My first computer build is beginning to hiccup. Of note: I'm self taught, failed computers 101 my freshman year in college (in 1997 or so), happily gaming on this system (and its capacities-and my ignorance) since it was completed circa 2013.
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
MoBo: Asus Rog Crosshair V AM3+
CPU: AMD FX 8350 Vishera
CPU cooler: Cooler Master 212E CPU cooler
RAM: G.SKILL TridentX Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
GPU: DIAMOND Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition DirectX 11.1 7870PE52GV 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 - 720W 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply with Modular Cables
Monitor: Dell E Series E2213H 21.5" Monitor, 21.5 Inch VIS, Widescreen, VGA/DVI - totally forgot about the not so hot monitor
Storage: I have a 120GB SSD for bootup only, and a 2TB HD for everything else.
I clean the case far less often than I should and have two dogs. I play Mechwarrior/Battletech of late and relapse to WoW with new expansions (currently in remission.)
I started noticing some flickering/glitching during Mechwarrior, usually minor, though sometimes as long as 1-2 seconds, maybe 1-2 times a match, in addition to the occasional flicker. After cleaning out/blowing out my case and components a couple times recently, I started to investigate overclocking my system. I clicked the magic button +1 in my bios tweak to give the CPU a boost, but I really have no way of knowing if it did anything. I have not changed that back yet. I then checked out Jaystwocents and Panjno's youtube videos about beginner GPU overclocking. Basically, any time I touched any settings with the intent of overclocking, my GPU's temps skyrocketed to about 83 degrees (C) and froze up. This makes me think my GPU may need some new paste and some love (no, it's never been touched to date.) I was thinking about upgrading the graphics card but the more homework I do, the more hesitant I am that it will make the difference I thought it might. This build has been perfect for my personal habits for the past 5 years. I have no idea if I am a low, moderate, or heavy gamer. Sometimes I play a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Other times I go months without.
Question 1 (pertaining to the existing system): How much time/energy is worth putting into the various bits to push this aging system through its final months/years? Where would you start? Re-paste the GPU? Upgrade the CPU cooler?
Question 2 (upgrades): How would you prioritize upgrading this system, or would you just start from scratch? Would upgrading any particular components breathe some longevity into this build? I hope I at least get to keep the case...
Question 3: If you were to build a computer today, hoping to play games at high or almost high settings for the next... 3-5 years, and given current market considerations, what CPU/GPU/Mobo would you start with?
I greatly appreciate anyone willing to offer up ideas/opinions, etc. Also, any preferred guides to overclocking, should that be a route I choose to go with this particular build.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Edits:
-added monitor
Thoughts: it appears that perhaps a GPU and Monitor would be in order. I'm happy to spend 500-600 now (higher capacity monitor plus 1060 or 1070 gpu), and then upgrade the mobo and cpu within the next year. My approach here is to not wait until things start failing.
Final result:
I went up to my local big box electronics store for some additional investigation. I ended up walking out with a new Acer Monitor and paired it with a 580 8gb gpu (mostly to gain the freesync benefit.) My intent is to upgrade mobo, cpu, memory over the next couple months, probably one per month. The monitor was on a clearance sale which made being able to walk home with a new, confident, in box gpu from the store much more palatable. I could probably have saved $30-50 bucks buying used from the looks of it but come on... impulse people, impulse.
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
MoBo: Asus Rog Crosshair V AM3+
CPU: AMD FX 8350 Vishera
CPU cooler: Cooler Master 212E CPU cooler
RAM: G.SKILL TridentX Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
GPU: DIAMOND Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition DirectX 11.1 7870PE52GV 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 - 720W 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply with Modular Cables
Monitor: Dell E Series E2213H 21.5" Monitor, 21.5 Inch VIS, Widescreen, VGA/DVI - totally forgot about the not so hot monitor
Storage: I have a 120GB SSD for bootup only, and a 2TB HD for everything else.
I clean the case far less often than I should and have two dogs. I play Mechwarrior/Battletech of late and relapse to WoW with new expansions (currently in remission.)
I started noticing some flickering/glitching during Mechwarrior, usually minor, though sometimes as long as 1-2 seconds, maybe 1-2 times a match, in addition to the occasional flicker. After cleaning out/blowing out my case and components a couple times recently, I started to investigate overclocking my system. I clicked the magic button +1 in my bios tweak to give the CPU a boost, but I really have no way of knowing if it did anything. I have not changed that back yet. I then checked out Jaystwocents and Panjno's youtube videos about beginner GPU overclocking. Basically, any time I touched any settings with the intent of overclocking, my GPU's temps skyrocketed to about 83 degrees (C) and froze up. This makes me think my GPU may need some new paste and some love (no, it's never been touched to date.) I was thinking about upgrading the graphics card but the more homework I do, the more hesitant I am that it will make the difference I thought it might. This build has been perfect for my personal habits for the past 5 years. I have no idea if I am a low, moderate, or heavy gamer. Sometimes I play a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Other times I go months without.
Question 1 (pertaining to the existing system): How much time/energy is worth putting into the various bits to push this aging system through its final months/years? Where would you start? Re-paste the GPU? Upgrade the CPU cooler?
Question 2 (upgrades): How would you prioritize upgrading this system, or would you just start from scratch? Would upgrading any particular components breathe some longevity into this build? I hope I at least get to keep the case...
Question 3: If you were to build a computer today, hoping to play games at high or almost high settings for the next... 3-5 years, and given current market considerations, what CPU/GPU/Mobo would you start with?
I greatly appreciate anyone willing to offer up ideas/opinions, etc. Also, any preferred guides to overclocking, should that be a route I choose to go with this particular build.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Edits:
-added monitor
Thoughts: it appears that perhaps a GPU and Monitor would be in order. I'm happy to spend 500-600 now (higher capacity monitor plus 1060 or 1070 gpu), and then upgrade the mobo and cpu within the next year. My approach here is to not wait until things start failing.
Final result:
I went up to my local big box electronics store for some additional investigation. I ended up walking out with a new Acer Monitor and paired it with a 580 8gb gpu (mostly to gain the freesync benefit.) My intent is to upgrade mobo, cpu, memory over the next couple months, probably one per month. The monitor was on a clearance sale which made being able to walk home with a new, confident, in box gpu from the store much more palatable. I could probably have saved $30-50 bucks buying used from the looks of it but come on... impulse people, impulse.