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Question

Do I need an Upgrade?

Apr 19, 2017 9:35AM PDT

Hi, I was wondering if I needed to upgrade my pc.

i7-4790k @4.00Ghz
Nvidia GTX 970
Ram 16GB

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
Looks good to me
Apr 19, 2017 9:38AM PDT

Maybe give the forum an idea of what you're using this computer for ..

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yeah
Apr 19, 2017 9:40AM PDT

Im using this computer for hardcore gaming only Grin

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How about
Apr 19, 2017 9:47AM PDT

giving us a Speccy to eliminate a whole bunch of Q and A's .

This really helps the Pro's out

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here
Apr 19, 2017 9:56AM PDT
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The pro's eventually will see this give it some time
Apr 19, 2017 10:01AM PDT

But I forgot to ask , what's happening that's making you ask this question ?

Post was last edited on April 19, 2017 10:09 AM PDT

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ok
Apr 19, 2017 10:04AM PDT

I have had this PC for 2 and a half year and im not really good with pc and thats why I came here to see if you guys see any upgrades needed. Another thing I recently bought Battlefield and started playing and my PC was getting really hot.

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Have you cleaned the vents and heatsinks?
Apr 19, 2017 10:11AM PDT

Using canned air.
Dafydd.

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ok
Apr 19, 2017 10:13AM PDT

I dont have canned air do you know any tutorial or videos, where specifically I need to clean because I dont want to harm anything in the pc. And last time I checked I saw dust on the fans.

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Plenty of tutorials on the web.
Apr 19, 2017 10:20AM PDT

Post was last edited on April 19, 2017 10:21 AM PDT

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Alright ,that's useful info
Apr 19, 2017 10:29AM PDT

anything else happening ? Blue screens, unexpected shut down , anything you can tell will help wit the diagnosis..

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heat
Apr 19, 2017 10:35AM PDT

Like I said before sometimes when I play games I have to lock fps cap, because the Temperature reached once 77C. And yesterday I was playing battlefield and I put my hand on the fans and the air was really hot.

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Dafydd supplied
Apr 19, 2017 10:49AM PDT

a good list of tutorials , Here are more tutorials about applying new thermal past on CPU and GPU
Still waiting for a Pro to look at the Speccy

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Gamer demands
Apr 20, 2017 7:44AM PDT

Gamer results vary and once you place new game and proceeded to play you found it lacking or heat related. Alas, heat stress can on its own slow the game down and the components aren't stuff enough to proceed at a level that can be sustained. In other words, you've pushed it too much and you've come to a head. Overall, while you can upgrade yours seems to be quite enough, IMHO. I think you should seriously consider "COOLING" in the best possible manner you can afford. It maybe too late if you continue to run the PC in this stress pattern because sooner or later the PC will falter or fail outright. Sorry, gamers tend to push too much until you get results like yours.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Answer
That's a nice basic gaming rig. Speccy reading here.
Apr 19, 2017 10:47AM PDT

Remember this is as if it was my PC and what I would do. The 970 was leading edge and is now run of the mill for hard gaming (some will melt down over that!!) So on to read your Speccy (thanks for that, makes a reading so much easier.)

1. Create a spare Admin Local Login (account.) This is a typical oversight by many and makes simple problems trivial to fix. This is just to make sure you have this handy, not a performance item but reading the Speccy I think you use the email login so here's the link how.
https://www.howtogeek.com/226540/how-to-create-a-new-local-user-account-in-windows-10/

2. Power Profile.
For gamers I usually set these to Never. Your choice but give it a go for now.

3. Uptime.
That's days. Give the machine a chance to clear it all out by rebooting daily and if there are updates, time to let it do it then.

4. TURN THIS OFF:
Read https://www.howtogeek.com/224981/how-to-stop-windows-10-from-uploading-updates-to-other-pcs-over-the-internet/

5. BIOS is outdated but OK. If it was mine and I'm looking for any gain in any possible area, I'd get it to F9 if that applies to this board.
http://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z97X-SLI-rev-10#support-dl

6. Is the GPU in PCIe Slot 0? Just checking.

7. HDD. TOSHIBA DT01ACA200
It's time to move to SSD. I have a just over 100 buck 512GB SSD and it holds all I use. Much faster overall performance. Cheap upgrade as performance for the buck goes.

8. HDD. Go ahead and CHKDSK /F all drives. It's something that has helped a few. It's free and we like free things.

All in all, very clean Speccy. You'll really like this PC with SSD.

Post was last edited on April 19, 2017 10:56 AM PDT

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PS. 970 GPU throttling at 65 to 75C?
Apr 19, 2017 11:00AM PDT

That's normal and to keep the card from melting down. Try this machine with the cover off so it's getting maximum cooler air to the GPU. Any difference? If it helps, see if you can cut a big hole in the side cover. I used to do that a lot and cover it with non-conductive screen or speaker cover material.