Replace or Repair?

[Bob Sheetz]

Budget (including currency): $1,500

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Business, Games (RPGs, Simulations, Strategy), Programming, Other

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 
After building my own systems back in the day, I started running out of time an patience to do it myself and I started buying prebuilt systems.  In 2011 I purchased a Falcon Northwest Fragbox, with i7 - 2600k @3.4ghz, 16 GB of Ram, 500gb SSD, 1TB Hard drive.  

It was great for a long time, in 2016 I lost my job and started a business and I started having issues with the computer but because of starting a new business I just didn't have time to figure it out.  When the pandemic hit, I started working on my PC and found it was the video card so I replaced it with a Nvidia RTX 2060, and after that the monitor died so I got an Acer  XZ321Q.

 

The system does pretty much what I need it to do except for a Random hangup where the system freezes and the drive light is lit for a few moments then everything works again.  It is rare when it happens so I just deal with it.  

 

So, here is the question.  I can hear that my CPU fan is starting to go, it is making noise and I know it will need to be replaced. The question I have is should I plan to do this and replace my Hard Drive that is also starting to act up or should I replace it with a new custom build system.  I figure the Video card can come over to the new system as it and I would like to keep the "small" form factor.  But this processor is 10 years old and a gen 2 so I am not sure if it makes sense to rip it apart, change the CPU cooling fan, hard drive and internal RGB (Yes mine has bunt out and I miss the blue glow from my machine) or just build a new system and pass this one  on to someone else.  

 

Thanks for giving me your thoughts on the next steps.  I am not in a hurry, but I need to plan what I am going to do next.  

 

Bob

 

[zeusthemoose]

Replacing things like a fan and hard drive shouldn’t be too expensive so if otherwise your performance is good enough, it might not be worth it to build a new system. That said, your processor is incredibly old and upgrading will be a big performance bump for you. 
Personally I would build a new system with ryzen 5000 with its out and carry over the gpu. But it may make sense for you to only replace what needs to be replaced now and upgrade everything when you need more performance, that’s something only you can really decide.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

43 minutes ago, Bob Sheetz said:

The system does pretty much what I need it to do except for a Random hangup where the system freezes and the drive light is lit for a few moments then everything works again.  It is rare when it happens so I just deal with it.  

This strangely sounds like the exact same problem I'm having with my desktop...

[Bob Sheetz]

8 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

This strangely sounds like the exact same problem I'm having with my desktop...

I have a feeling it is something with the SSD bios or driver causing it.  

[penguin1]

2 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

Replacing things like a fan and hard drive shouldn’t be too expensive so if otherwise your performance is good enough, it might not be worth it to build a new system. That said, your processor is incredibly old and upgrading will be a big performance bump for you. 
Personally I would build a new system with ryzen 5000 with its out and carry over the gpu. But it may make sense for you to only replace what needs to be replaced now and upgrade everything when you need more performance, that’s something only you can really decide.

Like @zeusthemoose said, it really depends on your needs. If your pc works fine for you, there is no reason to upgrade. If you want to save money, than fix your pc.

 

One reason to upgrade now is bottle necking. The RTX 2060 is extremely powerful, but you are not getting the full potential out of it because of your CPU. I would definitely recommend building a new system. You will get more out of it and wont need to worry about having a fail that may stop you from doing your work. 

 

What I would do in your situation is get a new CPU, case, motherboard, PSU, a NVME SSD, and ram. I have compiled a list with good parts that may point you in the right direction. The Ryzen 5000 series is coming out November 5th, but we do not know if it is going to have the same issues that Nvidia had with scalpers. It is defiantly worth the wait. Also new motherboards may be launched (motherboard may require new bios), so make sure you look out for those before making a decision. 

 

Parts List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hLxq4d (Total price of $1249.94)

These parts should all work together, but I would double check before purchasing.

 

Please let me know how this goes! Don't hesitate to message me on discord if you have any questions.

[Bob Sheetz]

1 hour ago, penguin1 said:

Like @zeusthemoose said, it really depends on your needs. If your pc works fine for you, there is no reason to upgrade. If you want to save money, than fix your pc.

 

One reason to upgrade now is bottle necking. The RTX 2060 is extremely powerful, but you are not getting the full potential out of it because of your CPU. I would definitely recommend building a new system. You will get more out of it and wont need to worry about having a fail that may stop you from doing your work. 

 

What I would do in your situation is getting a new CPU, case, motherboard, PSU, a NVME SSD, and ram. I have compiled a list with good parts that may point you in the right direction. The Ryzen 5000 series is coming out November 5th, but we do not know if it is going to have the same issues that Nvidia had with scalpers. It is defiantly worth the wait. Also new motherboards may be launched (motherboard may require new bios), so make sure you look out for those before making a decision. 

 

Parts List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hLxq4d (Total price of $1249.94)

These parts should all work together, but I would double check before purchasing.

 

Please let me know how this goes! 

Thanks, The age of this processor is one of the things that is really prompting this.  After watching Linus' builds it seems things have gotten much easier than when I used to assemble systems, so I am not concerned about putting one together.  

Since I never worked with liquid cooling, is there any maintenance on these coolers?  In the old days Liquid was high maintenance.  

I am sure I can wait a little before jumping on this project and see what happens with the Ryzen 5000.  

[zeusthemoose]

12 minutes ago, Bob Sheetz said:

Since I never worked with liquid cooling, is there any maintenance on these coolers?  In the old days Liquid was high maintenance.  

From what I have heard, the process for installing an AIO is slightly easier than most air coolers. However, they have more parts to them which means they have a higher chance breaking. They do not need maintenance but only last a few years. Unless you really want the look of an AIO, go for a good air cooler. The good ones have nearly identical performance for a lower price anyways.

[penguin1]

5 hours ago, Bob Sheetz said:

Thanks, The age of this processor is one of the things that is really prompting this.  After watching Linus' builds it seems things have gotten much easier than when I used to assemble systems, so I am not concerned about putting one together.  

Since I never worked with liquid cooling, is there any maintenance on these coolers?  In the old days Liquid was high maintenance.  

I am sure I can wait a little before jumping on this project and see what happens with the Ryzen 5000.  

The cooler should not require any maintenance, and is just as easy as setting up a air cooler. I would recommend it because it saves on space.

 

[kyn1972]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler	$89.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 VISION D ATX AM4 Motherboard	$259.99 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory	$149.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$119.98 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate Exos X14 14 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$294.99 @ Amazon
Case	Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$88.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.92 @ Amazon
Custom	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X	$309.00
Custom	RTX 2060	Purchased
Custom	Acer XZ321Q	Purchased
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1432.81
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-25 23:07 EDT-0400

 

[Bob Sheetz]

I am definitely new in the AMD market.  Only ever used Intel and Cyrix chips.  Hard to imagine that AMD could be my next processor.  

[penguin1]

4 hours ago, Bob Sheetz said:

I am definitely new in the AMD market.  Only ever used Intel and Cyrix chips.  Hard to imagine that AMD could be my next processor.  

You can go with Intel, but AMD has innovated lately and you get much more bang for your buck. I upgraded my pc from intel, and I have had no issues with it. I highly recommend switching.

[kyn1972]

On 10/26/2020 at 3:08 PM, Bob Sheetz said:

I am definitely new in the AMD market.  Only ever used Intel and Cyrix chips.  Hard to imagine that AMD could be my next processor.  

I will not that now that AMD has released the specs for their new video cards you might want to wait and grab one of those as well as bumping the powersupply up to a 750 watt so you can take advantage of their new video cards which supposedly will work even better with their CPUs than Nvidia which you might want to consider buying as well.