Question Suggestions on upgrading ?

[Chaqutic]

My PC recently started going into a loop of restarting continuously at short intervals — it powers up and shuts down every 4 seconds, even before the fans can reach their maximum speed. A technician told me that the issue is either with the motherboard or the processor. It's been six years since I bought it, and the configuration is as follows:

• i7 6700k
• Asus Strix 1070 8GB
• 750W Corsair Bronze
• 16 Gb DDR3 (2x8) Vengeance
• ASUS Z170-PRO-GAMING Motherboard
• I have a cooler that looks similar to this
• Case - Antec GX1200

I am planning to upgrade to:

• i5 13600k at ₹22,900 INR
• ASUS Prime Z790-P at ₹26,000 INR or MSI PRO Z790-P at ₹22,000 INR
• 32 GB (2x16) DDr5 6000 / 5200 at ₹7,350 INR

I’d like to know about the compatibility, if this is a suitable upgrade or if I should consider a different processor, RAM or motherboard. As far as I know, my existing cooler makes the 1st RAM slot unusable. My maximum budget is ₹50,000-55,000, and I plan to make the purchase in a few hours, so any quick input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lutfij]

You might want to be specific with the cooler's make and model since that might not be supported on your proposed LGA1700 platform/motherboard. That video doesn't state the model for the cooler apart from it being something from DeepCool. Is this your cooler, by any chance?

You should look at DDR5-6600MHz dual channel ram and that should give you an uplift in your platform performance. IMHO, you should avoid 13th and 14th Gen processors since they're having issues with them. You could look at the 12th Gen instead or an AM5 platform.

750W Corsair Bronze
Corsair is the brand of the unit while 750W is the advertised wattage of the unit. Bronze is the advertised 80+ efficiency of the unit. Might want to mention the model and it's age. Very likely you won't be able to recycle it for your upgrade path, meaning you'll need a new PSU.

Moved thread from Computer Peripherals section to Systems section.

 

[Chaqutic]

Thank you for moving the thread. I have the DeepCool NEPTWIN RGB cooler, and yes, it looks like the one you've shared. The SMPS is a Cooler Master B700 V2 700W 80 PLUS and is possibly over 5 years old. The problem is that my budget only accommodates the i5-13600K. Do you think it’s wise to choose a 12th-gen processor when the 15th-gen is about to release? If you have any alternative processor-motherboard combos, feel free to share it

 

[bill001g]

All depends on what your primary use of the machine is. If you look at the early info that has come out on the 15th gen intel pretty much it is a small increase for productivity apps and a decrease in the amount of electricity use but at fairly large increase in price.

Won't know for sure for a couple weeks when they can release real reviews but it is a strong indication that this is a not going to be some spectacular must have thing.

If you are like most people who frequent this forum and games are your primary focus the video card is much more important for almost all games. The cpu tends to not be the thing holding performance back until you get into very high end video cards and most the time people with high end video cards are running at higher resolution like 4k so even then the video card tends to be the limiting factor on frame rates.

Hard to say what to do. It is unfortunate you can not wait say 3 to 6 months to see what these new intel and amd cpu can really do. The new x3d versions of the newest amd cpus are rumored to be released very soon.

But if you need to buy now and don't plan to spend say $1500 on a fancy video card any time soon I would look at AMD x3d based cpu. Even the older 5800x3d still exceeds many of 13th and 14th gen cpu for games especially if you compare based on price. Problem is the 5800x3d is getting older and they are harder to get so the pricing is not the best. The 7800x3d is more expensive mostly because of the extra costs of ddr5 and the motherboard.

I would buy what you can get at a price you feel meets your budget. Anything should be a increase over your current cpu. I would not expect much difference in gaming performance until you replace the video card. The video card you have though is good enough for most games at 1080.

 

[triplex1]

AMD platform with this graphic card you have

 

[Otto Levin]

My PC recently started going into a loop of restarting continuously at short intervals — it powers up and shuts down every 4 seconds, even before the fans can reach their maximum speed. A technician told me that the issue is either with the motherboard or the processor. It's been six years since I bought it, and the configuration is as follows:

• i7 6700k
• Asus Strix 1070 8GB
• 750W Corsair Bronze
• 16 Gb DDR3 (2x8) Vengeance
• ASUS Z170-PRO-GAMING Motherboard
• I have a cooler that looks similar to this
• Case - Antec GX1200

I am planning to upgrade to:

• i5 13600k at ₹22,900 INR
• ASUS Prime Z790-P at ₹26,000 INR or MSI PRO Z790-P at ₹22,000 INR
• 32 GB (2x16) DDr5 6000 / 5200 at ₹7,350 INR

I’d like to know about the compatibility, if this is a suitable upgrade or if I should consider a different processor, RAM or motherboard. As far as I know, my existing cooler makes the 1st RAM slot unusable. My maximum budget is ₹50,000-55,000, and I plan to make the purchase in a few hours, so any quick input would be greatly appreciated.

Your planned upgrade looks solid and should be compatible. Here are some key points to consider:
Processor and Motherboard Compatibility:
• Both the i5-13600K and the ASUS Prime Z790-P or MSI PRO Z790-P are compatible with each otherhttps://pangoly.com/en/compatibility/asus-prime-z790-p-wifi-d4/cpuhttps://pangoly.com/en/compatibility/msi-pro-z790-p-ddr4/cpu. These motherboards support the LGA 1700 socket, which is required for the i5-13600K.
RAM Compatibility:
• The i5-13600K supports DDR5 RAM, and both the ASUS Prime Z790-P and MSI PRO Z790-P motherboards are compatible with DDR5 RAMhttps://www.xda-developers.com/best-ram-for-intel-core-i5-13600k/. However, note that while the i5-13600K officially supports up to 5600MHz, you can use higher-speed RAM like 6000MHz with XMP profileshttps://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/best-ram-for-intel-core-i5-13600k.
Cooler and RAM Slot Issue:
• If your current cooler blocks the first RAM slot, you might need to consider a low-profile cooler or a different cooler that provides better clearance. Alternatively, you can install the RAM in the remaining slots if the motherboard supports it.
Budget Considerations:
• Your total budget of ₹50,000-55,000 INR should cover the costs of the i5-13600K, the motherboard, and the RAM. Make sure to also account for any additional costs like a new cooler if needed.

Given your current situation with the PC restarting, it's likely a hardware issue, and upgrading to a new motherboard and processor should resolve it. Just ensure that your power supply is still in good condition, as it's crucial for the stability of your new components.

 

[Chaqutic]

I have a 144Hz 2k Monitor and I mostly play deadlock/ valorant or Dota 2. Considering this and the remaining pointers, is it wise to go with i7 12700k, Asus Motherboard Z790- P wifi and 32 gb G Skill Ripjaws 6000 (2x16gb) with the existing cooler and smps?
Personally, I am not a big fan of AMD unless someone can convince me with a processor Mobo combo that is way better than what I have decided right now. My total is at 53,000 INR for the RAM, Processor and MoBo.

 

[bill001g]

You are going to pay a premium for a asus motherboard might want to look at other brands. You might also consider a z690 based motherboard. Most z690 motherboards can run even 14th gen cpu with bios update.

I would not worry about "future" upgrade from a 12700k. The only real upgrade would be 14900k and you have to really question if you would ever do that. Everything that will be newer requires a completely different motherboard so you don't want to waste money on feature on a motherboard you will never use. Many of these "Z" motherboard are so you can run overclocked
1x900k cpu. If you do not plan to overclock your cpu you might consider other motherboards that have other variations of 690 and 790 chipsets.

Availability and pricing in india is very different that most other places in the world so it is very hard to say if you really save any money buying one particular brand over the other. Just do not over spend you are buying a dead end platform, and you really have no choice if you go intel since the new stuff is still a few weeks away from release.

I suspect the biggest thing you need to check is the clearance on the cooler. You need to go the cooler manufacture and see if they have lists of motherboards. It is not the socket it is more does it overlap the heat sinks or the memory slots. Also avoid tall memory modules just to be sure you don't have issues.

 

[geofelt]

My thoughts:

Few problems are truly hardware related; mostly software.
Intel processor failures are rare, the current 13/14 gen issues are an exception, and they have been fixed.
Current bios levels fixes the default OC issues.
As a test of hardware,
Run memtest86+
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download it here:

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Your proposed cpu/mobo/ram upgrade is a good/significant upgrade.
Plan on a new cooler. The new motherboard will need a lga1700 adapter for the cooler, if one even exists.

Or, you could buy a I5-14500 with similar performance that comes with a decent stock RM1 cooler.
Current gen processors are binned, there is no great gains to come from overclocking.
The stock turbo mechanism boosts a couple of cores past what an all core overclock can do.
There is little need for a Z motherboard B760 and MATX sized motherboards will work well and will be cheaper.

 

[Chaqutic]

[[UPDATE]] - Thank you for all the valuable inputs.
I went to the store yesterday to get the i5-13600K, Asus MoBo and DDR5 RAM. They explained that my existing cooler cannot be used and suggested that I switch to a liquid cooler. They also mentioned that I might not be able to use my existing SMPS either, as it may lack the 8-pin connectors required for the newer Motherboard (which I still don't quite understand).

Although I want to get an overclockable motherboard and processor, I’ve never actually overclocked before, and I might not do so in the future. Right now, I’m wondering whether I should go for a completely new build while keeping only my existing GPU, or try to salvage the SMPS, cooler and case.

Memtest86+ - My current issue is that I press the power button, all the lights glow up and the fans start running but after 2-3 secs they all slow down and turn back up once again like a new startup each time and its been on a loop ever since.

[[UPDATE -2]]
I managed to power on my PC and have it fully boot up for about 20–25 minutes today after removing one of my RAM sticks. However, it went back into the restart loop shortly after that.

 

[bill001g]

Find another store they are telling you lies.

You do not need a liquid cooler. What you will find if you read any of the reviews on air coolers out in the last couple years you will find that most air coolers are as good as even a 240 AIO. You need to go to a bigger 360 AIO to get more cooling capacity so buying something like a 120 AIO is really stupid unless you have one of the very tiny cases.

This is one of the cheapest and very highly rated air cooler. There are many others some that are even a bit cheaper that work as well. You of course can get fancy coolers with led screens if you want.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-SE-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09LGY38L4