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Is it time for me to get a whole new pc, or is there anything I can salvage from this one? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm not very tech savvy so please bear with me.

I bought a premade in 2018 and I've only updated the graphics card and ram since then. I'm using a 55" Samsung TV as a monitor. It's really starting to get sluggish/finicky. Gaming example: it can run BGate3 on medium but starts having issues any higher.

Processor: Intel Core i3-8100 Coffee Lake CPU, 4 Cores, 3.6GHz
Graphics Card NIVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8gb
CPU Cooler: Intel Stock CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASUS Z370-P Motherboard
Memory: 8GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory (2 x 4GB Sticks) + Crucial Ballistix BL2K8G36C16U4B 3600 MHz, DDR4, DRAM, Desktop Gaming Memory Kit, 16GB (8GB x2), CL16, Black
Hard Drive: Seagate 2TB Firecuda Hybrid Hard Disk

EDIT for more info

It's hooked up to my TV because I use it for everything from simple browsing, YouTube, streaming TV/movies, to gaming. For games the most taxing is something like BG3, but I can't think of anything else in terms of taxing programmes.

I don't think I'd have a use for it if I kept it. Even if I kept the hard drive I'd have to research How and What To Save To Which Drive On Your PC, but if that's what y'all recommend then I can.

I'm not against investing a few grand if it's the right money spent at the right time, if that makes sense? My worry about changing individual parts is the standard worries about installation and compatibility, but if it's too soon to be changing the whole rig then I can get over that

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ok, I think I have a better idea of your situation now. So your computer is starting to feel a little weak when it comes to gaming? We've all been there before.

I'm not against investing a few grand

If it's too soon to be chasing the whole rig

Depending on how easy/difficult it is for you to spend a couple grand, you might simply be best off buying a new PC at this point. If you're gonna keep the 55" TV hookup and your mouse/keyboard/controller/speakers, then you could find even a cheap prebuilt tower for under $1000 easily, and if you wanted to spend more, you could do that too if you want your build to stay relevant longer. Pretty much anything you might buy today, even stuff considered mid or entry level, will give you a noticeable improvement over your i3 and 1070.

Of course, the cheapest way to go would be to build the whole thing yourself, though it's entirely understandable if you just want to go prebuilt again so you don't have to worry about that stuff.

If you want to be more frugal, your best most effective single part upgrade would be a new SSD, preferably an NVME of good quality. Think in the $80-$200 range. If your motherboard doesn't have an NVME slot (possible, though unlikely) then a standard SSD is good too and would be a little cheaper.

For the rest of your system:

Upgrading your processor is probably not a cost effective solution. If you wanted a newer processor, you'd need to buy a new motherboard too (Google motherboard sockets for a full explanation). Depending on the type of motherboard, you might have to buy different memory too - I just upgraded to a new motherboard and I had to buy fancy (and expensive) new memory for it since my old DDR4 is no longer supported for it.

1070 is probably good for now, even though it is older. My 1080 handled BG3 just fine, as a point of reference. If you're ok with not playing at max resolution ultra super mega detail, just ride it out. GPU pricing has been effed since all the crypto bros made the prices skyrocket in 2021. Ride that 1070 until it dies, then buy something that is midrange today in a few years when it will be even cheaper.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Thanks for this. I'm not 100% against learning how to build my own, it's more that the more I read the more confused I get about what order to prioritise upgrades and the various knock on effects everything has. I appreciate you coming up with an order to go about things