Upgrade or new build?

Greenwelch

Greenwelch

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I've been using this computer since August 2012 and I'm wondering if I should upgrade or start from scratch.

The only thing that I might have doubts on upgrading is that I've been playing a CPU-intensive/badly optimized game (TERA) and running the computer on temps as high as 94 degrees Celsius for about a month, and I'm not sure if that affects CPU life or any other parts.

I have a i5 2500k, stock cooler, Radeon 7850, and a ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo. Any suggestions?
 
Okay, 94 Celsius for about a month, that's actually realllly dangerous for a CPU. Like, extremely dangerous. It's a miracle your CPU has lasted that long. But if you really want to upgrade, I'd say replacing the GPU if you want to, because your CPU will still last awhile longer. Also, pick up a better cooler than the stock one, if you want to go with air cooling, get a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, or if you don't have the room for it, get a Cooler Master TX3 cooler. Also be wary of your i5 dying, cause it might soon based on the temps it's been exposed to.
 
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techbeast34 said:
Okay, 94 Celsius for about a month, that's actually realllly dangerous for a CPU. Like, extremely dangerous. It's a miracle your CPU has lasted that long. But if you really want to upgrade, I'd say replacing the GPU if you want to, because your CPU will still last awhile longer. Also, pick up a better cooler than the stock one, if you want to go with air cooling, get a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, or if you don't have the room for it, get a Cooler Master TX3 cooler. Also be wary of your i5 dying, cause it might soon based on the temps it's been exposed to.
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Yeah, I was worried but I didn't do anything about it. The highest temp was a 93 for a couple of seconds; I may have over exaggerated a little. It's also whenever I play TERA and I don't play for extended amounts of time because I've been scared that my computer will dye. I bought another cooler, the Noctua DH-D14 which I heard was a pretty good cooler.
 
94 degrees? Your system should auto turn off around 85. That is getting to be damn near water boiling point.

Never use stock coolers. Ever.

Thermal paste should be put on LIGHTLY. Only ever as much as a grain of rice in the middle. When you push the sink down on it it will naturally spread. Too much and it will start acting like a blanket and keep that heat in their instead of spreading it around.

What generation is the CPU? The cool thing about the i series is that they can be upgraded to the better one in the series. Depending on how old it is (my guess is gen 2 or 3) you can get them fairly cheap if you shop around.

The video card should not be hard to replace. if you are looking to go cheap I would aim at about 100, if you are looking to keep it for a couple of years my sweat spot is about 250.
 
gillman said:
94 degrees? Your system should auto turn off around 85. That is getting to be damn near water boiling point.

Never use stock coolers. Ever.

Thermal paste should be put on LIGHTLY. Only ever as much as a grain of rice in the middle. When you push the sink down on it it will naturally spread. Too much and it will start acting like a blanket and keep that heat in their instead of spreading it around.

What generation is the CPU? The cool thing about the i series is that they can be upgraded to the better one in the series. Depending on how old it is (my guess is gen 2 or 3) you can get them fairly cheap if you shop around.

The video card should not be hard to replace. if you are looking to go cheap I would aim at about 100, if you are looking to keep it for a couple of years my sweat spot is about 250.
Click to expand...

The i5 is 2nd gen. I definitely know that the processor is deteriorating in performance fast if I keep the temps at above 90. Even at idle, I sometimes reach 80 degrees, but most of the time it's around 50-60 which I heard is still pretty bad and is the temperature for computers to have that temperature under full load. My new fan should be coming in today as well as a compressed air can so I should see some improvements in temperature (hopefully).

As for the video card, I'm going to replace the 7850 with a GTX 970 once it's around the holidays.
 
I have to agree with everyone else about the temperature. That is an unreasonable amount of heat for that CPU. Luckily, You said only lasted seconds and are already getting a better cooler for it. Definitely replace that thermal paste on their. That may be the issue in the first place.

Can you over clock your CPU? If you can, I think you could get a little bit more power out of it until next year. Then maybe replace the CPU and MoBo. As for the GPU, That's a good step up. You should see a very good improvement in almost any game you play, I would think.
 
I would argue about the CPU upgrade.

Wait for the "new" line to come out and promptly buy the old stuff. They are almost always more stable (they are the last off the line so they knew what they were doing) and normally super comparable in most ways as well. Added bonus being that they are cheaper because the numbers on the model are slightly different.
 
Maybe it is just me but I have an attachment to my computer. If I had an option of upgrading it to run better, then I would take that route instead of replacing it. You sound like you know what you are doing. You will get the desired outcome whichever route you choose when you are in a position of a computer that runs faster to get the work done easily.
 
I'd be a bit confused in this situation too. A GPU and a RAM upgrade should be fine enough for a few years, but if you are really serious, you'd want a whole new PC. If I was in your situation, I'd upgrade everything in that, basically a new PC.
 
Greenwelch said:
The i5 is 2nd gen. I definitely know that the processor is deteriorating in performance fast if I keep the temps at above 90. Even at idle, I sometimes reach 80 degrees, but most of the time it's around 50-60 which I heard is still pretty bad and is the temperature for computers to have that temperature under full load. My new fan should be coming in today as well as a compressed air can so I should see some improvements in temperature (hopefully).

As for the video card, I'm going to replace the 7850 with a GTX 970 once it's around the holidays.
Click to expand...

Hi the i7-2500k is actually still a very good performer. It beats the i5-4460 which is currently the best sub-$200 processor for gaming. I would definitely suggest sticking with it unless you're willing to spend much more for a big upgrade.

Temperature wise it sounds very much like you have a problem with the thermal paste and stock cooling. I suggest upgrading your cooling and getting an aftermarket thermal paste. You can try the Corsair H100i for a closed loop water cooling solution. It's one of the best coolers there is. This will also allow you to overclock your CPU and get even more performance out of it while keeping your temps under 60. And when you choose to upgrade your PC down the road, you can continue to use it.

80 at idle is definitely way too high. You need to make sure you do a couple of things when you clean out your PC.
1) Use the compressed air can in the upright position. Don't tilt it or turn it upside down. Then use the straw and clean out your fan and other components on the PC.
2) Take out your CPU cooler and clean off all the thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol or contact cleaner and a coffee filter or any other lint free cloth. (Do this on both surfaces, the processor and the heatsink)
3) Apply one tiny dot of thermal paste on top of the processor (see http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/What-is-the-Best-Way-to-Apply-Thermal-Grease/1303)
4) Then put your heatsink back on and mount it on tightly.
 
I think your current build is great and don't need upgrading now. You have a great cpu, graphics card and motherboard. I would suggest you buy a new cpu cooler to reduce your cpu temperature. Just get a decent cooler and you should be good to go.
 
I would upgrade the GPU, maybe the RAM, but leave the CPU. It's not the best out there, but it should be enough for a little while, at least until you can get a good deal on a new one. I don't think there are too many games that actually need a great CPU anyway.
 
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