Upgrading late 2020 PCSpecialist PC

B

backscrubber

Member
Hi

Bought a PCS PC over Christmas 2020, but crucially didn't seek anyone's advice beforehand. I've subsequently upgraded a couple of components since - PSU and Wireless Network Card due to issues.

With Black Friday and other sales likely over the next few weeks, I wonder if there's anything people would recommend, I look at updating (if anything)? I primarily use my computer for gaming.

Additionally, but connected, the PC is starting to get quite loud, particularly when playing certain games. Is there anything obvious I can do to potentially quieten it down a little? Upgrading the processor cooling? Additional case fans?

Thanks

My current build:

Case
CORSAIR 175R RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
256GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (500MB/R, 400MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
ORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Honestly the biggest problem with the cooling is going to be that case: it's not the greatest and will be quite noisy while not keeping your components that cool. If your computer is getting noisier, that's a bit weird and my first step would be to clean it: any filters on the case, the case fans, and the fans on the graphics card.

For performance, I'd suggest the upgrade you want is in storage: get an SSD to store your games on. I'd suggest a relatively cheap 1TB M.2 SSD.

You could upgrade the cooler, but I doubt it's the main component giving noise. I'm not sure I'd particularly suggest getting any of PCS's coolers for you here, though. What are the temperatures of your CPU and GPU when the machine is loud?
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
backscrubber said:
CPU can get up to 70/80C (max 88C), however, GPU appears to be a stable 50C.

Any particular cases that are recommended?
Click to expand...
First, changing case is a major operation, pretty much re-building the whole PC, and it would invalidate any remaining warranty you have. Still, I personally think it would be worth your while. Depending on your budget, I'd suggest Corsair 4000D Airflow, Fractal Meshify 2 Compact, Fractal Pop Air, the Lian Li Lancool II.

Probably I'd also add a CPU cooler. Those temperatures aren't crazy but probably that cooler will be going pretty much full bore to keep you there. The only cooler I've personally ever fitted was a Noctua, and I can fully recommend that, but they come at a cost premium...

Probably going to gaming off an SSD rather than a hard drive will quieten things down too as you won't be reading off the hard drive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top