Ten PC upgrades under $50
Upgrading your PC doesn’t have to hurt your bank balance. Darren Yates reveals his top-ten budget PC upgrades, each costing less than $50.
It’s a tough time for everyone at the moment, so that perfect PC upgrade might be off the table for the time being. However, that doesn’t have to mean foregoing everything. I’ve come up with ten PC upgrades designed to spruce up your existing system and keep it humming while we wait for COVID to rack off. Best of all, each one costs less than $50.
UPGRADE 1: A new SSD ($44)
SSD prices continue to fall steadily, despite COVID and a wobbly Aussie dollar. Even at the budget end of the market, you’ll find Western Digital’s 240GB Green SSD and Crucial’s 240GB BX500 2.5-inch models both selling for as little as $44 retail. Running an SSD as your system’s boot/OS drive is a no-brainer, but with 240GB on offer for under $50, it’s arguably the best way to perk up an HDD-based system without blowing the budget. If you’re after an M.2 option, the 240GB WD Green is available at the same price. Make sure, first, that your OS and motherboard will support the SSD you buy.
UPGRADE 2: More RAM ($49)
RAM prices are also looking good, although much better if you’re running a recent system. If your box uses DDR3 RAM, you’ll find 4GB sticks for just under $50. For those running a newer PC with DDR4 RAM, your $50 will buy as much as 8GB in a single stick. More RAM won’t necessarily speed up your PC, but it will allow you to do more before your PC has to page out excess data to storage. That also helps your SSD live long by reducing the number of pagewrites. More RAM can often help games too.
UPGRADE 3: Keyboard/ mouse combo ($39)
One of the cheapest ways to feel like you’ve upgraded is a new keyboard/mouse combo. Budget wired sets start from under $20, with wireless keyboards starting at around $35. If you’re ready for a full wireless keyboard/mouse set, they start at just under $40, such as Logitech’s MK220 combo for around $39. Don’t expect to find any keyboards with Cherry MX switches this side of $50, but a new keyboard/mouse combo can still feel like you’ve given your pride-and-joy a new coat of paint.
UPGRADE 4: Better cooling ($40)
Summer means heat and if you’re rocking a stock cooler, you might find some heavier-duty metal can keep your system cooler and quieter for longer on those hotter days. There’s no water-cooling at this price, nor a Noctua. Even a Cooler Master Hyper 212 is off the menu. However, the Antec C40 and Cooler Master Hyper T4 at around $45 aren’t far behind the Hyper 212 and quite a bit cheaper. The C40 gets my nod for its 8mm-thick copper block. As usual, check the space around your CPU socket first to ensure any cooler you buy will fit. Also, beware of coolers that put too much weight-strain on the motherboard without sufficient support.
UPGRADE 5: USB sound card ($15)
My PC has terrible on-board audio with noticeable buzzing. However, I’m not ready to part with the old box just yet, nor am I that fussed. I use a USB sound card or ‘DAC’ (digital-to-analog converter) if you’re an audiohead. These sell for as little as $3 on Ebay. However, neither the price nor the brand on the device
“Summer means heat and if you’re rocking a stock cooler, you might find some heavier-duty metal can keep your system cooler and quieter for longer on those hotter days.”
matters as much as the DAC chip inside. The $3 specials usually have the competent C-Media CM108 chip, but spend $15 and you can get a Burr-Brown/TI PCM2704 chip. Burr-Brown is one of the golden names in audio electronics and a DAC with this chip inside should do nicely.
UPGRADE 6: Faster Wi-Fi ($35)
On-board Wi-Fi has become more common on recent motherboards, but it’s still a feature best added and upgraded externally. Thankfully, there are plenty of USB-ported Wi-Fi adapters available. The Simplecom NW621 selling for around $35 is one of a number of AC1200 dual-band options, but includes a 5dBi antenna for better range. You’ll need an 802.11ac router to get maximum value from it, but it’ll work with 802.11b/g/n as well. If you’re still on 802.11n, adapters start from as low as $10.
UPGRADE 7: USB Gamepad ($49)
If a PS5 is out of the question and your PC still has sufficient gaming speed, save your keyboard and consider a USB gamepad. The Logitech F310 wired USB game controller has been around for years and is now just this side of $50. It features two input modes – DirectInput and XInput – so you should find it works with most modern and classic games alike. With a USB OTG cable, it may even work with some games on your Android device. A new video card might suit you more but even the GeForce GT710 starts at $60.
UPGRADE 8: USB CD-R/ DVD-ROM drive ($20)
Most systems might not feature an optical drive these days, but I couldn’t live without having one nearby, whether for ripping DVDs and CDs, loading backups or just to show the young-uns. USB DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drives sell on Ebay for around $20, but you’ll find a name-brand DVD burner such as LG’s GP60NB50 for under $40. The Ebay specials don’t come with software, but can work without external power, provided you have a decent USB power setup.
UPGRADE 9: Better headphones ($50)
The word ‘better’ is definitely relative in this case, as finding decent headphones for under $50 isn’t easy. Two of the better on-ear sub-$50 options are Sony’s MDR-ZX110 and Audio-Technica’s S100iS. Forget anything wireless at this price-point – it’s wired-only here (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing). However, if you can push the budget, we’d prefer a pair of Sennheiser HD300’s at around the $80 mark.
UPGRADE 10: OS refresh (free)
No upgrade guide worth its weight can leave this one out! Yes, it’s often a long, drawn-out process, but reinstalling your system’s OS will definitely feel like a spring clean, remove all the rubbish and perk up your system again. Remember to backup all your important files and make sure you have all the software installation files, media and install keys ready to go (and know what you’re doing!) before you start. If you follow upgrade #1, you’ll need to do this anyway, but having done it myself recently, it’s definitely worth the effort.
If you can’t go all out on a bold rebuild, these budget upgrades can help your existing system cycle along for a while yet without killing your credit card.