Question Looking to upgrade/optimize 10 year old computer - help!

[BDMann]

Hello! I have been using the same computer I built over 10 years ago (with the help of this forum) and it has still been running fairly well but I think it is time for an upgrade. Lately it just can't quite keep up with the games I want to play like Apex Legends and other newer titles. It can run it, but is frustrating to play with low settings and low fps. I would probably want to upgrade the RAM and add an SSD and maybe upgrade the graphics card if its possible but am unsure where to start and what would be compatible with my existing components. I'm still running windows 7 so perhaps getting an SSD and moving the OS to that along with upgrading to windows 10/11 would be a good idea? Maybe look into getting a better CPU cooler and overclocking? I am looking to get any opinions on whether I should upgrade this PC or just buy/build a brand new one in the current market. If upgrading/overclocking what I got is the way to go right now then any tips on new parts to get or ways to speed up this old girl would be awesome! Thanks!

Here are my current specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler included with CPU
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: 2x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Video Card
Power Supply: Corsair GS600
Operating System: Windows 7

I appreciate any insights or advice anyone might have on what I could do with what I got! Thank you!


Additional Info:
Approximate Purchase Date: Originally 10 years ago, 2012. New components can be purchased anytime
Budget Range: Unsure at the moment, no set budget but not willing to spend $800 for a new graphics card
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, watching youtube, SolidWorks CAD, light photo/video editing
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: GPU, RAM, Cooler?
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, upgrade to Win 10
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or amazon.com
Location: Washington State, USA
Parts Preferences: Compatible with existing components
Overclocking: Yes / Maybe
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I'm having trouble running games like Apex Legends and general file explorer tasks and multitasking is slow
Goal: Run games like apex at a constant 60-144 fps

 

[g-unit1111]

Wow, hard to believe the 3570K is a 10 year old platform now. I don't know if there's anything you could salvage from this build other than the hard drives, but even then you're better off going M2. You could always put the hard drives in an external enclosure. If you buy a new one I'd suggest going the Ryzen 5800X route, though you can't go wrong with the i7-12XXX series.

 

[teutoniswolf]

Good evening,

I agree with g-unit1111. You could bring the hard drives with you but nothing else would really be worth it. Since you keep your rigs for a very long time I would shoot for an M.2 like he said for best speeds throughout. You could use SSDs over SATA which are plenty but since you hold on to yours forever I would just do M.2 out of the gate. You may want to look at an X570 board paired with an R7 5800X for best power/performance and an RX 6800XT for good measure for graphics.

 

[USAFRet]

Here are my current specs:

Given those parts, you're at the point of "change one, change all"

Maybe keep the case, and the HDDs as secondary storage.
Everything else...replace.

 

[thx1138v2]

If you are going to upgrade your DRAM you'll need a new mobo and with other components being 10 years old I would say to build a whole new machine.

I see everyone thinks keeping the HDD's is a good idea but I would have 2nd thoughts about that just because of the age. You should definitely get an M.2 NVMe SSD for the new OS.

And since you are still running Win7 you might have trouble finding drivers for newer components so upgrade the OS also. I'm not convinced Win11 is the way to go but end of life is coming for Win10.

You can keep your current machine in its case and use the machine as a backup if you also buy a new case for the new one. At that point you should probably also splurge for a new display, keyboard, mouse, etc. and have two independently functional machines .

 

[Why_Me]

Choose a case.

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1444449
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or ...

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1445087
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti XC GAMING 8GB GDDR6 LHR Graphic Card + EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G5 80 Plus Gold Power Supply + EVGA X17 Wired Customizable Gaming Mouse + Xbox Game Pass For PC 2 Month Membership (Email Delivery) $689.96

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119543
ASUS PRIME B660-PLUS D4 $139.99

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $199.98

https://www.amazon.com/quiet-BK007-Elegant-Surface-Technology/dp/B087VL2Z21/
be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black 150W TDP CPU Cooler $44.90

https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-T-Force-Vulcan-3200MHz-Desktop/dp/B07T637L7T/
TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $62.99

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869B4Q66/
PNY CS2130 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $104.99

https://www.amazon.com/Window-Flash-Upgrade-Windоws-available/dp/B09Q8RBL2G/
Window 10 Home USB | 1 PC | Free Upgrade to Windоws 11 $109.00

Play Apex Legends With NVIDIA GeForce RTX

Equip Yourself for Competitive Games!!!

www.nvidia.com

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-reflex-apex-legends-out-now/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZjmH53dKh8


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