I built a gaming PC with my daughter about five years ago, and she's been saying that it's not running very fast anymore, plus the temperatures are higher than I'd like. I'm torn between upgrading the processor to a 7 or 9 series, adding more memory, getting larger M.2 drives, and installing an AIO cooler, or trying to overclock the existing components for the first time. I attempted to upgrade to 32 GB of memory, but I ran into issues when trying to mix my existing 2x8GB DDR4-3600 with some new 2x8GB that turned out to be DDR4-3200. The system won't boot with all four sticks installed. Currently, she plays games like Valorant, Marvel Rivals, and Overwatch. I've got the specs listed on PCPartPicker for reference.
3 Answers
Don't rush to upgrade just yet! First, pull up a resource monitor while she's gaming to see if the CPU, GPU, or RAM is getting maxed out. If your GPU is hitting 100% while the CPU is only around 50%, it might be time to replace it instead of upgrading everything else. Also, check the SSD's health—the performance can drop if it’s almost full or aging.
Honestly, your computer should still be perfectly able to handle those games without any major issues. If she's having temperature problems, it might just need a good cleaning and maybe some new thermal paste. Check the CPU and GPU temps under load, and make sure there aren’t any software or driver issues slowing it down.
Your build still holds up pretty well! If the computer is thermal throttling, that’s something to address before upgrading. A thorough cleaning can help, including clearing out any dust and replacing the thermal paste. If you're using the stock CPU cooler, consider swapping it for a better one—it could improve cooling without breaking the bank.
Absolutely! A new cooler could make a big difference. Also, adding some higher-quality case fans would help keep everything nice and cool.