Ways to Save Money When Upgrading Your PC

Ways to Save Money When Upgrading Your PC Picture 1

Plan for hardware upgrades

Planning ahead is always a good way to spend your money wisely. Start by comparing what you want to what you have. For example, if you want a better gaming computer or video editing tools, look at the system requirements for your favorite games or the software you want to run. That will give you a good idea of ​​how much you want to upgrade your computer.

To check your current hardware, press Windows + R at the same time to open the Run dialog box, then type msinfo32. This will open the System Information Utility and give you a quick overview of the components that make up your current system. Keep this list handy as it will be useful for the next step.

Make a list

Once you have the specs for your desired system and an overview of your current system, head over to PC Parts Picker. There, you can build your ideal system using its extensive hardware database. It has prices for a variety of components, but you don't have to buy them directly; PC Parts Picker also includes links to other sites.

Additionally, the site will give you an overview of the system you want, an estimate of costs, and a warning if any of your components are incompatible. You can add any parts you want to keep from your current system to the list; just ignore the listed prices. Once you're done, you'll have your desired shopping list.

Research and compare prices from different retailers

One of the best features of PCPartPicker is its price comparison tool. The site not only lists every computer part, but also every retailer that sells them. You can scroll through to see the best prices for each part in your build, and even check recent price trends to see if you're getting the best deal. If you're not satisfied, you can even set alerts to be notified when a product's price drops below a certain price. You can also check physical stores like Micro Center and online forums like r/buildapcsales, where Redditors post daily deals on computer components.

Search for Promotions and Discounts

If you're not in a hurry to upgrade your PC, you can wait until a sale or Black Friday to buy PC components at a bargain price. Most PC components, including CPUs, GPUs, RAM, motherboards, etc., are heavily discounted during Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber ​​​​Monday, making these the best times to build a powerful PC without breaking the bank.

Reuse old computer parts

If you're upgrading from another computer, chances are you still have some good computer parts that you can reuse. This can save you a lot of money. Motherboard standards (ATX, IXT, and mATX) haven't changed much in the last decade, so any recent case will work fine with your new computer. This extends to SSDs and even RAM, if they're compatible with your new motherboard. Most motherboards now support DDR5 RAM, although some use the older DDR4 standard.

Be careful when reusing important components like the power supply, however. If you upgrade to a more powerful CPU and GPU, you'll need a power supply that can keep up with the increased power demands. Be sure to buy a new power supply if your old one isn't enough. Don't worry if there's nothing you can reuse in your old computer, as you can still sell it or most of the parts and put the money toward upgrading your rig.

Here are some tips for upgrading your PC without spending too much money. Hope this article is useful to you.

Micah Soto

Update 06 October 2024