I Built a PC 10 years ago, Should I try and Upgrade it or Start Fresh?

Posted by Competitive_Flight92@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 81 comments

Hello Everybody,

I am looking for advice on whether or not I should upgrade my PC or just build a new one entirely. When I originally built the PC in high school I wanted to use it as solely as a gaming PC, but now over ten years later I want to have it be both a gaming and work from home PC. I want something that will handle games like counterstrike, league of legends, and fortnite. As far as work goes, my main objective is to run microsoft office and excel. Currently, my computer runs pretty slow and will turn off occasionally without warning, the specs are as follows (please forgive me I'm not super into computers anymore and I built this in 2014, not sure about certain components and not sure how to check what I have honestly).

CPU: Intel i5-4680k

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45

RAM: 16 GB DDR3

Storage: 448 GB SSD / 2 TB HDD

PSU : Corsair 650

Is this setup so old that making upgrades is even worth it, and if so, what upgrades should I go for to make it run smoother and not have the random shutoff problems. Or, should I give this to a friend and start from scratch?

Thanks

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Topac1@reddit

Start Fresh

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Bubblesore@reddit

Start fresh. Whole new world.

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xsadvillex@reddit

Fresh. Your ability to upgrade will be entirely dictated by your motherboard and you will end up settling and spending money for parts you don’t necessarily want.

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ltecruz@reddit

Fresh. You basically jumped a whole era of DDR4 straight to DDR5 lol.

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Suspicious_Feed_7585@reddit

But wait a little more to go to DDR6 en 5070 card or even better 7070 card.. because 7070 sounds better

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Skrmnghrdr@reddit

Me asf 🤣💀

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ph11p3541@reddit

Build yourself a completely new PC. Everything has fundamentally changed. New power supply standard of Intel socket LGA 1700 forced me to start with all new bigger power supply. Even cases and fans need to be bigger since everything is starting to be based off of 140mm fans from 120mm fans. Even fan controllers and fan connectors have fundamentally changed. Start fresh from scratch

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ProjectManagerAMA@reddit

Put a small SSD drive on it and sell it on marketplace. Then use that money to buy a new one.

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persson9999@reddit

Start fresh. Sure you can use psu and case but it will be harder to sell rest of the parts. Sell it as a whole pc and build a new one

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MakimaGOAT@reddit

Fresh!

Only thing you can really keep is the storage and maybe PSU

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realcoray@reddit

Start from scratch. I had to open a very similar PC recently to steal a graphics card and it's so different inside. The case even was not good enough to use even though things would have fit.

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Ironwolf44@reddit

Care to elaborate? I am upgrading from similar and I have a Cooler Master CM 690 III case. Why should I upgrade case?

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Azyune@reddit

I do have the similar situation too, A 10 years old system. I thought about starting fresh but then I left pc master race long ago and since I converted to more chill console gaming, why bother to build another system that I might not fully utilize anymore.

So yeah I'll keep the old system for general usage as long as it doesn't give me bad using experience yet. Since performance is not my priority currently, I'll upgrading just for keeping up with the looks. New popular fish tank case with some argb stuff for giving it fresh gaming vibe :D

Anyway since yours still want to do latest gaming, a fresh start is the only way.

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EirHc@reddit

Based on your needs, you don't need anything too powerful. Like you could try reinstalling the operating system and see if it fixes up your speed and crashing issues. It's still a fairly dated machine so that might solve nothing. But ya, it's not gonna be worth it to upgrade. You could build a budget machine for pretty cheap.

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skyfishgoo@reddit

except for the storage, nothing about that is salvageable, not even the case.

she's had a good run, but you got some catching up to do.

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Ironwolf44@reddit

I'm in a similar situation. Why is the case not salvageable?

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DXNiflheim@reddit

It's time for a platform upgrade

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ACDrinnan@reddit

I'd start a new if I was you.

If you kept the motherboard, the best cpu you could buy for it is still very old and slow compared to today's. Also the ddr3, that is really old and slow.compared to today's ddr5.

As for the 980, it depends. If it's handling what games you play amd you don't want to spend all of the money right now, you could put that in the new build until you can get a modern gpu. But if you have the money to also upgrade your gpu while buying the other parts, then do it.

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goldstarstickergiver@reddit

Turn your old one in to a console for the tv or something and get a new one. I did that with my pc last year (similar specs to yours), and its put new life in to the old girl.

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LazyDawge@reddit

You can keep the storage but that’s about it. The PSU could probably go on, but I think it’s good practice to swap it out when the warranty runs out anyway

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NickCharlesYT@reddit

I wouldn't trust a 10 year old PSU with new components. Don't cheap out on the most critical part of your computer that powers everything else.

As far as the drives go, keep in mind that hdd is also likely old at this point and a risk for failure. I'd rather replace it myself. SSD, honestly probably more reliable than any new model today because modern stuff is all qlc or worse.

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pcbfs@reddit

What about the case?!?

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iliketreesndcats@reddit

Yeah keep the HDD for super long-term storage of images/media but these days a 1tb nvme SSD is cheap as chips.

Might as well put your games and programs on an SSD!

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jhaluska@reddit

You can upgrade it, but it's a lot of upgrading. The only thing you might be able to keep are the case, hard drive, PSU and maybe the GPU.

Computer turning off randomly is most likely a failing PSU or Motherboard. Since you need a new one anyways, I'd replace the motherboard, ram, and CPU. If it still turns off, replace the PSU. Then you can look at a new GPU if you really want to game more, but just keep in mind you might still have to replace the PSU if you upgrade higher end GPU as they've gotten significantly more power hungry.

At which point it's basically a complete build. If you want to you can replace the hard drive as well which will make games load a bit faster. You can replace the case if you want a new GPU that won't fit in the old one.

I'd recommend a 7500f and 32gb of ram. Should be able to handle those games well and won't break the bank.

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ufka1@reddit

My last PC was an i5-4590 back in 2015 and I just built a new PC last week with a Ryzen 8600g. I need a SFF so I went with that. The only thing that came over was my hard drive with my photos.

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axerowsky_@reddit

Start fresh, man. I'm doing the exact same thing right now 😅. I've had my PC for 10 years since 2014. Similar specs (intel gen 4, gtx 970, same kinda mobo but from gigabyte).

As others said, there is a huge jump in tech. You can look up my recent posts if you want some inspiration from someone with a similar scenario.

Also, my whole pc build research can be called pretty much a campaign right now, as I've spent weeks searching for the best stuff and learning. So if u have any quick questions that you dont want to make a whole new post on, dm me. I can explain like you're 5 (that's what helped me sometimes, haha).

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Hammerslamman33@reddit

When you realize 10 years ago was 2014 and not 2004...

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NoCartographer7339@reddit

After 10 years id go fresh

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PokemonandLSD@reddit

Counterstike and Fortnight are contemporary with your build. Do you need to upgrade? Wait as long as possible until something fails or your needs are not met.

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killermoose25@reddit

Everything in that rig is obsolete , it would be more efficient to start new.

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Build-Strong@reddit

I recently upgraded my 10-year-old PC with an i7 4790k to a 7800x3d, from DDR3 to DDR5. My GPU is the only thing I've upgraded throughout the years; it's a 3070ti. Maybe I'll buy a 4080. It was completely worth it.

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dekuweku@reddit

10 years is going to feel like 4 years in the 90s to early 2000s where power jumps felt real and significant.

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Tschi86@reddit

no offense but if you have a 10 year old pc and think about upgrading 😀 maybe your game is not on par after that time

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DryMathematician8213@reddit

I went through this a few years ago And I couldn’t see a way forward but it does depend on what you are wanting to do?!

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Juno_1010@reddit

Haha, I just googled this today as well as I have the same cpu and a 1080Ti. I wanted it for gaming becoming a new dad and well, life took over. When I finally went to game on it I tried Gears 4 or 5 and it was chuggy as hell. That's kind of when I realized I had missed like 9 years of PC updates and such.

Snagged a 9800x3d as the first component to my new build. And now my kids are old enough to be my squadmates 🤣 I miss PC gaming but consoles have come so far.

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beirch@reddit

I think everyone in this thread is very quick to say you need to upgrade your whole system, but I think they're overestimating what kind of CPU you need to run the games you listed.

Sure, if you want 300+ fps at 1080p, you might as well do a full upgrade, but if you're happy with 100-150fps at a little lower settings, you could get away with just a GPU upgrade Something like an RX 6600 would be great for your system.

If your SSD is getting old (and especially if it's DRAM less), you could consider getting a new one and relegating your old to secondary drive. That might help with responsiveness.

Your setup is more than capable for office work though, so imo there's nothing wrong with just upgrading your GPU first and seeing if the performance boost is enough for you. If not, you can always just upgrade the rest of the system afterwards, and even return the GPU and get a better one.

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Remote_Video1311@reddit

2GPu MB n 3050TI!

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Character-Lab6729@reddit

Definitely a fresh start, anything you could possibly upgrade would be bottlenecked by old tech. Save yourself the hassle.

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ComicDoctor@reddit

Recommend a fresh build here. You can make a great new unit that could last you for a while

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Inevitable_Silver_13@reddit

Fresh. I had mine for like 14 years and I already upgraded My GPU a couple years ago. It's time.

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bonelesschikin@reddit

10 years is a long time. I'm going on 6 years and I'm forced to essentially build a new system. New CPU means new ram, new MoBo and since I'm upgrading my CPU my GPU should probably be upgraded too. New GPU? Which means I probably need a new PSU.

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Public-Eye1261@reddit

its like a car. You get a new car, or You change the main components inside.

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Kleizar@reddit

I'm in pretty much the same situation. I have a I5 4690K with a radeon RX 580 8GB. I also go DDR3 RAM for cheap... didnt know that DDR4 RAM had just released lol.

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KodiakJedi@reddit

Old case probably has old USB tech. You probably should start fresh so that everything is modern and using the latest tech. I used to have an old PC. I got tired of reaching in the back under my desk to plug USB drives into the motherboard because the front panel on my case was 2.0 only.

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MizzelSc2@reddit

Ur literally describing my computer minus an i7 4790. At this point it probably makes more sense to upgrade ur motherboard to ddr5 along with all your other parts rather than trying to salvage your ancient machine let it Rest In Peace.

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Oddworldd123@reddit

If your PSU is still under warranty, you could try rma it and they might replace it with a modern PSU. I sent my tx650m and they sent me back a rm750x. They didn’t bother checking if my psu worked or not.

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Thin-Marionberry-883@reddit

yeah just build new fresh pc, same like me i built my pc in 2017 and i do like to build fresh new one and sold the old one

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nocappinbruh@reddit

keep the memories

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AnonymousNubShyt@reddit

10yrs ago, there's nothing for you to upgrade. Just do a fresh build. Even entry level pc is way better than what you can do to upgrade your 10yrs ago.

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sayan_drax@reddit

Can I have the GPU please...?

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ju2au@reddit

OP clearly stated that the old PC would suddenly turned off without warning. Therefore, odds are, there is probably something wrong with the PSU.

I'd avoid bringing the old PSU into the new build; those recommending that clearly haven't read the original post properly.

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EmbarrassedBug1627@reddit

Start afresh. Keep the current one and turn it into a NAS or media home server.

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Taskr36@reddit

Start Fresh.

It's not compatible with Windows 11 and Windows 10 will lose support in less than a year.

It's just the motherboard, CPU, and RAM that really need to be upgraded, so you could save money for now by using the rest with your new build.

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Ok-Comfortable7967@reddit

Start fresh for sure. You pretty much need to upgrade all of that, and there will be many incompatibility issues if you try to keep some of it.

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Iron-Ham@reddit

You can keep the case. I’m not sure I’d even keep the storage as internal storage.

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ultrafrisk@reddit

Go for low latency ddr4 and a 3090.

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riotblade76@reddit

I'd keep the SSD and just start off fresh DDR5 stuff

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eujin209@reddit

Make a new build. Keep the old PC as a media server or emulation station.

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Glitch995@reddit

You might consider keeping the case, power supply, and graphics card, then upgrading to a new DDR5 motherboard, CPU, and RAM. This should significantly enhance your performance. Afterwards, you can sell your old components to help fund a new graphics card.

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tm0587@reddit

I built a new PC in 2018 mostly because DDR3 sticks were getting harder to find and DDR4 prices have come down alot in prices by then.

So you're way past time to get a new PC haha.

Imo there isn't much you can bring over to your new PC, maybe only your SSD and HDD, though you'll want to get a NVME SSD for your main drive.

Some may say you can reuse your PSU but if your PSU is 10yo, I'll personally get a new one and keep the current one as a back up.

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secretreddname@reddit

Your psu might be able to carry over if you get a crazy gpu. I’ve had my Corsair 860 since 2015

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Local_Community_7510@reddit

i would need you to specify amount of budget you had

but the answer is obvious, start fresh
you can upgrade your GPU, but that will cost you a severe bottleneck for gaming since your CPU is over 10+ years old

maybe you can sell your current PC dirt cheap like $100-200 ? and use that money to add up your budget ,

or scrap the usable parts like the storage, as for PSU ,i'd recommend otherwise

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420LeftNut69@reddit

Sir, you're gonna need to change your motherboard for any real upgrade. At this point just go fresh. Even the SSD (HDD is probably just fine), from my experience they don't really live that long in the 1st place, so it will fail sooner or later; get an M.2 drive.

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Acrobatic-Count-9394@reddit

Fresh.

Nothing much you can get out of this one, best use is probably for home server(if you even need one):

GPU is more or less usable for older/lighter games, but upgrade is definitely in order. Can it run CS2?

Storage can be kept, but I would get a new NVME SSD for boot drive.

PSU may be usable, but may lack some connectors for GPU/CPU.

The rest is e-waste grade at this point. DDR3 is painfully slow and obsolete, CPU is old enough that basicaly any current cpu stomps it. Motherboard with ddr3 and old cpu socket is thus useless.

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Shin_Ramyun@reddit

I had a similar setup from 2014– i7 4770k + 980ti (upgraded in 2016 or 2017). It ran 1080 games fine until 2022 when I sold it. But it is time to upgrade to a new system. Go for 1440p or 4k.

AMD > Intel. 7800x3d or even 9800x3d are the best for gaming. 4080 or 4070 cards will do you good. You could also wait for 5000 series cards.

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BrianKronberg@reddit

I have one like that gen that is now running automation software for the house. About to decom it and replace with a $300 mini PC. Things have changed so radically. The case could be used, but you don’t have USB-C ports. The power supply could be used but I don’t know if you have enough PCI power for a new GPU, and with the new v3 standard 12pin plug, it is worth getting a new one. You’ll probably even want a new keyboard mouse and monitor.

So, find a deserving kid that just plays Minecraft and give the whole thing to him/her.

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Silly-Squash24@reddit

Start fresh but don’t throw this computer away! It still has potential to make for a pretty solid NAS

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Treeman__420@reddit

Start fresh use your old one as your own personal server.

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WizardMoose@reddit

Definitely a whole new system. You can keep using the same storage, but everything else needs to be upgraded. The PSU, I'd only say to replace it because that one is hitting 10 years old, and at that point, just get a new one. The one you have is getting old.

However! You have a pretty good system for a home server. If you have an interest in hosting your media, definitely look into that as an option!

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Outrageous_Twist8891@reddit

I always take my storage with me to the next build. I am getting a samsung 990 pro though to have really fast access to files and OS.

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TheDestroyerKutu@reddit

I had a similar build from 2015. It was a 4790k GTX 970 setup. Just recently upgraded to a 9800X3D and 7900GRE. Only things I kept were my cooler, PSU and storage.

Your system is still good for the games you mentioned at 1080p. Office tasks should be a breeze too. Troubleshooting can get annoying and time-consuming very quick, but if you're willing to get a functional PC for the cheapest this might be your best option. UNLESS something is clearly broken and the replacement part is unobtanium and super expensive for some reason.

Upgrading only the CPU is out of the question from a value propositon. 4790K would be the highest point for that chipset, but I think it's simply just not worth the effort. You could get a second-hand one or two generation newer GPU to get a nice bump and that would be your limit before you start to experience bottlenecking, but then again it's up to your decision on troubleshooting and performance expectations.

When I said upgraded, I meant UPGRADED. It was a day and night difference from lightest to heaviest workloads. I've never played Cyperbunk and just started RDR2 yet so I'm pretty excited for those. If you want to treat yourself and want to be able to play newer games, an upgrade is definitely due. Not a necessity, but it certainly has great value at this point. You could get away with a 1000 dollars or even less budget on a completely new system for the games you play. Even cheaper if you buy used parts.

As with most things in life, it's up to your budget (time, effort and money) and expectations. If you ever consider getting back into PCs again, I would definitely recommend reputable Youtube channels such as GamersNexus before you make a decision.

TLDR: You could either fix, partially upgrade or build a new system depending on your resources and expectations. Advise you to check reputable tech channels before you make a decision.

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Outrageous_Twist8891@reddit

Your motherboard probably can't even handle the intel processors that you can but. Pcpartpicker will tell you if it is compatible. If you are on a tight budget, you might want to get a 7th gen processor second hand. At least they are able to support windows 11.

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legotrix@reddit

If your PSU is under warranty salvage it if not buy a new one, STORAGE is a lifesaver and can kept it, if you like your case USE IT again, the GPU can be used until the RTX 5000 LAUNCHES in a few months then sell it.

OR YOU CAN HAVE THAT PC AS A MEDIA CENTER IN THE LIVING ROOM AND BUY A NEW ONE, in your case a power-efficient AM4 65 CPU+4060 one

OR a jump to AM5 would be worth it, even a build with ryzen 7 and 70 cards will last you as long as this one, for specifics that depends on your budget.

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Sp33dling@reddit

Im a similar build but an amd fx6300 and a gtx 960. Not terribly far off. I plan on keeping the case and my psu but only because I replaced it more recently due to it cutting out on me finally. If a decent build is/was $1000 then it's $100 a year which is really nothing. Or, as I try to maths for my wife to justify my new purchase, $1200/12 months is $100 a month, but for 10 years is now $10 a month for 10 years. I know I can afford more than that so I hope to go a little better than I did last time!

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MajorTunage@reddit

I'm in the same situation. I basically have all the same hardware and I'm having random shutoff and glitchness.. I'm going with AMD and doing a complete upgrade and will reuse the case and hard drives.. There's no reason to upgrade such an old sytem

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wawanbah_@reddit

Start fresh, except keep the SSD and PSU. Others part, sale it on "friendly" price for extra fund ddr5 ram.

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GearGolemTMF@reddit

There is no upgrading at your point lol. Just go straight to a new build. The only thing you're salvaging is your 2TB HDD for storage and maybe the PSU. Even your SSD is dated though still usable. NVME drives are much faster and skip the sata speeds. For what you say you're using it for you have more than enough for work and those games fortnite might be the only thing that's a little harder to run but I can't say since I don't play it. Sounds like something might be failing/dying for the random shut offs.

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