Upgrading AMD fx6300 and possibly video card

Freddie Sanborn

Reputable
Feb 22, 2014
10
0
4,510
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)

So this is my current rig. I havent touched this budget baby for almost over a year and a half, so when i booted her up and tried to play some games, i noticed she would crash and freeze. I found out my cpu was running at about 70 degrees C. Im thinking about upgrading the cpu anyway, but on a budget of about 120$ and keeping just about everything else ( so i need something that works with current motherboard). Also my HDMI port on the GTX isnt working anymore any idea why this might be? Should i just upgrade my video card along with CPU? Thanks for the help!!
 
Solution
No problem. If the heatsink is caked with dust that is likely your issue. The thermal paste may be dried up as well, especially if its the low quality paste that came pre applied to the cooler and its a few years old.

Dunlop0078

Titan
Ambassador
That cpu will throttle at 70c, are you using the stock cooler? No cpu overclock? I do not think its worth upgrading on the AM3+ platform anymore, the fx 8320 for example does not perfom all that much better than the 6300 in games certainly not enough to justify its price in my opinion. I would try to find out why your 6300 is overheating and fix it. Maybe save up for a switch to ryzen or intel and a new gpu in the future.
 

Freddie Sanborn

Reputable
Feb 22, 2014
10
0
4,510


Im thinking the thermal paste is worn out or something I also need to clean the heat sink with compressed air or something, its well dusted up. Yeah its the stock cooler, and no cpu overclock, ill probably just fix that for now and upgrade everything when i have more money. I might just start from scratch too haha. Thanks