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Question

Trying to upgrade computer for Game Development and Art

Oct 16, 2018 10:45AM PDT

I'm trying to gather materials to start getting into Game and Music Development. I'm a 2D digital artist and would like to start getting into 3D modeling and coding, however my computer is far too slow working with game coding programs and music programs (like unreal engine 4 and a few others).

The computer I currently have running is a Windows 8.1 64-bit with 8 gigs of ram and an AMD A8-6500 APU processor with Radeon HD Graphics- all up to date.

The best case scenario is that all I need to do is to upgrade the mother-board or RAM, but I wanted to get some answers from people who know more about this than I do.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
This is similar to an old laptop we have.
Oct 16, 2018 10:50AM PDT

It's the A8 powered Asus K55N and there's little we can do to boost it's performance. 16GB won't get you much but if you change the HDD to SSD that's a better bump in overall performance.

If this is some desktop (don't see it here) maybe, maybe a CPU change wand getting a GPU would help but that's not possible yet.

Try supplying the Web Speccy and reveal the make, model of the desktop.
How: https://www.piriform.com/docs/speccy/using-speccy/publishing-a-speccy-profile-to-the-web

Post was last edited on October 16, 2018 10:53 AM PDT

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More on the computer specs
Oct 16, 2018 10:58AM PDT

Yep it's Desktop- a Dell specifically. Thats all I know of the build- we bought it back in 2015 I think, if that says anything at all. I dont have access to my Desktop at this very moment so that's all I can tell you.

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Just a preface on the possible CPU upgrade.
Oct 16, 2018 11:04AM PDT

More RAM won't move the needle much. High dollars for 1% gain.

SSD really helps all around.

The Speccy will tell if it's uses the A8 graphics or (better) some GPU. For games, the GPU matters most but the A8 isn't fairing well against my go to standard, the i5-2500. Source:
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-2500-vs-AMD-A8-6500-APU/m517vsm5272

So this means the only exit is to see if there is any CPU upgrade available. For this we google the exact machine and hope to find others that succeeded.

-> "What if I change the motherboad?"
PRE-ANSWER: A lot more to spend as the OS is usually and always toast. That's another 100 to spend.

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Thanks!
Oct 16, 2018 11:08AM PDT

I'll look into that further. I've seen a lot of computer builders upgrade subpar models so I'll see if I can find a local computer shop in town that could help if all else fails. Thanks again!

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Speccy Results
Oct 16, 2018 5:30PM PDT

Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-bit
CPU
AMD A8-6500:
83 °C
Richland 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (11-11-12-2Cool
Motherboard
MSI 2AE0 (P0):
33 °C
Graphics
2252W (1920x1080@60Hz)
768MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 8570D (HP):
21 °C
Storage
1863GB Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH164 (SATA ):
29 °C
Optical Drives
hp CDDVDW SH-216DB
Audio
IDT High Definition Audio CODEC

So here is the Summary of what Speccy gave me. I'm not sure if this helps at all or not (I'm not computer savvy at all...)

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Speccy
Oct 16, 2018 6:11PM PDT

Go back and reread how to publish a speccy.
No need to copy pieces of the report to paste into the forum.
If you do it correct all you will need to supply is the link that speccy gives you.

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That's not right.
Oct 17, 2018 9:56AM PDT

Reread how to publish but the little you gave shows 2 areas of concern.

1. 8.00GB Single-Channel. You want dual channel.
2. That Seagate. I have to see the full report but many show issues with values 01 and 07. When you see that the owner is complaining about performance, BSODs, hangs and more.

The full speccy will show that and more. And of course fixing the single channel issue and moving to SSD will give a nice speed boost.