that these Dell Optiplex models have proprietary PSU connectors is that they are workstations meant to be used in big companies like call centers. If you don't need to swap motherboards this is a good alternative for everyday use, light gaming or a good Linux box. The PSU adapter cables are trivially easy to pick up and cost around $10-$15.
I did a very similar build upgrade a few years back Gigabyte H110m motherboard and Kaby Lake Pentium. Noticed that my old Intel CPU cooler had a copper insert so re used it instead of the new one, with a $5 tube of Arctic MX-4 and it runs reasonably cool even under load.
@@ExplainingComputers After I was shocked to see you wearing some other color, it occurred to me the black shirt is for greenscreening... it still looks really cool. Also a slick fit. I've never seen a nice shirt offered as merch, only T-shirts.
Well that was very informative. I had always assumed, obviously wrongly, that when you change the motherboard as long as you keep the drive with Windows on it, there would be no problem. That could be quite an additional cost. It keeps mounting up. Thank you for posting that, excellent as always.
I generally consider a "build" to be where you're replacing a motherboard and processor and re-installing the operating system software as a result. However, simply replacing or swapping out a CPU and/or adding memory, and/or adding a video card, I just call those upgrades (basically, where a new re-install of Windows or the OS isn't necessary). Of course with modern versions of Windows, you could try to re-use the previous install but you'd have to likely re-activate with a new key, so really it's the same thing as re-installing the OS other than you're not physically doing it, but in the eyes of MIcrosoft, for example, it would be a new computer (if you had to re-activate using a new key).
I would also strongly advise checking for a BIOS update when you install a new motherboard. For example, the BIOS you have installed is v1.0 which is the release BIOS from June 2020. There have been 2 additional BIOS updates since then, 3 if you include the latest Beta BIOS dated April 2021.
My main PC from many moons ago inhabits a very old Dell case. When a major PC manufacturer builds a case and compatible motherboard, the front panel plugs are guaranteed to be correct. Not only that they are grouped into a larger connector for efficiency in final assembly. In my case I have almost a dozen m/f pin cables aligning things up. Enthusiast cases have pins like those shown with at most two front panel functions combined in a single dual connector as standards consolidate. The most common front panel functions are: Momentary contact power on/off Power LED Disk activity LED Momentary contact System Reset Chassis speaker There are several things that are becoming more standardized such as front panel USBs and audio connections.
Love the way you explain things and the good closeups. I built some new computers for myself and family recently and with parts left from their old builds I built another as a spare. GA-MA770-UD3 motherboard, Athlon 7750 2 core/2.7GHz and 8GB PC2-6400 DDR2. A new 250GB WD SSD and a cheap case. It is running Windows 10 Pro exceptionally well for general office work and internet Browsing (TH-cam mostly). For a 12 year old MB and CPU I think this is great.
Great video as always! I do want to give a small note that if you are going from an Intel CPU to AMD or vice versa, you _definitely_ want to reinstall Windows anyway, as the old installation will bluescreen every now and again due to having preinstalled drivers from the previous platform
Nice to see you did not use the driver-DVD as a frisbee, like so many other here at TH-cam do - forgetting that the manufacturers go through the "trouble" to produce and ship along such a disk.
I did this upgrade Richard. The only issue I had was the front panel connectors on my old case were all merged into one so there was no option about which pins controlled the hdd leds or reset switch. I just connected the block. The only thing I really care about was the reset switch and that worked correctly. Windows 10 came up without batting an eyelid and I will be checking all the drivers in due course.
My old case had a built in SD card reader which had a four pin female inline connector. I wasn't sure what to do with it but it turned out to be a USB2 connection which fitted onto half a USB2 header on the motherboard. Initially I got no audio on my hdmi monitor but I just ran the autostart on the drivers disk and that sorted it. Sorry about getting your name wrong Christopher. Massive embarrassment.
Thanks! Always fun and relaxing watching your videos. Fun to see this upgrade, made me think if I would upgrade some of my old computets too. Lately I have mostly used SBC. ”Superhappy” fin!
People may scoff at the logic of upgrading to a G6400 but it's single thread performance is on par with a 3rd generation i7 and multi thread performance with 3rd generation i5.
@ExplainingComputers Wow, just wow! Only recently found your channel and knew instantly that this is a rare gem. You are crystal clear, precise, insightful and entertaining. I wish you had been my IT and/or English teacher! Keep up the good work! Pentium Gold G6400 is an interesting pick, with only two cores I would not use it for anything other than office work.
Thank your Chris. It is always a joy to have a new video each Sunday. I often wonder what your new space after renovations look like now? Maybe just a quick update like your 750k video. Congratulations on that btw. You are well on your way to one million I am sure.
Love your; details ,speed, clarity, and this makes you my go to to understand a new topic. Other new builders videos can assume The audience has some knowledge, and understand terms.
I am so glad you remembered the all important sticker. We all know the processor would have crossed it's arms, "hurrumphed" and refused to work if you hadn't. Great work, as always.
Great video. It was nice to see a non-bleeding edge PC being updated. I upgraded my current PC a few years back with a new graphics card and several extra hard drives, but the old computer (it's 5 years old now) is starting to get on a bit. I'll probably go for a full new PC, even in this crazy priced hard ware market, as I can't see that being fixed in terms of supply in the next two years. It's good to see upgrades being not as scary as people might think. ;-)
There are two different standards for the front audio connection (which has to do with different codec standards). If the case and the old motherboard are ancient enough, that front audio cable might not work with the new motherboard. I ran into this problem during an upgrade, and had to buy a new front audio panel that fit into the case's unused 3.5" front drive bay (floppy disk?).
This is an extremely important point that I should have mentioned in the video. The case I was using had both standard and HD audio connectors, but earlier cases will not as you say.
@@ExplainingComputers What's even worse is that the motherboard connector is the same between both standards, IE: you can physically plug the older front panel connector into the newer motherboard, and it won't function correctly. The good thing is that it also shouldn't damage anything, at least it didn't hurt the MB when I tried it. If you look at the manual for the newer and older mother boards you can see how the various pin functions were re-assigned between the two standards.
This was good to watch, and amazing how things have progressed. That heat sink alone was fascinating. You can tell they wanted to spiral out the heated air from the design, which is a massive change from the original Pentium processors. Thanks for uploading this!
That's the one piece I wouldn't keep... they're adequate HSFs, but I'd swap it for just about anything with a copper foot and a more-captive fan. The blades out there where a strayed wire could hit 'em always gives me the heebie-jeebies.
I've had this same computer for over 25 years and it's as good as it ever was. It's only had 3 new cases, 4 new motherboards, 6 CPU changes, 4 memory updates, 12 new drives and and 5 graphics card upgrades.
Computer of Theseus
Trigger rides again!
@@Paulwell ~ alright Dave?
It’s like the thousand year old hammer.
That is one bitchin' PSU then.😹
The most beautiful sound in the world is that single short beep from the internal speaker at first boot after a major upgrade.
So true.
can't beat an old hard disk spinning up
Apart from it seems to be shunned upon by many tech tubers now! I put a speaker on my B550 mobo with Ryzen 7 2700X and I agree it is sweet!
@Laurie Rose A fine sound to be sure, but the "best in the world"? You need to get out more.
Assuming your mobo even does that before going straight to the post screen. :-) My new one has a speaker attached, but I don't notice much of a beep when it boots.
The close-up shots of the tiny connectors even when the motherboard is sitting within the case is very impressive and of course very useful. Few channels can manage such tight shots with perfect clarity and camera stability.
I've done it more times than I care to remember. But for someone starting out, this is invaluable.
Though Christopher did omit the blood sacrifice you must make when dealing with nice, sharp cases.
@@peterbrown6224 LOL, I've donated my share... one of my old cases has considerable duct tape along the inner edges, from sheer self-preservation...
And yeah, I too was impressed with the nice clear shots of those tiny connectors. Good way to make them less intimidating for the newbie.
Nice to see
1) you take e-waste into account
2) make us think about what is sufficient
Thank you for keeping advertising out of education, Chris! You're an excellent example to the whole of the TH-cam.
😊👍
Many thanks. I think that the algorythm is now kicking me for having no midrolls, but I've not plan to includue them, as they drive me mad as a viewer.
ads are not evil
And now I need to talk to you about why I play RAID: Shadow Legends and hide my IP using Express VPN ^TM
@@aminghafoori6496 oh, yes; they most certainly are! Lol
@doomtomb3 without vpn i could not watch this video because of cruel government censorship because our government thinks if they shut YT completely down nobody use these scammy apps just like you
Other channels: "I had to spend $5000, bribe border guards and take the COO of FedEx hostage to build this MEGA GAMING RIG!!!"
Explaining Computers: "This is the best I could get hold of at the moment without paying silly money."
This is what we love about this channel. It's based in the real world. Any of us could go online, buy these components right now and follow the video to build exactly the same PC.
"Is replacing motherboard and processor not building a new computer?" is essentially a modern version of the ship of Theseus paradox 😂
.... or Trigger’s Broom as modern classicists might refer to it.
I was beginning to wonder the same thing ;)
Ahhh, @Foxrain, you beat me to it! "Chip Of Theseus"!
@FoxrainFuture On the other hand, if I leave my keys in the car, Happy Birthday...
Even though it is an entry level PC,i would consider it a "sleeper". Kind of like putting a new engine and trans in the old family car.
Mouse = Rodent. Love it!
I was about to ask if that's the UK term for a mouse!
same, it never gets old
I don't use a mouse, anymore; I use a stoat...
That’s the cleanest “old PC” I have ever seen! 🤔👍
I was shocked to see what appeared to be a new plate under the motherboard :)
I don't even consider it old.
I always say the next step of removing your old motherboard, is to take it outside first and give it a good shake/blow or w.e
Made me laugh with installing the sticker for maximum chance of boot.
But it will not run at full speed, it does not have RGB in "go fasta red" :(
Considering the high price of CPUs, you might as well make good use of the sticker.
Correct stickers are essential for appeasing the computer's machine spirit.
now imagine - it would boot even faster if the sticker was red
One thing that always impresses me about your videos is the tempo , its always spot on , class editing and production
Your kind feedback is most appreciated.
That motherboard size is called Mini-DTX. It is compatible with some Mini-ITX cases because it uses four screws in the same position as Mini-ITX, but you can only install single-slot GPUs in most of those cases.
Exactly...i'm pleased someone pointed this out..DTX form factor is not recognised in Asia..they name them all mATX..This size is limited to only a couple of manufacturers..AsRock mainly..i bought one years ago from this make..i believe it was a Socket 1155 Sandy bridge..
I've never been more enthralled with someone installing a dual core budget chip into a 10-year-old case before. Your videos are phenomenal, Chris.
Thanks! :)
The Pentium Gold sticker definitely gives it a boost during the PassMark Test
:)
😂
Like go faster stripes on a car :)
These things cannot be left to chance. Chris is right.
@@anthonyfmoss Agreed✌️
22:45 A word of WARNING on Passmark Scores!: Version 9.0 of Passmark Performance test is used on the video but score number scale has changed since version 10 came out, at least with the CPU test. I've tried both versions as a quick test before posting this (hence the CPU test only, sorry). If you look up the mean submitted score for this Pentium Gold CPU on the Passmark website, based on Version 10 as I suspected, you can see it now gets 4161 points. This is quite relevant for people who compare CPU's relying on the said website (me for one).
Useful info, thanks for sharing.
As a non-native speaker I was curious when at 15:29 "...we now take out the satellite..." It happened to be "the SATA leads". 😊
Yeah Google auto captions struggle with technical terms sometimes and people who don't speak like Americans always.
@@rpavlik1 It weren't the auto captions. In the Netherlands we pronounce satellite (NL: satelliet) as satalead.
@@roelfbackus oh, lol, the auto-captions also transcribed it satellite
I've once read the comments under an Asian math professor's video on a calculus problem; people were asking what Chen Lu was. It was chain rule.
try watching HWunboxed with CC on - hilarious as they are from Australia and YT is struggling a bit "Welcome back to harbour unboxed..."
A simple PC upgrade for everyday tasks, not the one to put hole through pockets.
Good video Chris.
One tip to keep in mind is that some coolers have plastic over the thermal paste. Some it's like a sticker you have to remove, so just check before putting the cooler on. I have seen people put the cooler on like that (with the plastic sticker protector in place) and then wonder why their computer idles at 60 degrees F instead of a more reasonable 25-35 degrees.
although i also like other channels like LTT, EC is the only i one i know that builds PCs with affordable and realistic components (at least for me).
So: Thanks!
Love giving older machines a new life! Run Linux and os licensing is a non issue. Stick to cpu families and the kernel won’t need any updating either.
I appreciate the down to earth upgrade in terms of budget. We computer enthusiasts have a tendency to make a hole in our pockets, and actually most users don't really need all that computing power. A lot can be done with budget hardware and free software, and that's is why I'm looking forward to your next video.
Those close-up shots are really good. Thanks a lot, I always forget what is the negative in the front panel connectors, but it won't happen again.
but the problem is if you are on the smaller budget why would you go for the new stuff over used, you are pretty much paying more for weaker hardware just so you can have that insurance
Thank you for this clear explanation! I'm researching how to exactly the same thing....replace an old motherboard and processor, retaining as much of the old components as possible. This video showed me a number of things that hadn't occurred to me to consider.
Good luck with your project.
There's something relaxing and heartwarming about your videos. And this one looks like it could be a little toned down LowSpecGamer video regarding the capabilities of the PC. Looking forward to the next one, hope to see you again very soon!
You are a genuine tech teacher! Chris! Hopefully you should continue and keep up the good work. You are also a good founder to building up items perfectly. 😊
For me, Linux is the ultimate upgrade to any computer! Looking forward to the next episode. An XFCE distro would run like a dream on this setup!
absolutely in love with XFCE on my Linux Mint machines (all of them)
@@call_me_stan5887 I totally agree with you! XFCE is brilliant, even on older computers. Even my gaming pc is running linux, (MX Linux) and it runs everything perfectly. I also love how it is possible to change the appearance of XFCE to make it look absolutely beautiful! Thanks for the reply my Linux friend :)
18:25 You have part of the HDMI I/O shield bracket (earth connector) tucked inside the HDMI socket where as it should be resting on top of the socket. Don't worry, I have done this many times before on various different motherboard connectors and it's something I now specifically look out for when building new machines, as the only way to fix it is to remove and re-seat the motherboard, and you don't want to do that once you've continued to build the rest of the machine!
Do remember this is not real life -- it is a video shot single camera! :) On the B-roll take where the motherboard pokes through the back it is indeed a little offset. But this is not the case in the build.
Well spotted! You have a good eye for detail. Those metal earth tabs are always a pain when inserting a motherboard. I often tweak the angles of the tabs before assembly, as they often get flattened in the packaging (causing this “into the socket” assembly error).
Now that was a OLD computer. Great video.
L
@@laurabrown6085 Be gone, foul bot. Trouble this channel no more.
Maybe, but the board with the Pentium Dual-Core would have taken a Core 2 Quad or a 771-to-775-modded quad-core Xeon, which would have made an even greater video. Once the motherboard is replaced it's not the same PC anymore. At least the G4600 doesn't actually perform that much better...
By the way (posting here because this got "lost" in the too many comments) the power supply happens to be good quality, made by CWT who makes some power supplies for Corsair.
Was the upgrade worth it? I have a n old desktop that might be a candidate.
@@spuds6423 It solely depends on your personal needs and what you exactly defines as "worth it".
The epic need for speed will cost you a fortune however which way you look at it.
A superb video as always, Chris! As a longtime ago PC bench technician, this is one of the clearest explanations of upgrades for novices that I have ever seen. Now I know where to direct my less PC savvy but hands-on father if his old PC needs resurrection during lockdown. Those zoom shots of the connectors are terrific.
I live for the pause between "again" and "very soon", another brilliant videos to roast potatoes to
bro this is video make me fill i'm in still in 2013 . its so cool
This basically how my PCs evolve over time. Incremental upgrades over time. The best thing to do of course is to figure out whether a big jump spending a bit more money in the end is more cost effective than all those incremental upgrades. But then again - taking restrictions on time and money considering something chosen at one point in time might be different at another point in time. It's all relative.
Thanks for sharing this.
Yep... I have some that have crawled into the near-present through 3 or 4 upgrades, vastly extending their useful life. But once in a while the jump can't be made, or isn't really economical... and then we start the process again with a newer base.
But I still have parts in everyday service that were made in 1992.
@@Reziac - 1992? Like what? I've got some old hardware in use but nothing near that old IIRC in actual use.
@@ElmerFuddGun Actually, some of my still-installed floppy drives are older than that, tho see little use. But the P4 with ISA slots still has my 486's old original sound card -- bought in 1994, but manufacture date is 1992... it makes sound in DOS, and that's its job, so everybody happy.
DFI now makes an i7-9th-gen board with ISA slots, but they didn't think it would support a sound card. Still, if I were buying new....
@@Reziac - Wow a new motherboard with ISA slots. Maybe for those few companies that use some old (obviously) interfacing hardware that doesn't have a more modern implementation at reasonable cost.
@@ElmerFuddGun Yep, and DFI makes very nice quality boards (when I was building custom systems, I used them for my clients), and actual humans with real clues answer your questions. If I were buying a new modern board, their latest is seriously on my radar. (And you can buy direct cheaper than via any vendor.)
And yeah, there are tons of industrial setups that rely on ISA interface boards (which commonly cost 10 grand or more) that still do the work required, and replacing all that with "modern" equipment would be prohibitively expensive. So there's still a small but steady market for ISA slots.
But it gets worse... up through the late 1990s a friend scrounged every XT motherboard he could find, because his work needed them to interface with their garment cutting machines.... a better solution than coughing up six figures apiece for new cutting machines.
I have a P4-3GHz with ISA slots, an iBase MB800, that I got as a DOS gaming rig specifically for the ISA slots. It is now 18 years old, but still does the job. Tho I think its boot drive is even older. :)
Nice video. Just did an updated of my 12 year old system, a z600 workstation. Added an SSD, USB3 card and a 2nd hand Xeon 5675. Still running just fine and keeping my room nice and warm. 😅
Nice upgrade, super happy your going with Linux.
I like watching your video's feel's like stepping back into 70's with your style of presentation
I for one agree that using a new MB and CPU is building a new PC. Upgrade or new build, great video.
I am watching this video on a laptop with a Pentium Gold processor. I paid $150 USD on Black Friday 2020. This has become my daily driver as it is hands down the best PC I have at this time. I am an AMD fanboy. but I cannot beat this price performance of this 14 inch laptop!. Great video showcasing the strengths of this CPU.
The episode I’ve been waiting for. Thanks
Sunday's morning coffee doesn't taste the same without your video Chris, greetings from Honduras. Has been many years since l don't do a computer upgrade like this one, thanks ! Loved seeing the old CPU with all expansion cards!!!
Greetings from the UK!
Victor, If you enjoy old computer hardware check out LGR on youtube, especially some of his older stuff
I can't help but think of Trigger's broom with this project. Great stuff Chris. With the supply and demand gap at the moment, new builds are so much harder, so some selective upgrading is worthwhile.
Triggers Broom? Top videos. Love them.
A good, cost effective upgrade that will be more than adequate for the usual things like TH-cam, email, and buying stuff from Amazon. 😊
My own favourite upgrade for old hardware is a reasonably priced SSD and Linux Mint, which invariably gives a great performance boost, though I appreciate that many feel that leaving Windows is a step too far for them.
Thanks for yet another great video!!
When I started watching your channel about a year ago I was a life-long but very disillusioned Apple 'fan boy' looking to move onto an open source platform, and not knowing where to start.
I'm pleased to say that I watched this latest video on my newly self-built, silent, compact, desktop machine running Linux Mint.
Thanks for showing me the way, by making it all so understandable and look so easy.
Nice how you demonstrated the performance gain possible with modest hardware. The average person could easily do the same following your video. You also kept the build cost very reasonable but still chose good, reliable components. So many channels build extremely high cost systems that the average person really can not afford. With current shortages and cost increases your video will help a lot of people!
that little Pentium gold is quite capable - not a speed devil, but still. The price is a bit high, nonetheless.
Great upgrade series. It reminds me of an axe that was in my family for 160 years. In that time, it has had three head and seven handle replacements.
I've been a Mac user for a decade and the two computers I own are heavily proprietary and unupgradeable. One wasn't eligible for the newest OS upgrade. The next PC will be a Windows/Linux model. It's amazing how much things have changed in the past decade and a bit, but also how much remained the same.
Modern motherboard, cpu and ram do make a difference. Understand this is a budget build but it does the job. Another great video.
pc is all abt budget, buy whats best when you decided to buy
we used to 'compete' to buy used good ones, bcs availability was really bad back then, nothing but silverstone or kingston in stores, nowadays you can buy basically everything easily
My man you made computers yourself!!! you deserve award. MR COMPUTER IS YOUR VERY RECENT NAME. God bless you from Uganda.
Greetings from the UK! :)
Ship of Theseus springs to mind. 🤔
It's the PC of EC.
Nope, it's clearly not the same PC.
I have done exactly the same thing on a pc. I kept case, fans and psu. I also have no gpu. But my suggestion is to buy always a good psu. On another old machine i changed refurboshed dd3 mobo and ram and the refurbished psu (corsair) was shit causing random restarts. So i bought a new seasonic and now it works fine. PSU is the most important part of a pc while case is the less important.
This just goes to show that you don't need fancy odds and bits to get a *simple* , modern computing experience. No RGB, no water cooling, no dedicated graphics card.
This actually looks like a mini-ITX motherboard rather than micro ATX. Also maximizing the chance of a new machine working by applying all relevant stickers has been standard practice for me for years :D
It's more like DTX. ITX only has one PCIe slot and is square at 170x170mm
@@GodmanchesterGoblin Thanks for pointing out about the DTX size. To me it looked identical to the mini-ITX board I put in my media PC.
@@jb31842 There are a few DTX boards out there, and unless you know the differences to look for it's very easy to think they are ITX. Some cases sold for ITX will take them too, but many don't so you need to check.
I remember watching this channel around three years ago and then two years ago with Techquickie, it taught me what I needed to build my first computer and since then I haven't watched your video's since, it was interesting getting one of your videos recommended to be after almost two years.
Those old midi tower cases with their HDD stack at the front are few and far between these days. Always useful to keep hold of a case with plenty of space for spinning rust :) they make great NAS/Server cases on the cheap.
I so totally agree! :)
I subscribe to most of the Tech channels and I am happy to admit this one is my favorite. We are close in age, I took my first programming class in 1981, my first real computer was an Osborne running CP/M and was the only pre-built system I have ever owned, I have built every one of my PC's since. I am proud of only owning one Intel CPU and that was a 286/12 that was the first PC I built, since then every one has been an Intel alternative.
It does my old heart good to see you build with less than state of the art, mega buck components. Please continue on as you always have, it is content that is invaluable and I salute you for producing it.
Cheeky little cameo from a 386 there, sporting a math coprocessor. Very nice! 😍
I couldn't see if you had removed the battery or not. Rifas, Vartas, tantalums, and other ticking timebombs 😆
Excellent tutorial, I have been toying with the thought of doing exactly what you have done to the old 32 bit Desktop PC I have. I am going to to have a go, thank you. 👍
Good luck! :)
as always, an excellent video. The pacing, script and footage is spot on an makes understanding the whole process perfectly clear.
Glad to see some love for the Pentium G6400, it's amazing how capable the entry level cpus have become. Looking forward to the next video testing on linux and opensource software.
its 2 years old comment but i have to ask when you sayed "it's amazing how capable the entry level cpus have become" what did you mean since they are pretty much uselless outside of using them for net browsing, whats more entry level cpus become uselless like back in the day entry level cpus were the same as the higher tier one but just with a lower clock
Hi Chris. Your channel was my first go to TH-cam learning centre about 2 years ago. I picked up enough knowledge from you that aloud me to build my first PC in 15 years.
Today’s budget build will help anyone the has an old PC and a has limited funds. This is definitely not a build for anyone that interested in building a Expansible system that will allow them to swap out parts and upgrade there system to something more powerful. The parts section put limits on what you can add. The motherboard is a major holdback, adding a higher end CPU would require a larger power supply and the lack of a M.2 slot is disappointing.
Anyone that is in need of a more expendable system should review some of your past PC builds, the Ryzen system comes to mind.
Take care and will see you next week
Its good that you always offer plenty of comparisons with alternative options.
This is the most useful thing any reviewer can do.
FINALLY A NEW UPLOAD ABOUT OLD PC!! :D
And there's another next week! :)
The only difference I'd make on this build is to get the faster memory if you can afford it. The MB may support memory overclock and if the memory is rated faster it will be easier to overclock.
@@kevin34ct The H410 chipset is locked to 2666MHz for celeron-i5s and locked to 2933 for i7's and i9's I believe so it won't get past 2666MHz if I recall correctly. However, Intel doesn't really depend on RAM bandwidth as much as AMD Ryzen.
@@ExplainingComputers great series! Looking forward to the Linux install :-)
Transforming an outdated computer into a new powerful one is one of the most exciting hobby. Watching a freshly installed operating system start is also a moment of joy.
:)
Excellent video as always Chris! I would add that there are also ways to extract the windows 10 key from bios, and if your lucky enough to have a windows 7 sticker key on the side of an old PC that you no longer use, as of right now, it still activates windows 10.
Yeyyyy, my favourite channel
And there's another one next week! 😀
@@mohamedmimonasbai8563 another channel next week?
Reminds me of my grandfathers axe. I replaced the handle and my father replaced the head…but it’s still my grandfathers axe.
:)
Good video as usual. I actually "sidegraded" last year; I have a PC I built in 2013 with an AMD processor from a couple of generations back that didn't like Windows 10 very much. I got a Dell Optiplex 9020 mini-tower and swapped my PSU, graphics card, RAM, drives, my front panel USB 3 adapter with SD card reader and it works very much better with Windows 10. The only thing I added was an I7 4470 and a Dell to ATX PSU adapter cable. Total for the PC and parts was about $320. The reason that these Dell Optiplex models have proprietary PSU connectors is that they are workstations meant to be used in big companies like call centers. If you don't need to swap motherboards this is a good alternative for everyday use, light gaming or a good Linux box. The PSU adapter cables are trivially easy to pick up and cost around $10-$15.
Sidegraded -- I must remember that one! :)
I would like to see your sbc collection in one video.....from your first to the latest...
Now that would be an interesting video to make! Noted.
I did a very similar build upgrade a few years back Gigabyte H110m motherboard and Kaby Lake Pentium.
Noticed that my old Intel CPU cooler had a copper insert so re used it instead of the new one, with a $5 tube of Arctic MX-4 and it runs reasonably cool even under load.
Greetings Chris and everyone else
Greetings!
This should be on BBC2 on a Sunday morning
:)
no it really shouldn't.
I always like the slick black shirt you wear. however. A slick EC logo on the pocket would enhance it even more 🙂
Ah, a logo on the shirt. Now you have me thinking!
@AstroCat Was thinking that just after i posted the comment.
@@ExplainingComputers I hope so!
@@ExplainingComputers After I was shocked to see you wearing some other color, it occurred to me the black shirt is for greenscreening... it still looks really cool. Also a slick fit. I've never seen a nice shirt offered as merch, only T-shirts.
Well that was very informative. I had always assumed, obviously wrongly, that when you change the motherboard as long as you keep the drive with Windows on it, there would be no problem. That could be quite an additional cost. It keeps mounting up. Thank you for posting that, excellent as always.
This should be sent the The Verge, so they can see how things are done :D
I generally consider a "build" to be where you're replacing a motherboard and processor and re-installing the operating system software as a result. However, simply replacing or swapping out a CPU and/or adding memory, and/or adding a video card, I just call those upgrades (basically, where a new re-install of Windows or the OS isn't necessary). Of course with modern versions of Windows, you could try to re-use the previous install but you'd have to likely re-activate with a new key, so really it's the same thing as re-installing the OS other than you're not physically doing it, but in the eyes of MIcrosoft, for example, it would be a new computer (if you had to re-activate using a new key).
I would also strongly advise checking for a BIOS update when you install a new motherboard.
For example, the BIOS you have installed is v1.0 which is the release BIOS from June 2020.
There have been 2 additional BIOS updates since then, 3 if you include the latest Beta BIOS dated April 2021.
My main PC from many moons ago inhabits a very old Dell case. When a major PC manufacturer builds a case and compatible motherboard, the front panel plugs are guaranteed to be correct. Not only that they are grouped into a larger connector for efficiency in final assembly. In my case I have almost a dozen m/f pin cables aligning things up.
Enthusiast cases have pins like those shown with at most two front panel functions combined in a single dual connector as standards consolidate. The most common front panel functions are:
Momentary contact power on/off
Power LED
Disk activity LED
Momentary contact System Reset
Chassis speaker
There are several things that are becoming more standardized such as front panel USBs and audio connections.
I reactivated Windows 10 after swapping my motherboard, it was pretty straight forward.
Excellent -- but it does not always work . . .
Love the way you explain things and the good closeups. I built some new computers for myself and family recently and with parts left from their old builds I built another as a spare. GA-MA770-UD3 motherboard, Athlon 7750 2 core/2.7GHz and 8GB PC2-6400 DDR2. A new 250GB WD SSD and a cheap case. It is running Windows 10 Pro exceptionally well for general office work and internet Browsing (TH-cam mostly). For a 12 year old MB and CPU I think this is great.
Great video as always! I do want to give a small note that if you are going from an Intel CPU to AMD or vice versa, you _definitely_ want to reinstall Windows anyway, as the old installation will bluescreen every now and again due to having preinstalled drivers from the previous platform
Thank you for your material Chris. It is not just helpful, it is critical.
Right....I get it.....the GPU part will come years later 😉
Nice to see you did not use the driver-DVD as a frisbee, like so many other here at TH-cam do - forgetting that the manufacturers go through the "trouble" to produce and ship along such a disk.
Thought Id spoil myself and watch this on the big screen tonight rather than the phone.
Not disappointed 😊
Great! :) A good choice of EC video for larger screen viewing.
I did this upgrade Richard. The only issue I had was the front panel connectors on my old case were all merged into one so there was no option about which pins controlled the hdd leds or reset switch. I just connected the block. The only thing I really care about was the reset switch and that worked correctly. Windows 10 came up without batting an eyelid and I will be checking all the drivers in due course.
My old case had a built in SD card reader which had a four pin female inline connector. I wasn't sure what to do with it but it turned out to be a USB2 connection which fitted onto half a USB2 header on the motherboard. Initially I got no audio on my hdmi monitor but I just ran the autostart on the drivers disk and that sorted it. Sorry about getting your name wrong Christopher. Massive embarrassment.
This is a lot like the Ship of Theseus - If you replace all the hardware in a computer, is it the same computer?
Thanks! Always fun and relaxing watching your videos. Fun to see this upgrade, made me think if I would upgrade some of my old computets too. Lately I have mostly used SBC. ”Superhappy” fin!
People may scoff at the logic of upgrading to a G6400 but it's single thread performance is on par with a 3rd generation i7 and multi thread performance with 3rd generation i5.
Very well said.
@ExplainingComputers Wow, just wow! Only recently found your channel and knew instantly that this is a rare gem. You are crystal clear, precise, insightful and entertaining. I wish you had been my IT and/or English teacher! Keep up the good work!
Pentium Gold G6400 is an interesting pick, with only two cores I would not use it for anything other than office work.
Pentium Gold is their top of the line CPU. It's a very high-speed CPU. Nearly as good as i3 CPUs or i5 ones.
Indeed.
Thank your Chris. It is always a joy to have a new video each Sunday. I often wonder what your new space after renovations look like now? Maybe just a quick update like your 750k video. Congratulations on that btw. You are well on your way to one million I am sure.
My rennovations have been delayed by the third lockdown in the UK, but I will get there!
Ahh, the application of the cpu manufacturer sticker...
Love your; details ,speed, clarity, and this makes you my go to to understand a new topic. Other new builders videos can assume The audience has some knowledge, and understand terms.
"I am simply going to rapidly move on" Ha ha ha....classic ;-)
I am so glad you remembered the all important sticker. We all know the processor would have crossed it's arms, "hurrumphed" and refused to work if you hadn't. Great work, as always.
Love that new motherboard VOC smell.
Sensible upgrade and tips.
Yes, I agree. The smell is very distinctive.
The sticker was the most important step!
Very enjoyable to see any type of PC build. :)
NEW UPLOAD! AWESOME!
Great video. It was nice to see a non-bleeding edge PC being updated. I upgraded my current PC a few years back with a new graphics card and several extra hard drives, but the old computer (it's 5 years old now) is starting to get on a bit. I'll probably go for a full new PC, even in this crazy priced hard ware market, as I can't see that being fixed in terms of supply in the next two years. It's good to see upgrades being not as scary as people might think. ;-)
Thank you for these videos. Was just wondering what happened to explaining the future... I notice that you haven't uploaded in a year now.
I know, I will get back to ETF when time allows (which right now means August).
this is so helpful as a newbie to pc building!! very clear and i appreciate how well lit everything is so i can see and understand all
Thanks for this. :) You may also find useful my recent Ryzen build video: th-cam.com/video/Up4o9QQHJuY/w-d-xo.html
There are two different standards for the front audio connection (which has to do with different codec standards). If the case and the old motherboard are ancient enough, that front audio cable might not work with the new motherboard. I ran into this problem during an upgrade, and had to buy a new front audio panel that fit into the case's unused 3.5" front drive bay (floppy disk?).
This is an extremely important point that I should have mentioned in the video. The case I was using had both standard and HD audio connectors, but earlier cases will not as you say.
@@ExplainingComputers What's even worse is that the motherboard connector is the same between both standards, IE: you can physically plug the older front panel connector into the newer motherboard, and it won't function correctly. The good thing is that it also shouldn't damage anything, at least it didn't hurt the MB when I tried it. If you look at the manual for the newer and older mother boards you can see how the various pin functions were re-assigned between the two standards.
This was good to watch, and amazing how things have progressed. That heat sink alone was fascinating. You can tell they wanted to spiral out the heated air from the design, which is a massive change from the original Pentium processors.
Thanks for uploading this!
That's the one piece I wouldn't keep... they're adequate HSFs, but I'd swap it for just about anything with a copper foot and a more-captive fan. The blades out there where a strayed wire could hit 'em always gives me the heebie-jeebies.