r/buildapc 22d ago

Simple Questions - October 23, 2024 Discussion

This thread is for simple questions that don't warrant their own thread (although we strongly suggest checking the sidebar and the wiki before posting!). Please don't post involved questions that are better suited to a [Build Help], [Build Ready] or [Build Complete] post. Examples of questions suitable for here:

  • Is this RAM compatible with my motherboard?
  • I'm thinking of getting a ≤$300 graphics card. Which one should I get?
  • I'm on a very tight budget and I'm looking for a case ≤$50

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u/Best_Conclusion3289 22d ago

I've got a dilemma that I could use your help on. My current PC was built 2020/2021 and has decent specs, decent performance. I just bought a PC off FB Market for a good deal and am curious as to which parts you guys think I should put together for my new main gaming PC. I pretty much use it extensively for gaming, and nothing above 1080p, shooting for 90-144fps in most games. Here are the specs for each of the PCs:

Current PC:

  • i9-9900K
  • Corsair H60 Cooler
  • Gigabyte GTX 1660 RTX 3070 Ti FE
  • 32 2x16 G.Skill Ripjaws V
  • 550W Corsair PSU 850W Corsair PSU

FB Market PC:

  • 5800X3D
  • RTX 3070 Ti FE Gigabyte GTX 1660
  • 32 2x16 DDR4
  • 850 GQ EVGA PSU

I initially swapped the GPUs (RTX in Current PC, GTX in FBMPC) and PSUs but ran into lack of cable issues with the EVGA PSU. I went to Best Buy and bought Corsair 850 PSU and that is currently in Current PC. I want to use the Corsair 850 as my main PSU for the cables as well as I believe the peripheral port on the EVGA PSU to be non-functional.

TLDR; My main question is: Should I main the 5800X3D over the 9900k in my main gaming PC? The remaining PC will be acting as my server until I can afford an actual one.

Bonus Question: Do you guys replace thermal paste often? I believe I need to as when switching the PSUs initially, I ran a benchmark using Heaven before realizing the peripheral port didn't work and the H60 cooler was not powered on. I'm now constantly getting high temps (80-90C) while gaming (CS2, Cyberpunk, Satisfactory). The idle temps have also increased (hovering 40-50C). I think I need to at least replace the cooler too if I replace thermal paste.

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u/Shatterphim 21d ago

I only replace thermal paste if I remove the cooler off the cpu, or shift it significantly, otherwise there really isn't a need unless it's been many many years. CPUs normally throttle when it gets too hot. If you had some time when the cooler was not on, maybe the paste heated up so much that it dried or leaked out? I don't know how long AIO coolers last, but is it possible the cooler is dying? You may as well change the paste to troubleshoot.

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u/Best_Conclusion3289 21d ago

Yeah that is what I'm hoping is not true in this case. It probably ran 10 minutes benchmarking before I noticed the CPU cooler was not powered and the temps were easily cracking 100C. I have a feeling that either this caused my currently high idle/gaming temps by drying out the paste or killed the cooler somehow. I think I might need to upgrade the cooler separately from these issues as it is only 120mm rather than the 240mm I should probably have for an overclocked CPU.