I got my first PC five years ago during COVID and it ran great for a while, able to handle bigger games like Rust and Call of Duty. But now, it barely manages to run Valorant without issues. It's located on the third floor, using an Ethernet adapter, and my ping is usually between 15-30, which isn't terrible, but I do disconnect occasionally. The performance has dropped significantly, and I'm wondering if it's time for a new PC since my current one is getting pretty hot, though I'm not sure if that's normal. I'm not comfortable building one myself, as I'd probably struggle more than building a Lego set. Here's what I have:
- CPU: Intel i7-9700F
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB
- Memory: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 250GB SSD, 1TB HDD
Should I consider upgrading my existing setup or is it better to start fresh?
2 Answers
Do you happen to have any old SSDs lying around? If you swap your main drive with a smaller one and do a fresh Windows install, it could dramatically improve performance. It's worth testing to see if that helps before diving into a full upgrade.
You might want to consider upgrading your GPU; it could give your PC a decent boost without needing a complete overhaul. Additionally, if you're comfortable with it, wiping the SSD and reinstalling Windows might help improve stability as well, but keep in mind that your system will still be somewhat slow overall.
Yeah, I've heard upgrading the GPU can be tricky if the other components can't keep up. Just make sure to check compatibility before making any purchases!
Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare SSDs. I've already mentioned all my current drives.