Acer Aspire GX-785 Looking for compatible components to upgrade my PC

MLS_53

I've now had this computer for 5+ years and have recently been noticing the lack of performance, so I am now looking for some new components. But before i go and buy some components which aren't compatible, I wanted to see if you have any recommendations for me.

Motherboard: Acer Aspire GX-785
Chipset: Intel B150 (Skylake PCH-H)
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 @ 3.60GHz
RAM: 2x SK Hynix HMA81GU6AFR8N-UH
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

After monitoring the task manager for awhile, I've mostly noted the RAM struggling to keep up. Since the RAM is upgradable to 32GB I wanted to buy 2x 16GB RAM (I've been told that's the better option instead of 4x 8GB). Since I've not been able to find a list of supported/compatible RAM components and me not wanting to buy the wrong ones, I wanted to ask you 😀

Also if the watt usage (max intake of 500W) allows it, up to which graphic card can i upgrade my build?

[If you need any additional informations, please tell me and I'll provide them]

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/695447/looking-for-compatible-components-to-upgrade-my-pc

You already have 2x8GB DDR4-2400 RAM installed, running in Dual Channel mode, 16GB is plenty memory for any application. If you want more memory, RAM supports DDR4 1.2V 2133/2400 MHz U-DIMMs (4GB, 8GB or 16GB) dual channel up to 64GB total memory, number of DIMM slots 4. One user installed successfully these modules with Intel XMP 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017NW5NZY/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/695447/looking-for-compatible-components-to-upgrade-my-pc

For the amount of money that you would spend to upgrade this desktop you would be 100% better off just buying a new desktop, as you will never ever be able to upgrade and/or make your old Aspire GX-785 to perform anywhere near and like today's desktops.

My advice to you is to sell this Aspire GX-785 on eBay or on facebook marketplace etc etc and buy yourself a reasonably priced Acer Celeron 7305 or an Intel 12th Gen cpu Win-11 desktop like an Acer Chromebox CXI5 or an Acer Aspire XC-1760 or an Acer Veriton X2690G or whatever your budget is, as you will be much better off.

a_happy_laptop_user

It's great that you're considering upgrading your PC to improve performance. Let's address the RAM upgrade first and then discuss the graphics card upgrade.

RAM Upgrade:

Given that your Acer Aspire GX-785 has an Intel B150 chipset and supports a maximum of 32GB of RAM, you can indeed upgrade to 2x 16GB modules. However, it's crucial to consider the following:

1. Type and Speed of RAM: Check the type (DDR4) and speed of your existing RAM modules (e.g., 2133MHz). When upgrading, try to match these specifications for optimal performance. The new RAM should be compatible with the existing modules.
2. Number of Memory Slots: Ensure that your motherboard has two available RAM slots for the additional modules.
3. Brand Compatibility: While motherboards generally support a wide range of RAM brands, it's a good practice to check the motherboard's manual or Acer's official website for any compatibility lists or recommendations.

Graphics Card Upgrade:

1. Power Supply Unit (PSU): As you mentioned a max intake of 500W, you need to check the wattage and connectors of your current power supply. A more powerful graphics card may require a higher wattage PSU. Make sure the new GPU is compatible with your existing PSU.
2. Physical Space: Confirm that there is enough physical space in your case to accommodate a larger graphics card. Measure the clearance from the PCIe slot to the case's side panel.
3. PCIe Version: Ensure the compatibility of the graphics card with the PCIe version of your motherboard. The Acer Aspire GX-785 likely has PCIe 3.0, but it's good to double-check.
4. Compatibility with CPU: Bottlenecking can occur if your CPU significantly lags behind the GPU's capabilities. However, upgrading to a more powerful GPU than your current GTX 1060 should still provide a noticeable performance boost.

Popular mid-range graphics card options include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, but your choice may also depend on your budget and specific performance requirements.

Before making any purchases, it's advisable to consult your motherboard's manual, Acer's official documentation, and possibly Acer's support to ensure compatibility and avoid any potential issues.

billsey

Although I mostly agree with Steven, you are better off with a newer computer than with this old one, I also recognize that might not be a realistic option. You didn't mention what size and type of drive is installed. Your system likely came with a typical HDD but some of these came with a SSD instead. If yours is running off a HDD you will see a significant improvement in overall performance by changing to a SSD. Your system has an M.2 slot for a SSD, specs call for SATA but the block diagram suggests an NVMe x2 drive should work as well, and be faster than the SATA type. With a SSD as your boot and system drive, along with the 16GB of memory you have now, you should be good for a while longer, at least until Microsoft drops support for Windows 10. At that point to are going to want to upgrade to a new machine anyway.

To change from the HDD to SSD put the new SSD in your computer, it's #3 on this diagram:

You might have to purchase a screw for it, if there isn't a screw already in one of those standoffs that the red line goes through. It's an M2x3.0 with the wide head used for M.2 cards.

Once it's installed use almost any of the cloning software packages (I used the free version of Macrium Reflect last time I did one) to clone your existing drive to the new one. That will resize the C: partition to match the drive size and leave the rest of the partitions alone. When the cloning process is done reboot into the BIOS and change the settings to enable the F12 boot menu (it might already be enabled, but by default it's not). Save and exit then use F12 to get the boot menu and choose the new SSD as your boot device. Once Windows is up and running verify things are working as expected, then use Disk Management to remove all partition on the old HDD and create one big data partition on it. At that point you are good to go and you should be seeing a bunch of extra speed…