Question Please help -- I want to upgrade but don't know how ?

[Greatwallxx]

Hello Everyone,

I recently bought a computer off my friend. He got a new pc so he sold me his old one since i didnt have one. I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X and a I7-8700k 3.70GHz on a Z390 Designare motherboard. I want to upgrade this pc since it is an older system but am unsure what parts to replace. Are there any cards out there that I can get that are compatible with that motherboard or did i screw myself and have to buy both a new motherboard and gpu? I have already experienced graphics card failure crashed while playing a game and think that maybe the gpu is just dying since its old now. Is there any chance that the power supply could be causing this since it is also older? I love this system and it handles everything i like to play but I just dont know what to do. Please help.

 

[Why_Me]

I would start with a new power supply ... 650W.

 

[Greatwallxx]

I would start with a new power supply ... 650W.

Will do. I'm relatively new to a lot of this so unplugging everything and plugging it back is a bit intimidating.

 

[Why_Me]

Will do. I'm relatively new to a lot of this so unplugging everything and plugging it back is a bit intimidating.

There's plenty of videos on it. What country are you located and what is your budget for a power supply.

 

[Lafong]

Will do. I'm relatively new to a lot of this so unplugging everything and plugging it back is a bit intimidating.

If you buy a new power supply:

DON'T re-use your old power supply cables.

DO use the new cables that come with the new power supply.

Power supplies are not all the same size. There is some chance that your case will not accept a particular power supply, so you need to confirm the acceptable dimensions before you buy. Your case specification sheet should mention this.

Full modular or semi-modular should both work for you.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I agree replace the power supply first with a quality unit then you can look at a new graphics card to hold you over until you do a new build down the road.

 

[Greatwallxx]

There's plenty of videos on it. What country are you located and what is your budget for a power supply.

I am in the USA and i really wouldn’t want to spend any more than $130. the $100 mark is ideal but if i have to go a bit over than so be it.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I am in the USA and i really wouldn’t want to spend any more than $130. the $100 mark is ideal but if i have to go a bit over than so be it.

Decide on replacement GPU first.

Or else you get a new PSU,
decide to get a new GPU and your PSU is not sufficient for it.
And you have to get a new PSU second time.

 

[Bob.B]

Hello Everyone,

I recently bought a computer off my friend. He got a new pc so he sold me his old one since i didnt have one. I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X and a I7-8700k 3.70GHz on a Z390 Designare motherboard. I want to upgrade this pc since it is an older system but am unsure what parts to replace. Are there any cards out there that I can get that are compatible with that motherboard or did i screw myself and have to buy both a new motherboard and gpu? I have already experienced graphics card failure crashed while playing a game and think that maybe the gpu is just dying since its old now. Is there any chance that the power supply could be causing this since it is also older? I love this system and it handles everything i like to play but I just dont know what to do. Please help.

Get a can of air and a small brush give the innards a good cleaning.

Heatsinks and fans extra clean.

If there are filters on the case make sure they are clean.

Power up and make sure all fans spin.

Now get the proper bios and drivers for the mobo and gpu.

Test.

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your psu?
If you open up the case, there will be a required data plate that will tell you the wattage and the make.

While you are at it, list the make/model of your motherboard.
CPU-Z will tell you.

Titan X was a really strong graphics card in it's time.
It required a 6 and an 8 pin psu connection for power.
If the card is failing, a more current RTX3060 would be a stronger replacement that needs only a single 8 pin for power.
No reason such a replacement would not work on your motherboard.

Strange failures can indeed happen with a faulty psu or a cheap unit.
Given the quality of a titan X, I might suspect that your friend sold you a good quality psu.
The only way to diagnose a psu issue is to replace it with a known working quality unit of sufficient power.
If your failure happens on only one game, look for a game patch solution.

There are no useful/strong upgrades for the cpu without changing out the motherboard.

Try this test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

The wattage you need for a psu will be determined by your graphics card.
Here is a handy chart:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

DO NOT buy a psu based on price. It is false economy.
Look for a unit with at least a 7 year warranty.
Seasonic focus and Corsair RMx are good places to start.
Bigger is better. A psu will nly use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability.

 

[Why_Me]

I am in the USA and i really wouldn’t want to spend any more than $130. the $100 mark is ideal but if i have to go a bit over than so be it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ns...rtified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-hge650

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fsp-hydro-g-650-power-supply,4462.html

 

[Greatwallxx]

What is the make/model of your psu?
If you open up the case, there will be a required data plate that will tell you the wattage and the make.

While you are at it, list the make/model of your motherboard.
CPU-Z will tell you.

Titan X was a really strong graphics card in it's time.
It required a 6 and an 8 pin psu connection for power.
If the card is failing, a more current RTX3060 would be a stronger replacement that needs only a single 8 pin for power.
No reason such a replacement would not work on your motherboard.

Strange failures can indeed happen with a faulty psu or a cheap unit.
Given the quality of a titan X, I might suspect that your friend sold you a good quality psu.
The only way to diagnose a psu issue is to replace it with a known working quality unit of sufficient power.
If your failure happens on only one game, look for a game patch solution.

There are no useful/strong upgrades for the cpu without changing out the motherboard.

Try this test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

The wattage you need for a psu will be determined by your graphics card.
Here is a handy chart:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

DO NOT buy a psu based on price. It is false economy.
Look for a unit with at least a 7 year warranty.
Seasonic focus and Corsair RMx are good places to start.
Bigger is better. A psu will nly use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability.

Thanks for the response. So to update, i went out and bought a 650W power supply for $110 at my local micro center. EVGA 650 GT and was able to successfully swap out the old one. Got my pc running with no trouble again and ran my favorite game GW2 for a while but eventually crashed. I was sad because i was really hoping it was a psu problem and not a gpu problem because the titan x is just so sweet even though it’s considered an old card now. When my game crashes my display will go black shortly then displays my desktop with a game crash report. No other game has crashed on me yet but i haven’t played much else besides gw2 let alone something as demanding for the pc. I saw you mentioned the 3060 and will look into that as it will probably be my next purchase along with a new cpu cooler. I also saw you mention that the cpu could be limited but am unsure how that would impact gpu failure if it even could; i may have read it incorrectly (new to this). Here is a link to the motherboard: https://www.aorus.com/motherboards/Z390-DESIGNARE-rev-10/Key-Features

 

[DSzymborski]

Thanks for the response. So to update, i went out and bought a 650W power supply for $110 at my local micro center. EVGA 650 GT and was able to successfully swap out the old one. Got my pc running with no trouble again and ran my favorite game GW2 for a while but eventually crashed. I was sad because i was really hoping it was a psu problem and not a gpu problem because the titan x is just so sweet even though it’s considered an old card now. When my game crashes my display will go black shortly then displays my desktop with a game crash report. No other game has crashed on me yet but i haven’t played much else besides gw2 let alone something as demanding for the pc. I saw you mentioned the 3060 and will look into that as it will probably be my next purchase along with a new cpu cooler. I also saw you mention that the cpu could be limited but am unsure how that would impact gpu failure if it even could; i may have read it incorrectly (new to this). Here is a link to the motherboard: https://www.aorus.com/motherboards/Z390-DESIGNARE-rev-10/Key-Features

Unfortunately, replacing a questionable or old PSU is a basic part of the diagnostic tests. And you never actually supplied any information about your old one that would lead anyone to believe it was a dependable one.

If there are no temperature or PSU issues, then I'd suspect a failing GPU. Luckily, a Titan X is old enough that it's not more powerful than an RX 6600 or an RTX 3050. It's not just "considered" an old card, it is one. Hopefully your friend didn't overcharge you for this system.

 

[geofelt]

If the failure only happens with one particular game, look for a game patch to fix it.
The game forums may be a help here. Not too likely to be this since that is all you play.

A failure after a time smacks of a heat buildup issue.
To check on that, what is the make/model of your case, and what is the fan arrangement?

What is your cpu cooler?

Run HWmonitor or such.
The minimum temperature will be when the pc idles, and it should be in the area of 10-15c. over ambient.
If you see something much higher, check to the proper mounting and functioning of your cpu cooler.
Ambient is the temperature inside the case and will be higher than room temperature.
Good case airflow will get cpu and gpu heat out of the case and not let it build up to the failure point.

If you see a core temperature of 100c. in red your processor has throttled or shut down to protect itself.

It is possible that your graphics card has a temporary power spike above the nominal power draw.
Not all power supplies are capable of handling such.
I might have suggested 750w or 850w as a replacement.
The incremental cost of going from 650w to 750w/850w is usually not large.

If neither of the above fixes the issue,
Your graphics card may really be failing.

 

[Greatwallxx]

Unfortunately, replacing a questionable or old PSU is a basic part of the diagnostic tests. And you never actually supplied any information about your old one that would lead anyone to believe it was a dependable one.

If there are no temperature or PSU issues, then I'd suspect a failing GPU. Luckily, a Titan X is old enough that it's not more powerful than an RX 6600 or an RTX 3050. It's not just "considered" an old card, it is one. Hopefully your friend didn't overcharge you for this system.

Hey, so my old PSU was a EVGA Supernova 850 G2. Im starting to think that temperature is probably the cause because the Titan does get pretty hot on its own and the AIO cooler on the cpu is old as well. Im almost certain its a corsair h100 series cpu cooler and my guess is that the thermal paste is also pretty shot by now. I was under the impression that the PSU was dependable but because its so old I figured it would need a new one eventually and would rather get it sooner than later that way im not giving bad power if it WAS the problem. Although I am stressed, I can cross PSU problems off the list and got a new one which was needed eventually anyways. Now its time to focus on the GPU and temperatures. I saw someone mention a 3060 as an upgrade to hold me off and was wondering if it is any better of a card than 3050.

 

[Greatwallxx]

If the failure only happens with one particular game, look for a game patch to fix it.
The game forums may be a help here. Not too likely to be this since that is all you play.

A failure after a time smacks of a heat buildup issue.
To check on that, what is the make/model of your case, and what is the fan arrangement?

What is your cpu cooler?

Run HWmonitor or such.
The minimum temperature will be when the pc idles, and it should be in the area of 10-15c. over ambient.
If you see something much higher, check to the proper mounting and functioning of your cpu cooler.
Ambient is the temperature inside the case and will be higher than room temperature.
Good case airflow will get cpu and gpu heat out of the case and not let it build up to the failure point.

If you see a core temperature of 100c. in red your processor has throttled or shut down to protect itself.

It is possible that your graphics card has a temporary power spike above the nominal power draw.
Not all power supplies are capable of handling such.
I might have suggested 750w or 850w as a replacement.
The incremental cost of going from 650w to 750w/850w is usually not large.

If neither of the above fixes the issue,
Your graphics card may really be failing.

Thanks for the insight, it is interesting you mention heat buildup because the crash normally happens after a longish session of playing. Most of the time I can load the game right back up and keep playing for a while until it can potentially happen again. It is not like I am unable to launch games or crash during the first 10/15 minutes. Would this point to it being more or less and temperature problem and not a GPU problem? I would assume the GPU can be seen as dead or dying if it was unable to launch games and things but i really dont know for sure. I am currently downloading HWmonitor and will update you with temperatures. Also, I am pretty sure the CPU Cooler is a Corsair h100 series since its the only one i can find by corsair that looks identical to the block/radiator i have. Would you have any recommendations for new cpu coolers because i have no clue where to start looking for one. I really dont care for RGB or LED blocks i just want something with really good quality and it seems like every product i find is some ridiculous over the top cooler that adds like 75$ to its pricepoint because its colorful. Would it be better to just not play demanding games for the time being if temperature really is the problem? I dont want to push the Titan in these conditions if the card is still good even though a new GPU purchase will be happening soon anyways in order to hold me over for my own true build later this year/early next year.

Side note: I cant thank you and everyone else enough for sharing your knowledge, I knew I was jumping into the deep end when buying this system but had the intentions of learning everything myself by being hands on. I want to expand my own personal knowledge and be able to diagnose things as you have. Once again I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help a noob like me. I will be sure to list the temperatures when I have run the tests.

 

[Greatwallxx]

Thanks for the insight, it is interesting you mention heat buildup because the crash normally happens after a longish session of playing. Most of the time I can load the game right back up and keep playing for a while until it can potentially happen again. It is not like I am unable to launch games or crash during the first 10/15 minutes. Would this point to it being more or less and temperature problem and not a GPU problem? I would assume the GPU can be seen as dead or dying if it was unable to launch games and things but i really dont know for sure. I am currently downloading HWmonitor and will update you with temperatures. Also, I am pretty sure the CPU Cooler is a Corsair h100 series since its the only one i can find by corsair that looks identical to the block/radiator i have. Would you have any recommendations for new cpu coolers because i have no clue where to start looking for one. I really dont care for RGB or LED blocks i just want something with really good quality and it seems like every product i find is some ridiculous over the top cooler that adds like 75$ to its pricepoint because its colorful. Would it be better to just not play demanding games for the time being if temperature really is the problem? I dont want to push the Titan in these conditions if the card is still good even though a new GPU purchase will be happening soon anyways in order to hold me over for my own true build later this year/early next year.

Side note: I cant thank you and everyone else enough for sharing your knowledge, I knew I was jumping into the deep end when buying this system but had the intentions of learning everything myself by being hands on. I want to expand my own personal knowledge and be able to diagnose things as you have. Once again I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help a noob like me. I will be sure to list the temperatures when I have run the tests.

Hey I forgot to mention my case and fan arangement. I have 3 fans in the front that are set to intake (i presume) although 1 does not spin because the fan hub on the case is broken and the other 3 fans i have i had to plug directly into motherboard headers. I have one at the back of the PC that exhausts (I presume again because this is how it was given to me). The Corsair H100 CPU cooler is mounted at the top and has two fans exhausting however one of the pumps was plugged into the fan hub as well so one of the pumps may not be working. As for the case, i literally have no idea. It is an older NXZT case thats pretty beefy. Its a tall tower for sure though. I can provide pictures for you here if it assists in any way:

https://imgur.com/a/CRWwHQs

View: https://imgur.com/a/CRWwHQs

 

[Greatwallxx]

If the failure only happens with one particular game, look for a game patch to fix it.
The game forums may be a help here. Not too likely to be this since that is all you play.

A failure after a time smacks of a heat buildup issue.
To check on that, what is the make/model of your case, and what is the fan arrangement?

What is your cpu cooler?

Run HWmonitor or such.
The minimum temperature will be when the pc idles, and it should be in the area of 10-15c. over ambient.
If you see something much higher, check to the proper mounting and functioning of your cpu cooler.
Ambient is the temperature inside the case and will be higher than room temperature.
Good case airflow will get cpu and gpu heat out of the case and not let it build up to the failure point.

If you see a core temperature of 100c. in red your processor has throttled or shut down to protect itself.

It is possible that your graphics card has a temporary power spike above the nominal power draw.
Not all power supplies are capable of handling such.
I might have suggested 750w or 850w as a replacement.
The incremental cost of going from 650w to 750w/850w is usually not large.

If neither of the above fixes the issue,
Your graphics card may really be failing.

After about 15 minutes of gameplay in one of the more "demanding" zones in Guild Wars 2.

https://imgur.com/a/0vAimrG

View: https://imgur.com/a/0vAimrG

Which things are too hot and which are normal? or is it all just one big campfire altogether? also sorry for all the posts im trying to reply to things when I can.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Looks to me like that case is a bit restrictive for airflow. A mesh front would probably allow more airflow.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I can provide pictures for you here if it assists in any way:

Can you show a photo of your system with side panel removed?

You seem to have extremely restricted air flow.
Try running your system with side panel removed and observe temperature differences.

I'd suggest you consider changing your pc case to high air flow model (with mesh front).

 

[Greatwallxx]

Can you show a photo of your system with side panel removed?

You seem to have extremely restricted air flow.
Try running your system with side panel removed and observe temperature differences.

I'd suggest you consider changing your pc case to high air flow model (with mesh front).

Hey, here are some extra pictures I took.

https://imgur.com/a/nFZgu8Y

View: https://imgur.com/a/nFZgu8Y

I also realized I never actually showed the front of the case either for some reason so I will include that as well. I will try playing with the side panel off and see if it changes temps at all. Its a bit hard to see the inside of the front side since that panel is there but i tried to show it as best as i could. I dont have the bottom most fan running because I dont have any headers on the motherboard left and fan hub on the case it busted as stated in prior posts.