[SOLVED] Overclocking 10 year old CPU?

[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 or overclock. 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. Maybe look into getting a better CPU cooler and overclocking? If upgrading/overclocking what I got is the way to go right now then any tips to speed up this old girl would be awesome! Is overclocking worth it and possible with such an old rig? Would it get me much more performance or just be more trouble than it's worth? I'd like to squeeze as much life and power out of this old girl as I can while staying on a budjet. 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: 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
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
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

 

[Bob.B]

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 or overclock. 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. Maybe look into getting a better CPU cooler and overclocking? If upgrading/overclocking what I got is the way to go right now then any tips to speed up this old girl would be awesome! Is overclocking worth it and possible with such an old rig? Would it get me much more performance or just be more trouble than it's worth? I'd like to squeeze as much life and power out of this old girl as I can while staying on a budjet. 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: 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
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
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

Working with what you have.

Check cpu and gpu temps.
Give the pc innards a good cleaning.
Check ram usage while gaming.
Check hdd's health.
Don't run unneeded stuff in the background.

 

[Endre]

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 or overclock. 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. Maybe look into getting a better CPU cooler and overclocking? If upgrading/overclocking what I got is the way to go right now then any tips to speed up this old girl would be awesome! Is overclocking worth it and possible with such an old rig? Would it get me much more performance or just be more trouble than it's worth? I'd like to squeeze as much life and power out of this old girl as I can while staying on a budjet. 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: 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
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
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

Hello!

I’d say that you need a brand new PC (no overclock of the old one).
Also, the OS should be upgraded to Win10 or Win11.

That’s just my opinion...

 

[boju]

Imho, if cpu was an i7 then id pursue an oc. It's not really the frequency that's letting you down but the thread count. The older i7's with avx support (2nd, 3rd, 4th onwards) are still keeping about thanks to HT. Quads in same era are pretty much finished. Id invest in an overhaul, 6/12 thread as starting point.

 

[Eximo]

Hold out until the 12th gen non-overclocking parts are available. Pick up a i5-12400, DDR4 motherboard and some DDR4 memory. Certainly more cost effective then trying to refurbish Ivy Bridge. If you really want something on the cheap, i3-10100 is basically a 6th/7th gen i7, cheap B560 motherboard. Or any of the i5 10th or 11th gen if you want to go that route.

You could probably track down an i7-3770 fairly cheaply to give your system a little boost, DDR3 is getting a bit expensive so getting over 8GB might be tricky unless you try mix and match.

Getting a better CPU cooler though now, not a bad idea. Lower the temperatures the longer the CPU will boost at stock settings.

 

[King_V]

Whether pushing the system to the limits, or upgrading to a new system, it's probably a VERY good idea to replace that PSU.

It's an older design if I'm not mistaken. Age will take its toll on a PSU... and I'm not sure of the quality of the Corsair GS (I'm unfamiliar with the GS model)

 

[geofelt]

There is likely some 25% benefit available to you via overclocking.
Read up on it for your motherboard.
In particular, you want to keep voltages under control.
It is worth a try.
Or, gradually in the bios increase the multiplier and test.
Higher multipliers increase voltage and subsequently generate heat.
The stock cooler will not let you go too far before you reach 100c. and throttle.
It is probably ok to buy a cooler that will transport to a new build.
Noctua coolers are very good.
Here is a chart for how various coolers will do with a 3570K and overclocking:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-115

I did a comparison to see if a cooler for the 3570K would be suitable for a 12600K.
Surprisingly, the 12600K works better with a cooler from the 3570K list.
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581
Noctua will send you gratis the 1700 mounting kit. when you need it.

 

[Mahisse]

I just updgraded from a very similar system to 12700K..
Actually it was only very recently I felt like 3570K couldn't keep up but I honestly think you should try too feed in a bit more RAM if you would like to push your system for another year maybe.. 8 GB DDR3 RAM is not really sufficient these days. I recommend you try to put in 8 GB more if possible. I think you will see some performance change there.

The only reason I really took the step to upgrade from my 3570K setup was because one of my memory slots was faulty so I needed a new motherboard anyways.. But otherwise I would have just have upgraded my RAM.
Your low FPS is probably because of a little bit outdated GPU and your stuttering is probably coming from lack on memory.

I actually have 3 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance 3 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Memory lying around now that I'm not going to use. It should be easy for you to pick up some cheap sticks to test out if it would help you.

Edit: I'm not playing Apex Legends and now see that the game does utilize more than 4 cores if possible so it's possible Apex Legends and newer titles are just too much for the 3570K, which is also a bit of my experience as earlier mentioned. But yeah newer title in multiplayer games are really CPU intensive.

 

[mmonkey21]

It's 10 yo hardware it should definitely be overclocked. You definitely need to upgrade to 16gb ram, with a higher clock rate

Do not buy anything until you do the following:

1. check where you have a bottleneck while gaming
2. overclock the hardware causing the bottleneck (do a little research concerning your cpu or gpu first to determine safe OC setting for air cooling)
3. stress test
4. thermal issues? GPU, CPU, or MB?
5. check airflow in your case (while it's closed), fair chance you'll need an overhead exhaust fan, new cpu fan or a fan directed at the side of the GPU
6. Stress test

if youre still having issues than it's time to upgrade the GPU, CPU, RAM, and Motherboard. Plus with a 10yo case your internal airflow is probably s***

Don't bother doing it yourself right now. Save up another $800 or $1200 if you can and you can buy a very good prebuilt from CyberpowerPC.

Currently using an AMD Fx-6300 black overclocked to 4GHz with air cooling and a PowerColor Red Dragon Rx590 (yes I know that's a crazy bottleneck, saving for a new system)