Question Need Assistance: Upgrade or New desktop

[Latticino]

I'm looking to shortcut some research by asking the experts. For years I built my own PC desktops from purchased parts, but around 8 1/2 years ago I didn't have time and purchased a pre-built machine. In the last year the GPU appears to have become unreliable (particularly when running two monitors with different applications on each: i.e. streaming Netflix on one while VPN to work on the other). It does seem to run fairly well driving just one screen, but sometimes fuzzes out and I need to restart.

Prior to the great graphics card shortage, I was going to just upgrade my GPU, but couldn't get one at a price I could live with. Now I'm not sure whether I should upgrade components, or if not, just purchase new (and if that, prebuilt or "sticks and kits"). I mostly use my computer for: work doing 3D modeling using AutoCAD REVIT, internet surfing (Netflix, you tube and forums mostly), music editing, online virtual meetings, and some light gaming. I'm looking for a machine that won't hold me back, is robust and a little future proof.

Current specs are as follows:

• Case: APEX EL-660
• CPU: Intel Core i7 4790 tray
• Liquid Cooling: Asetek 550LC
• GPU: MSI GTX760 4GB
• Motherboard: Asrock Fatality Z97X-KILLER
• RAM: (2) XPG-V2 8GB DDR3-1866 SINGLE
• PSU: Thermaltake SP-750PCBU 750W
• Hard Drives:
  • WD 1TB SATA-3 64MB Hard drive
  • 128GB Sandisk SATA-3 SSD
• Operating System: Windows 10

I'm guessing that based on the age it is time for a replacement, but if I build my own are there any components that I can, or should, reuse? Any build guides recommended for a medium grade gaming rig? Suggestions on where to purchase parts? Would you advise just buying prebuilt again? Suggestions for software suitable for cloning to a new machine?

Thanks in advance

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

i would never recommend a prebuilt system.

maybe a laptop for certain circumstances but if you are capable of configuring and completing a system yourself then this should always be the path taken for desktops.

the majority, if not all, prebuilt systems "cheap out" on important aspects just to increase their profit margin while still charging premium rates+. also usually running hotter than most would prefer.

for parts recommendations we would need some sort of budget in mind.

 

[Latticino]

Thanks for your prompt response. If only a replacement GPU, I can't really justify more than around $400 to put a card in such an old machine. Initially I was looking at the RTX-3060 Ti series for good bang for the buck. If a complete new build I'd say $2K wouldn't be out of line. I don't need any fancy cases or LED lights, just performance and reliability.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

keeping your current drives;
128GB SSD for OS,
1TB HD for basic storage..
+ a new 2-4TB SSD/M.2 for games & applications.

a new case for modern hardware installation / cooling.
i always recommend the be quiet! Silent Base 802 for it's great functionality and modular options.

pretty much everything else will also need to be upgraded.
for recommendations here, besides budget, exactly what games and applications would be running can help with recommended parts.
also what in-game settings you'd like to use, what resolution you plan to run, and what fps you'd like to see in the most demanding games.

PCPartPicker.com is a pretty good place to compare prices from major online retailers for particular components.

 

[Latticino]

Thanks for the detailed response. For applications I suspect the most demanding might be ADOBE Photoshop or Illustrator and AutoCAD REVIT. Gaming is typically older games like Grim Dawn, DIII, Path of Exile, Portal ..., but would like to be prepared if something comes out in the future. Sorry, don't know anything about resolution per se, but typically set at max for these and it works fine.

Like to run at least (2) monitors. Currently these are older 1680 x 1050, but probably due for an upgrade there as well. Do some video streaming currently for work and music lessons.

I f I reuse the hard drives will I be able to keep my data on them, or will I need to reformat for new motherboard? I suspect I will need a new copy of Windows 10 at least.

Thanks again.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

If I reuse the hard drives will I be able to keep my data on them, or will I need to reformat for new motherboard? I suspect I will need a new copy of Windows 10 at least.

you should definitely format the main OS drive and reinstall the OS with an upgrade.
usually you can contact MS and just upgrade your current license but if it is an OEM license, provided with a prebuilt system, that may not be possible.
contacting MS support is recommended.

running the previous OS installation on different hardware(motherboard, etc) can cause serious conflicts that can cause serious problems.

these are older 1680 x 1050, but probably due for an upgrade

i would suggest also upgrading to at least 1080p >=120Hz monitor(s).

typically older games like Grim Dawn, DIII, Path of Exile, Portal ..., but would like to be prepared if something comes out in the future.

i would be looking for an RTX 4060, or possibly higher, considering newer titles will be making use of the newer technologies available and you wouldn't want to upgrade again anytime soon.

 

[Zerk2012]

Thanks for the detailed response. For applications I suspect the most demanding might be ADOBE Photoshop or Illustrator and AutoCAD REVIT. Gaming is typically older games like Grim Dawn, DIII, Path of Exile, Portal ..., but would like to be prepared if something comes out in the future. Sorry, don't know anything about resolution per se, but typically set at max for these and it works fine.

Like to run at least (2) monitors. Currently these are older 1680 x 1050, but probably due for an upgrade there as well. Do some video streaming currently for work and music lessons.

I f I reuse the hard drives will I be able to keep my data on them, or will I need to reformat for new motherboard? I suspect I will need a new copy of Windows 10 at least.

Thanks again.

128GB SSD is really borderline as to being to small no reason to keep that so it only leaves you with a 1TB HDD.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

128GB SSD is really borderline as to being to small

I would never recommend Windows 11 and Windows 10 by itself only takes ~50GB at most so 128GB would be more than enough.

we're not talking about included applications and/or games on this drive...

 

[Latticino]

RTX 4060

Did you mean a RTX 3060, the RTX 4060 doesn't appear to have come out yet.

My old case and cooler are not worth reuse? Makes sense I guess.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Did you mean a RTX 3060

no, I meant to wait until the latest series(RTX 4000) comes to retail.
you have seemed to have survived with this "ancient" setup for now, so waiting a few months for the next-gen shouldn't be much of a hindrance.

 

[Ar558]

I'm looking to shortcut some research by asking the experts. For years I built my own PC desktops from purchased parts, but around 8 1/2 years ago I didn't have time and purchased a pre-built machine. In the last year the GPU appears to have become unreliable (particularly when running two monitors with different applications on each: i.e. streaming Netflix on one while VPN to work on the other). It does seem to run fairly well driving just one screen, but sometimes fuzzes out and I need to restart.

Prior to the great graphics card shortage, I was going to just upgrade my GPU, but couldn't get one at a price I could live with. Now I'm not sure whether I should upgrade components, or if not, just purchase new (and if that, prebuilt or "sticks and kits"). I mostly use my computer for: work doing 3D modeling using AutoCAD REVIT, internet surfing (Netflix, you tube and forums mostly), music editing, online virtual meetings, and some light gaming. I'm looking for a machine that won't hold me back, is robust and a little future proof.

Current specs are as follows:

• Case: APEX EL-660
• CPU: Intel Core i7 4790 tray
• Liquid Cooling: Asetek 550LC
• GPU: MSI GTX760 4GB
• Motherboard: Asrock Fatality Z97X-KILLER
• RAM: (2) XPG-V2 8GB DDR3-1866 SINGLE
• PSU: Thermaltake SP-750PCBU 750W
• Hard Drives:
  • WD 1TB SATA-3 64MB Hard drive
  • 128GB Sandisk SATA-3 SSD
• Operating System: Windows 10

I'm guessing that based on the age it is time for a replacement, but if I build my own are there any components that I can, or should, reuse? Any build guides recommended for a medium grade gaming rig? Suggestions on where to purchase parts? Would you advise just buying prebuilt again? Suggestions for software suitable for cloning to a new machine?

Thanks in advance

This system is pretty old and there aren't really many components that you could re use. (The 1TB Hard drive possibly and the 750W PSU) Otherwise I would suggest the following as a mid range build

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JqYdTn

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($247.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler ($59.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($194.70 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1154.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-23 19:52 EST-0500

This should give you 1440p gaming at decent FPS in most games in Ultra/High (Except really demanding stuff like Cyberpunk). Build yourself, pre-builds are really never a good deal as the parts are always mismatched in some way.

 

[Latticino]

Thanks all for the advice. Working towards putting together a parts list.