I built my first PC about six years ago and it has served me well at 1080p. It has an Intel Core i5-10600KF with a 240mm AIO, an ASRock X490 Extreme4 motherboard, an RX 5700 XT, 16GB of DDR4, and a 750W EVGA power supply. Recently, frame rates have started dropping even in fairly well-optimized games such as Warframe. The graphics card also has a GPU-to-hotspot temperature difference of more than 30°C, with the hotspot reaching 110°C before I adjusted the fan curve and undervolted it. I suspect the card may need new thermal paste, but I am not completely comfortable disassembling it, especially if the thermal pads also need replacing. Newer games are also beginning to push the limits of the system. Given Australian component prices, would it make more sense to repaste the 5700 XT and save for a new build over the next year or two, upgrade the graphics card now, or sell the old system and build a replacement immediately?
5 Answers
Before replacing anything, monitor whether the frame-rate drops are actually GPU-related. Check GPU utilization, CPU utilization, clocks, temperatures, and whether the 16GB of memory is full. A 30°C-plus hotspot delta and a 110°C hotspot are concerning, so repasting may help, but opening the card can damage thermal pads or create mounting problems if the correct pad thicknesses are not used. If you are uncomfortable doing it, a repair shop may be safer. Undervolting and a more aggressive fan curve are reasonable temporary measures.
A used RX 6700 XT, RX 6800, or RX 6800 XT could be a sensible middle ground in Australia. Those cards would provide a solid performance increase and could extend the system's useful life for a couple more years while you save for a full rebuild. Just check the card's condition, temperatures, warranty, and power requirements before buying.
There is not much worthwhile CPU upgrading available on your current platform, so spending heavily on a faster processor for that motherboard probably does not make sense. If you can afford it, replacing the CPU, motherboard, and GPU together gives you a cleaner long-term upgrade. You could keep the case, power supply, storage, and possibly the RAM if the replacement platform supports it, rather than selling the entire computer.
All three options can work, but the best choice depends on your budget and how urgently you need better performance. A current midrange GPU would be a noticeable improvement even with the 10600KF, although you may see some CPU limitation at 1080p. If you upgrade the card, compare Australian prices carefully rather than assuming a particular model is good value, and consider moving from 16GB to 32GB of RAM as well.
If the card is still stable after undervolting, I would avoid rushing into a full rebuild while prices are high. Either keep using it and save, or make a targeted used-GPU upgrade. A complete replacement makes the most sense only if you already have the budget and want a substantial jump in newer games rather than just fixing the current thermal issue.
That makes sense. I will check utilization and memory usage first, then compare the cost of a used GPU against having the 5700 XT serviced before committing to a full rebuild.