Upgrade CPU for oldish PC

[cgphillips]

Hi,

Looking to upgrade my PC for better performance but finding hard to find a suitable CPU.

My current PC is 

System Manufacturer  HP

Model                           23-b090ea

Type                             x64-based PC

System SKU                 C3S61EA#ABU

Processor                     i5-3330S CPU @ 2.70GHz, 2701 Mhz, 4 Cores

TDP                                65W max

BIOS version/date        AMI 8.08 26/09/2012

SMBIOS Version          2.7

Embedded Controller Version   255.255

BIOS Mode                  UEFI

Baseboard Manu         PEGATRON CORP

Baseboard Product      2AED

The HP support website gives a list (see below) but not sure what is better performance to my current CPU

• TDP: up to 65 W
• Socket type: LGA 1155
• Motherboard supports the following processor upgrades:

  Processor	TDP
  Intel Celeron G4xx (Sandy Bridge) Single Core	up to 35 W
  Intel Celeron G5xx (Sandy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Pentium G6xx (Sandy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Pentium G8xx (Sandy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Celeron G16xx (Ivy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 55 W
  Intel Pentium G20xx (Ivy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 55 W
  Intel Core i3-3xxx (Ivy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 55 W
  Intel Core i3-3xxxT (Ivy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 35 W
  Intel Core i3-2xxx (Sandy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Core i3-2xxxT (Sandy Bridge) Dual Core	up to 35 W
  Intel Core i5-2xxxS (Sandy Bridge) Quad Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Core i5-3xxxS (Ivy Bridge) Quad Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Core i7-2xxxS (Sandy Bridge) Quad Core	up to 65 W
  Intel Core i7-3xxxS (Ivy Bridge) Quad Core	up to 65 W

  Rgds

  Carl

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Carl:

Looking at the processor specs you posted, this would be the best processor you can upgrade to...

Intel Core i73770S Processor 8M Cache up to 3.90 GHz Product Specifications

If you don't need all 2 TB of the drive space that your PC came with, have you replaced the mechanical hard drive with a 2.5" solid state drive?

A 500 GB - 1 TB SSD is pretty reasonable.

You may want to do that first before upgrading the processor.

[cgphillips]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the reply.

I hadn't considered replacing my drive for a SSD.

Since I have only used 590Gb then a 1 Tb drive would suffice.

To make sure I get it right can you let me know which type of SSD I will need to fit my baseboard and also a link/video/tutorial on moving data and programs from the old drive to the new drive for an all-in-one PC.

Rgds

Carl.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Carl.

Here is the link to the service manual for your PC which has the hard drive removal and replacement procedure.

Upgrading and Servicing Guide (EMEA with shipping label) (hp.com)

Since the existing drive is 3.5" and SATA SSD's are 2.5", you would need to buy a 3.5" to 2.5" adapter to secure the 2.5" SSD where the 3.5" drive mounts to.

I recommend the Western Digital Blue 1 TB 2.5" SSD which has the best performance.

WD Blue 3D NAND Internal SSD 2.5 Inch SATA - 1 TB, Blue - High Performance : Amazon.co.uk: Computers...

My second choice would be a Crucial MX500...Only the write speed is a bit slower than the WD Blue drive has, and it is considerably less expensive.

Crucial MX500 1 TB CT1000MX500SSD1-Up to 560 MB/s (3D NAND, SATA, 2.5 Inch, Internal SSD), Black : A...

Since I always reinstall the operating system, programs and files on new drives, the only suggestion I can offer would be to probably use the free Macrium Reflect software, and clone the existing drive configuration to the SSD before you remove the existing drive.

You want the software listed on the left side of the page under the Backup at Home section

Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition

You will need a SATA to USB adapter.  Plug the SSD into one end of the SATA adapter, the other end into the PC's USB port.

iitrust USB 3.0 to SATA Adapter Cable for 2.5" SSD HDD Drives - SATA to USB 3.0 External Converter a...

Then run the Macrium Reflect software and select the option to clone the drive.

Once the clone is done, remove the original drive, install the SSD, and you should be good to go.

[cgphillips]

Hi Paul,

WD Blue drive purchased, waiting on delivery.

Will the Macrium Reflect just clone the entire drive or Is there an option to create a 250GB partition I can install Windows and download the required drivers ?

Rgds

Carl.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Carl:

I only used Macrium once to clone a drive, and it cloned the whole thing.

I don't remember if you had any options other than to 'clone the drive.'

If the clone is successful, you shouldn't have to install any drivers.

It should be just as it is now except the drive performance should be significantly improved

[cgphillips]

Hi Paul,

I am having an issue when trying to clone my disk.

It states "Insufficient space on destination drive"

I have formatted the 1Tb disk and it says  931Gb available.

My current drive is as follows according to Macrium.

Can you help please advice?

Rgds

CArl

[cgphillips]

Hi Paul,

This is what it shows

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Carl:

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to help you with that problem.

You may have to find a different cloning software program that will allow you to clone a larger capacity drive to a smaller one.

Apparently Macrium Reflect does not have that capability.

I've only used to clone a drive from the same storage capacity to another one having the same storage capacity.

[cgphillips]

Hi Paul,

It is all sorted now.

I should have done a bit more investigating.

Macrium does allow you to shrink partitions to allow cloning to smaller drives.

Thank you for all your assistance.

Rgds

Carl.