I would tell Bob just to replace the whole system, assuming it’s the same computer for all
three questions. In 2020 I would not recommend eSATA to anyone. However, using a PCI
estate card would work, provided, he has an open PCI slot. This upgrade is under 20 dollars.
To use the USB port for a printer and a scanner, he could use a USB hub or just buy a
Multifunction Printer with Copy, scanner, and print functions. a USB hub on the cheap end
is around 12Dollars and sometimes less expensive depending on sales. Bob could buy an
NVidia RTX 2080TI GPU for 1600 dollars, but he is going to have CPU and Memory and
storage bottlenecks on an older system running Windows 8, and this just be a waste of
money. I would recommend upgrading to a new computer or buying a lower spec GPU that
will still give him an increase in performance without wasting money for an Nvidia RTX
2060.Depending on the GPU Bob is looking at 2000 or 750 Dollars for that cost, I would tell
Bob to buy or build a new system. Before giving any recommendations to my friend Bob, I
would ask him how much he is willing to spend on the computer. Being a four-year-old
desktop computer, it might require quite a number of upgrades. However, if the budget of
Bob is low, I would suggest him the eSATA Serial Port Adapter Hard Drive, which will
enable him to back up and store all the entertainment media. It would cost him nearly
$10.00.As Bob’s computer has only one USB port, but he wants to use the USB scanner as
well as the USB scanner, I would suggest him to get the Adesso AUH-2040 4-Port USB 2.0
Hub. This can support 4 devices at the same time and will prove to be beneficial for Bob.
This would could him around $15.99. Being compact and lightweight with a power-saving
switch is an added advantage. Now that Bob wants a better gaming experience too, I would
suggest him to buy the MSI GeForce GTX 1050. It is one of the best graphics cards when it
comes to gaming. It would cost him $170. Summing up all the costs, Bob will have to spend
nearly $196 in order to get all the required updates. I believe this a reasonable amount that
Bob can spend in comparison to investing more in buying a new system. It will be wiser for
him to make these updates rather than buying a new one. With Bob having a four-year-old
PC that has an out-of-date processor and a two GB of memory nor an eSATA port. It would
not be the best idea to put a lot of money to the current PC to upgrade it when you could go
and use the money it would cost to upgrade it to just purchase a new computer with the
specifications that you would like. If you still do not want to purchase a new PC then here
are some decent upgrades and prices for the part, Nvidia GeForce GTX 2080 Super Costing
nearly, It has excellent 1440p and 4K performance. This part is $700.Nvidia GeForce GTX
1660 is a bit cheaper and affordable one, It also has 1440p and has GDDR6 memory. This
part is $225.It is truly your choice on what route to take. whether it be buying a new PC or
upgrading your current one. When deciding to upgrade your current PC you want to make
sure that you replace old parts that may wear out soon if you aren't looking at too many parts
for the PC to upgrade and it saves you money then yes it would be a smart investment so
you don't go spend more on a new PC, but again if you are gonna spend a lot of money on
upgrading it might be better to buy a new one .If bob does upgrade doing the upgrade
himself he would be looking around $1,000 after taxes but if he takes it to a place to get it
down then maybe a bit more around $1,200 with labor and taxes. I’m definitely no expert
when it comes to computers. My honest answer that I would tell Bob will probably buy a
whole new computer. That is honestly my personal opinion. After a certain amount of years
computer start to get outdated. There was always some new updates each year with every
laptop or desktop. But ,in this situation as far as Bob looking to upgrade an computer that
has on with on port.You might as well just buy one of those usb multi ports.That usually has
about four ports. Price range for those run about $30- $80.As far as adding more space to the
desktop as far as memory. Bob can also buy an external hard drive to multi port.I have asked
actually bought one to use for my PlayStation.Depending on how much memory that you
may want.I personally prefer to get something that has a good amount of memory.A 4 TB
will cost any where from $60-100.Since Bob uses a Windows eight for his gaming. He can
get a XFX - AMD Radeon RX 580 GTS Black Edition 8GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0
Graphics Card.As far as the total cost everything was pretty much cost about $200.And this
right here is to be decent. You can obviously go cheaper than this if he wants. So the first
thing our friend Bob is going to need to get is a USB port hub so we can make all of this
possible. Once we have the USB Hub, we can then get a USB to eSATA adapter for Bob to
plug in the hard drive to back up his computer. We are looking at roughly $30 for a decent
USB hub that will provide enough hubs for any additional things Bob will want to use. The
USB to eSATA adapter will run us about $5. Now that we have the USB port Bob is also
able to plug in his printer. Without knowing all of the specifics for Bob's computer, and
going based off of this question alone, i am recommending he go with the Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2070 Super. It is one of the best on the market today. The cost of it is significant at
$499.00 but will provide Bob with a graphics card that will work for the foreseeable future.
All in total Bob is looking at an upgrade of around $535. I think with the upgrades needed
Bob would be better off investing this $535 into building a new computer himself. The
reason being is his onboard memory is low, and his processor is out of date. So even with
the good graphics card he will still have trouble running games. The easy solution to the
problem is to buy an inexpensive USB hub. The USB standard supports up to 127 devices,
and USB hubs are a part of the standard. A hub typically has four new ports, but may have
many more. You plug the hub into your computer, and then plug your devices (or other
hubs) into the hub. By chaining hubs together, you can build up dozens of available USB
ports on a single computer. Hubs can be powered or unpowered. As we learn on how USB
Ports Work, the USB standard allows for devices to draw their power from their USB
connection (all USB cables contain two wires -- for +5 volts and ground). A high-power
device like a printer or scanner will have its own power supply, but low-power devices like
mice and digital cameras get their power from the bus. The power (up to 500 milliamps at 5
volts) comes from the computer. If you have lots of self-powered devices (like printers and
scanners), then your hub does not need to be powered -- none of the devices connecting to
the hub need additional power, so the computer can handle it. This looks like it is going to
be a big upgrade and possibly expensive. Personally, I also store movies, media, etc. on an
external 1TB drive and it has been a really valuable purchase. I believe that a USB to eSata
converter cable should do the trick. One of these cables is available on Amazon for $30.18.
As far as the need for multiple USB ports, this can be fixed with a USB Hub. This item can
be purchased on Amazon for $9.99. Depending on whether Bob's USB ports are 2.0 or 3.0,
a 3.0 hub is backwards compatible and could also be used for previous generations. A
printer most likely only requires a 2.0 USB port anyways. EVGA GeForce 6200 512 MB
DDR2 PCI 2.1 VGA/DVI-I/S-Video Graphics Card on Amazon should do the trick as far as
being one of the fastest and best compatible graphics card with a PCI express video slot.
This card is approximately 175.00 and would be a descent choice. If you a more high end,
expensive option, then you could go with the Raedon R9 290X for $688.88 on Amazon.
This would be a huge upgrade to many things including the type/availability of newer ports.
Instead of VGA and DVI you could have HDMI and Display port which would get rid of
another adapter if Bob does a monitor upgrade in the future. The approximate total cost for
the upgrade to Bob's PC will be around 729.05 for the more expensive/better options. With
the cheaper graphics card it could be done for about $215.17. If Bob was in a tight financial
position then I could see him going ahead and doing this upgrade with a option to start
saving for a new PC in the future. I would tell Bob that this upgrade can be done but in the
future a new computer would be an amazing feeling! Also, if Bob doesn't already have the
external hard drive, he could get this one.Most AAA gaming titles will require much more
RAM than Bob has. If he is going to this upgrade his RAM sticks along with the
motherboard potentially, I would absolutely recommend a new PC at this point. Installation
system automatically detects any existing installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The
upgrade process updates the existing system software with new versions,but does not
remove any data from users' home directories. The existing partition structure on your hard
drives does not change. Your system configuration changes only if a package upgrade
demands it. Most package upgrades do not change system configuration, but rather install an
additional configuration file for you to examine later. Software you have installed manually
on your existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux system may behave differently after an upgrade.
You may need to manually reinstall or recompile this software after an upgrade to ensure it
performs correctly on the updated system. To upgrade your system using the installation
program, any software not provided by Red Hat Enterprise Linux that conflicts with Red Hat
Enterprise Linux software is overwritten. It's important to understand at least the basics
about what's going on inside your computer, and what a hardware upgrade can and cannot
do. You can't turn a slow computer into a fast one simply by increasing the size of a hard
drive. Likewise, upgrading the computer's processor probably won't make a computer that's
prone to crashing more reliable. I want to start by saying does Bob know the gravity of all
these upgrades? To make an upgrades on a computer that old is costly and it is really rear
that the good out weighs the bad. I would first ask Bob what is his budget, or what he is
looking to spend because making a gaming computer with what he has is going to be costly.
Lets start with the fact he has windows 8 operating system this system is no longer
supported by microsoft and is no longer receiving updates that can cause issues in the near
future. I know this from personal experience because I had a windows 8 computer that was
no longer able to go to basic site without an error and also I was sent an email and statement
that due to the no longer support it leaves your computer extremely vulnerable. I personally
from that alone would suggest a new computer.I got a message stating no more techniacal
support, no more software updates, and no more security updates. Then the Processor bing
out dated also doesn't help so that is already a start in the long road of updates. Then of
course there is the memory needed for your computer to function properly because 2 GB
will do absolutely nothing to help that will be worthless in seconds after installing just
software for the printer and scanner none the less gaming. So now another step to even get
to a functional computer. Also there is no eSATA port so he has to add one which isn't too
costly but another thing that is going to be a problem later. So then there is Bob wanting to
use a printer and scanner at the same time with limited ports. There is the option to get a
printer/scanner combo so it will only require 1 port or he can get a usb hub which is a cheap
fix but will cause a bottle neck effect. Then graphics cards are not cheap especially if you
want the best for your system their prices vary but they are costly.
So the cost I calculated for Bob he would be better off geting a new computer.
Hub -$3-$24 I went with the one that was $10.49
Graphic card $89 -$1299 but he wants the best so $1299 it is.
eSata converter $5-$79 I went with $22
Hard drive $99-$800 I went with $150
Processer $195-$423.96 i went with $360
Total cost $1,841.89
cheapest total $391
Yes it is $400 for the simple cheap updates but in the long run it will be nothing but a
headache especially trying to adapt every year when your technology continues to become
more and more outdated. I understand that Bob only has 2 GB of memory. I recommend that
Bob first upgrades his RAM. At least 8 GB of RAM for $41.99 would be suitable to run the
latest version of Windows smoothly. Since it sounds like he already has an external hard
drive with an eSATA interface, I would recommend that he purchases a USB 3.0 to eSATA
External Bridge Converter for $10.29 with shipping. The fastest slot to use is a PCIe x 16
connector. First, since he is requesting the fastest and best graphics card, I would first
recommend that he upgrade his CPU. I recommend Intel Core i7 9th generation as I've been
a loyal user of Intel for years. Ironically I was recently going to purchase a 2019 MacBook
with an i7 processor, which would have been terrible for gaming. Intel’s website shows that
it will be most affordable to purchase this from Microcenter for $359.99. Your friend Bob
has a four-year-old desktop computer that has an out-of-date processor and 2 GB of
memory. It does not have an eSATA port. Well for me, its seems like alot of work bob has
to be done, but it is capable. And will be kind of pricey.He wants an external hard drive with
eSATA and after researching I found one compatible with windows 8 or 8.1 on amazon ( FD
4TB external hard drive) for $150.00. And bob can also upgrade his processor.
As for Bob's gaming the fastest and best graphics card compatible with windows 8 that I
found and liked after searching is XFX- RD AMD RADEON EDITION WITH 8GB for
$159.99 at best buy. The prices varied but for the price and what you get, it seems like a
good price. For the external hard drive, seeing as how entertainment media in the form of
videos, takes up more space than music and photos. This would entail that a small 500Gb
hard drive could be less than required for a lot of space. This I would say minimum, a 1TB
external hard drive which will cost around 50 dollars. As for a processor, the lowest I was
able to find is an Intel I3 9100 which starts at 118 dollars. Already with taxes included we
are nearing $200. Memory sticks for RAM cards I found lower end for about 70 dollars as
well as an eSATA cable adapter from USB would be 30 dollars as well, where the issue with
not enough USB ports can be solved easily with a external USB hub would only be around
eight dollars. I found an amazing high end graphics card for 400 dollars, and it will support
all games as well as most operating systems, Windows 8 being included in that pool. After
taxes this all comes around to just over 800 dollars and unfortunately the work to be
included if he were to seek professional help would only run the amount up more. This
would honestly call for a new computer as some gaming computers can be purchased just
for around this price or higher and would entail a longer life for the new computer since the
old one that Bob had is outdated. After looking into the upgrades your wanting to do. I
would first recommend that you update your processor and your memory. Not only do you
need a good GPU, but you always need a processor that can handle what your GPU is
wanting to do. Also, with only 2 gbs of memory. Your bottlenecking yourself. I would shoot
for more in the 32 gb range. If you are not ready to upgrade. I would recommend the EVGA
GeForce GT 1030 SC Low Profile for $103.57. It is compatible with windows 8 and would
be a huge upgrade to your built-in graphics from your processor. When it comes to your
external hard drive with eSATA cable. Would recommend an eSATA to USB 3 adapter by
VANTEC for $18.78. It would allow you to connect your hard drive and would be your best
bet with your current set up. Which would lead me to your question that would bring up.
You only have one USB port. You want to use it for your printer and scanner. I believe I
have solved that problem too. Which is a USB 3.0 Hub Splitter from amazon for $11.99. It
will allow you to plug in up to 4 things at once. Which even with all your wanting to do, will
leave you with one extra port for future wants. Your total with the new GPU, eSATA to
USB, and the USB splitter is $134.34 before taxes. First and foremost I would ask how
much they are trying to spend because some people are on a budget. Once i know there
budget i will begin to look I found some on new egg if i had to recommend one it would be
the startech s351bmu33et esata. I chose this one because it has high stars on review and
people gave good reviews on product. This esata is $50.99. They also have different ones for
higher with great reviews to. Installing the new esata, I would recommend that he does it his
self to save money and if he needed help i would help him. I would tell him that there are
videos of installation instructions online just got to find the right one and have proper tools
in order to install. I found this through research online if he wants more usb ports he can
chain hubs together and with this he can build up dozens of usb ports on one computer. I
would recommend the amd radeon rx5700 graphics card. I found this on best buy and its
$199. The total cost of everything if he has tools and does it his self is $201 dollars. I think
in my opinion it would be wiser to purchase a new system i will ask the value of his
computer and if it cost less than upgrades I would say in a nice way and respectfully if i was
you i would purchase a new computer but if his computer has value and over the cost of
upgrades i would say keep computer and upgrade it if i was asked. The information I give
Bob will depend on his personal preference, as in the amount of money he wants to spend or
what kind of upgrade he wants overall. To perform this upgrade Bob will need to have more
memory so a bigger hard drive will definitely be necessary to perform an upgrade. By
upgrading is software and hardware he should be able to store more entertainment media.
Like I said price depends on his preference. There are a few choices Bob can get to be faster
than his current one and has better graphics. I found a few different options online, the
GeForce GTX 2080 Super costs around $700. Another good one is GeForce GTX 1660 is a
little bit cheaper it cost $225. Those are just a few different ones to choose from depending
on how much he wants to spend on the parts. I do think it is wise for him to buy these
upgrades because of what he wants his system to do, I do not see how he could get what he
wants without upgrading at least some parts. First things first, I always tend to ask someone
how much they're willing to spend to upgrade an old system. If they aren't comfortable
spending over 500 dollars it's time to purchase a new PC. Since it is an old system I'll tell
them you're looking at around 600-800. It sounds like you won't be needing very much. Of
course, if you're aiming to make your computer more gaming based, it will definitely be
more expensive. More fans to cool, more graphics cards, faster RAM etc. For productivity I
would like the machine to run windows 10, it's simply more user friendly and is better
maintained and supported. I am almost certain windows 8 has lost any sort of developer
support by now. But with this new processor comes a new motherboard which is good,
because 1 free USB port won’t cut it. I think for a motherboard I will suggest something that
leaves room to change or upgrade down the road. The MSI Z390 ($190) can support 4 RAM
slots, 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports, which is good for what Bob needs. Windows 8 spec
in 2016 (Computer / processor= (2GHz) with SSE2 instruction set HardDisk 3GB; Display
Graphics hardware acceleration requires a DirectX10 graphics card and 1024 x 576
resolution). After researching graphic cards for DirectX10 and resolution, I thought this
might be a trick questions because I had a hard time finding cards for Directx10 with
1024x576 resolution without wondering what is wrong with this picture. I believe these
items will help Bob accomplish his goal; he isn’t spending a lot of money on his upgrades
and they all should be compatible to what is currently in use. If he decided to purchase
another systems all of these items should become useful even with the newer system. My
only concern with the graphics card upgrade is the Directx10 resolution; if the specs are a
match. All of these items were a purchase suggestion from places that offer return and two
of the items had warranty. The total cost of this project upgrade $116.00; I added in the cost
of shipping 20.00 and that’s how I got this total. The first thing i would ask Bob is how
much he is looking to spend on the upgrade since with the system being this old it might be
time for a large upgrade. if he doesn't want to spend a lot and wants to just work with this
system i would first obtain an eSATA to USB 2.0 converter so the external hdd with
interface with his system. Since Bob wants to use a USB printer and a USB scanner i would
also look into a usb hub. If he has a spare 5.25 slot in the case i would actually recommend
a data hub with esata and usb ports as long as the psu and the motherboard would support
the addition to the system. as of right now i will be working with the usb hub and esata to
usb converter. Since he is also looking to send a lot of data outside of his main hdd i would
look into his current processor and motherboard to see what is the max ram and speed of
ram his current system can upgrade to since the DIMM cards will be working overtime to
send a lot of back up and media to this drive leaving very little for the actual processing of
the main unit. i dont know what kind of cpu he has so taking my best guess since the os has
windows 8 its celeron or newer and celeron was released in 2000 to that makes me believe
he likely has an intel i5 4th gen the release dates for certain models of the i5 was between
2015 and newer using the older LGA1150 socket. depending on what he would like to spend
and what processor and what pcie expansion slot it is i would recommend a geforce gtx 1050
msi as long as the psu can handle the 150w increase.
