Old system. Upgrade or Build a new?

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Mackoo

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Apr 23, 2014
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Hey guys here my system i built in January of 2009

Maxtor 500gb
Evga nForce 750i sli socket 775 motherboard
apevia 500w psu
intel core 2 duo 3ghz
2x2gb corsair ram
9500 gt ge force

I'm wondering if i should just build a new pc or just fix this one. It runs fine its just that from time to time it shuts down. Most likely caused by overheating in the cpu. I mostly play light games like Tera, Maplestory, Runescape and some light videogame editing commentaries. So is it fine to maybe just change my stock heatsink to a better one along with a 7770 amd video card? or just build a whole new?

Thanks for the responses guys
 
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esco_sid

esco_sid

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May 11, 2012
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just remove the heatsink and put new thermalpaste on the cpu should fix the overheating issue but i would probably consider doing a new build as your computer is 5 years old nothing in there is worth upgrading as all the parts are obsolete except you could reuse the hard drive.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Some POINTS:

1. You can MONITOR the CPU temperature to see if that's even an issue. I don't know the maximum temperature of your CPU, but if you run Prime95 and your computer doesn't crash after a few minutes it's unlikely an overheating issue.

I use the program "CORE TEMP" http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

2. Your System Memory can also cause a crash.
a) run Windows Memory Diagnostic, or better:
b) run MEMTEST www.memtest.org (may need to change the Boot Order so the DVD is first before your boot drive. In the BIOS.)

3. I'm surprised TERA even runs well, but just so you know there would be a MASSIVE difference in how it looks/runs with a better PC.

I couldn't even max the quality on my rig (i7-3770K CPU; GTX680 Graphics Card).

4. Video Editing CPU:
I've been researching this lately for my dad and testing things. Much of the time it's a CPU bottleneck, and at other times a graphics encoder helps a lot (like Intel QuickSync I believe or the NVENC encoder in modern NVidia cards).

My i7-3770K renders a video edit compilation between 8x and 30x faster than my dad's 2-core X2-4800+ (varies on whether hardware acceleration is used and other reasons).

5. Video Editing System RAM:
The System RAM can also make a huge difference. I generally consider 8GB the bare minimum but there's a HUGE difference depending on the CPU used, the program, the size of the video file, and how much editing is being done.

5. 32-bit Windows:
Not sure if you have 32-bit, but be advised you can only address 4GB in TOTAL. So whatever Video RAM you have is subtracted from 4GB. It roughly works out so you can only address 2.8GB of System RAM regardless of if you have more installed.

6. CPU Cooler:
If you end up removing the cooler, I suggest getting a better one if you have a STOCK cooler or otherwise crappy cooler. If not for cooling, at least to reduce NOISE.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is a great value (about $30 or so).
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Update:

CPU bottleneck. I don't know exactly what CPU you have but it's likely you'd have a big CPU bottleneck with the HD7700:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E6850+%40+3.00GHz

Rough test:
1. Start the Task Manager (CTRL-ALT-DEL...)
2. change Task Manager to display ALL threads (should see two graphs under "performance")
3. Change Update Speed to "LOW"

4. Start TERA and run for at least four minutes of gameplay, then Close or Alt-Tab
5. Observe the "Performance" section of TM

Analysis:
- If one of the CPU cores are hitting 100% it's unlikely adding a better graphics card will make much difference in Tera

- If the core with highest usage is hitting about 50% then you would likely be able to get a graphics card of roughly 2x the performance without much bottlenecking by the CPU (look up benchmarks and see what cards get 2x the frame rate as your card).

Hope that helps.
 
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M

Mackoo

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Apr 23, 2014
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Ah thanks alot, Ill run those temperature programs as soon as i clean my pc and replace the thermal paste. Ill probably replace the stock cooler if its really the main cause of the shut downs. And Tera runs horribly. I have to put settings at total lowest in the graphics option just to barely hit 24fps and even then it lags in maps with full of ppl. Yea when i try to render videos even in the most simplest programs like windows movie maker, the pc completely turns off when it reaches a certain % so i cant even do any hardcore usage other than light internet browsing.

Also the mother board socket is " socket 775" . I dont want to spend more than $30 on the cooler, if i have to then i should just build a new pc since this one is 5 yrs old. haha

UPDATE:
I read your second and reply and thank you for the advice, its very informative. Ill try observing the cores through the task manager
 
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Mackoo

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Apr 23, 2014
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Well I started my computer. Ran task manager and watched the cpu processing and the cpu was hitting 60-80% after just opening my browser and running runescape which is a terribly none demanding on graphics. Then after a couple of minutes it shuts off even after ive cleaned the pc. So it cant be the psu since it still turns on, idk if its the heatsink cus its still running. I cleaned the heatsink and replaced the thermal paste but still nothing. And cant be the hdd since theres no blue screen of death. So i dont really know whats wrong, maybe shes just getting too old? Its probably best to just build a new pc instead fixing all the trouble of this 5 yr old pc right?
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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Aug 18, 2013
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That might be the plan. Most people upgrade around every 4 years anyways.
 
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Mackoo

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Apr 23, 2014
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ahh yea thanks, i think i might just do that. how does this barebones kit look? http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8936472&pagenumber=6&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

Ill probably just change the psu and buy a dedicated grraphics card for it
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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I would go with either a FX 6300 or Core i3 so you can upgrade it later on:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.25 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston Blu 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($134.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $545.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 17:34 EDT-0400)
 
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M

Mackoo

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Apr 23, 2014
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Thanks man, the build looks nice, I was thinking of maybe gaetting the athlon 750k since its cheaper. Is it alright to get that for playing tera? Id probably upgrade my whole system anyways in 5 or so years so i dont need the parts to be future proof too much haha
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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Oh well if you will be upgrading to an i5, the 750k should do.
 
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