[SOLVED] Wanting to upgrade 10 year old PC for better gaming performance, any help appreciated!

[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
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

 

[Why_Me]

That rig is way past its prime and no upgrade that doesn't include DDR4 and a new six core cpu w/hyperthreading is going to help. I'd also look into a new 550w psu seeing how yours is 10 years old and probably ready to go at any time.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119385
ASUS PRIME B560M-A $109.99

https://www.tigerdirect.com/applica...details.asp?EdpNo=428310&CatId=11859&csid=_86
Intel Core I5-10400F $149.99

https://www.amazon.com/DEEPCOOL-GAMMAXX-400-Blue-Compatible/dp/B00JQ2YDCY/
DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 400 CPU Cooler $19.99

https://www.newegg.com/team-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331354
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4 3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $59.99

Total: $340

https://www.newegg.com/team-group-1tb-cx2/p/N82E16820331561
Team Group CX2 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3 D NAND Internal SSD $82.99

PRIME B560M-A｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA

ASUS Prime motherboards are expertly engineered to unleash the full potential of AMD and Intel processors. Boasting a robust power design, comprehensive cooling solutions and intelligent tuning options, these ASUS motherboards provide daily users and DIY PC builders a range of performance tuning...

www.asus.com

Intel Core i5-10400F Review - Six Cores with HT for Under $200

Intel's new Core i5-10400F offers a large performance jump over the previous generation Core i5-9400F because of its six-core/twelve-thread design. In this Core i5-10400F review we also test the feasibility of overclocking through BCLK, or by relaxing the PL1 and PL2 Turbo Limits.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[natcha12]

As absolute minimum,

gtx 1070, about £300 here so I guess about$400?
Midrange TB SATA SSD, $100

What resolution do you use? Just 1080 or you want 1440?

 

[sizzling]

Upgrading that system will be a bad investment, the amount of performance gained for the cost is not worth it. You are building a new system, you can look at reusing the case and drives but everything else needs changing to make any upgrade worthwhile.

 

[natcha12]

Upgrading that system will be a bad investment, the amount of performance gained for the cost is not worth it. You are building a new system, you can look at reusing the case and drives but everything else needs changing to make any upgrade worthwhile.

Exactly. That's why i can't think of anything better than a gpu and ssd upgrade without having a confirmed budget amount. $500 for those 2 parts that can transfer over to a new build for great 1080/1440p, unlike the whole rest of his stuff.

A whole build including a ssd and risky second hand gpu is probably gonna set him back 800-1200. But we need to know resolution and what else he plays.

OP?

 

[BDMann]

Exactly. That's why i can't think of anything better than a gpu and ssd upgrade without having a confirmed budget amount. $500 for those 2 parts that can transfer over to a new build for great 1080/1440p, unlike the whole rest of his stuff.

A whole build including a ssd and risky second hand gpu is probably gonna set him back 800-1200. But we need to know resolution and what else he plays.

OP?

Thanks for the reply! I am definitely starting to lean towards just building a new rig. With the responses I've gotten it seems these parts are past their prime and the time and cost it would take to upgrade this pc could just be put into a new pc and yield greater results. I've been away from this PC for a while when I left for college and now that I am back I realize how old it is! I meant to upgrade this thing many years ago but never got around to it! I'll be hopefully starting a new job soon and could funnel some of that income into a new much needed PC. I guess with the things I've heard about the graphics card market I just stayed away but it might be time to bite the bullet and search a lil harder.

When I think about it I guess there isn't much holding me back from building a new PC besides just doing it. This one has been good enough for the past 10 years so I never thought to but lately is starting to show its age and having me consider a new build. I'd say my budget would be 1-2k for a fresh build. If I could upgrade this old one for a reasonable price and get reasonable performance out of it I wouldn't mind squeezing more more life out of it before retiring it. Honestly I just want to play apex rn at at least a constant 60fps. But I'd like to try playing the new Halo, PubG, and R6S.

Perhaps upgrading the SSD and maybe looking at 2nd hand GPUs for this one for the time being? I am a little wary of used GPU but it seems some people have good luck. What do you guys think? It seems like used is the way to go if on a budget. At least like you said those two components could be used for a future build. Also looking at some used ram to cheaply upgrade to 16gb, like $20 for two of the same ram stick I already got in there.

In terms of resolution I'm currently using 1080 I believe.

Thanks again for all the replies! I appreciate the help.

 

[punkncat]

Bad time to be upgrading.

There are many newer GPU that would help you out a considerable bit and could be moved to a newer system.

I would:
1080/1660(ti) or better. 3060 would be sweet (but)
PCIe M.2 adapter and NVME drive
W10
Quality PSU

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your case and psu?
You might be able to carry such over to a new build.

Today, only upgrade what you can carry over to a new build.
For performance, a ssd is a good option.
A normal 2.5" ssd will everything so much quicker. It can be carried forward.
The new m.2 pcie drives show well in benchmarks, bht you really can't tell the difference in actual use.
Here is an amusing video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA


Games will be limited by either the cpu or the gpu.
You now have a decent balance.
To see which might be more restrictive, try this simple 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.

If you need a graphics upgrade, that is a problem. Prices are out of sight.
Intel will soon launch their mid range cards soon and that may help.
Plan on using your current gpu for a while.
Sign up for the newegg shuffle.
They offer graphics cards at a modest mark up and usually bundled with another part that may or may not be useful.
https://www.newegg.com/product-shuffle

If you need a cpu upgrade, today, I would try to go with a I5-12600K.
Here is a review.
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,21.html
Unless this pc is used for multithreaded batch apps, I would concentrate on the single thread performance.
Run CPU-Z bench on your 3570K and look at the single thread rating.
You should get something like 383:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/g8apcm
The comparable rating for the 12600K is 773

Today, DDR4 is still good for 12th gen performance is the same as ddr5 and ddr4 parts are cheaper.

Also, consider upgrading your monitor to a larger/wider/ higher res unit. It is one of the more satisfying upgrades.