F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Should I fix up an old, broken computer or take out of retirement and go on an adventure with Indiana Jones?

Should I fix up an old, broken computer or take out of retirement and go on an adventure with Indiana Jones?

Should I fix up an old, broken computer or take out of retirement and go on an adventure with Indiana Jones?

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DanTDM_2007
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146
07-04-2026, 08:54 PM
#1
My computer broke back in December. It was a sub-$600 rig with a B450 motherboard, Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, 32GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, 512GB M.2 SSD, and 750W PSU that I put together back in early 2021, but abandoned due to GPUs being impossible to find, and was finally able to get operational this past October with an RTX 3050 6GB for $165. It could push 180 FPS in Black Ops 6 at the lowest possible settings in 1080p with DLSS. But then 2 months later in December, the DisplayPort on the GPU stopped working, so I had to find an HDMI cable, but then I started getting display glitches and had to keep unplugging and restarting. Then it just started lighting up without booting, so I started taking the RAM in and out, and then THAT didn't work, so I tried to pop out the CPU, without unscrewing it good AND without ungluing the thermal paste from the cooler, and pins snapped off. The socket might still be usable, but I don't even know if I trust this rig at this point. The CPU and GPU have both been gutted out, and it's been sitting there unplugged ever since. I just started working full-time and earning a stable income again, and I'm debating whether to try and salvage my old rig, or build a new one to meet the recommended requirements for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. That seems to be the benchmark game with the higher system requirements right now. If I do salvage it, what do I even put in? Everyone recommended Ryzen 5 5600 for cheap builds rn, but I'd probably go for a 5700X3D cause if I'm stuck on AM4, I might as well go all out. But then for the GPU, I have no clue. You want 12GB of VRAM, but those cards are like $400 minimum, and that's for a 3060, never mind a 40 or 50 series card. And then will it even work? Is the CPU socket okay? What about other broken things I might not know about? Just seems like a hassle for a computer that wasn't even all that great to begin with. This Indiana Jones build that I shopped around for on NewEgg costs $1,093.33. It has a B650 motherboard, Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, RX 7700 XT GPU, 32GB of DDR5 6000MHz CL36 RAM, 1TB Gen 4x4 SSD, and 750W PSU. It only meets the recommended specs for minimum ray tracing though, as full ray tracing requires at least a 4080, and anything that good is at least $1,300 (more than the whole rest of the computer). Minimum ray tracing it is. What would you recommend? I'm leaning more towards the new rig myself, but I don't want my first PC I ever built to be a waste. Would you recommend a different new build rather than the one I picked? I'm using this on a 200Hz 1080p monitor with cheap USB/3.5mm dual speakers for context.
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DanTDM_2007
07-04-2026, 08:54 PM #1

My computer broke back in December. It was a sub-$600 rig with a B450 motherboard, Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, 32GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, 512GB M.2 SSD, and 750W PSU that I put together back in early 2021, but abandoned due to GPUs being impossible to find, and was finally able to get operational this past October with an RTX 3050 6GB for $165. It could push 180 FPS in Black Ops 6 at the lowest possible settings in 1080p with DLSS. But then 2 months later in December, the DisplayPort on the GPU stopped working, so I had to find an HDMI cable, but then I started getting display glitches and had to keep unplugging and restarting. Then it just started lighting up without booting, so I started taking the RAM in and out, and then THAT didn't work, so I tried to pop out the CPU, without unscrewing it good AND without ungluing the thermal paste from the cooler, and pins snapped off. The socket might still be usable, but I don't even know if I trust this rig at this point. The CPU and GPU have both been gutted out, and it's been sitting there unplugged ever since. I just started working full-time and earning a stable income again, and I'm debating whether to try and salvage my old rig, or build a new one to meet the recommended requirements for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. That seems to be the benchmark game with the higher system requirements right now. If I do salvage it, what do I even put in? Everyone recommended Ryzen 5 5600 for cheap builds rn, but I'd probably go for a 5700X3D cause if I'm stuck on AM4, I might as well go all out. But then for the GPU, I have no clue. You want 12GB of VRAM, but those cards are like $400 minimum, and that's for a 3060, never mind a 40 or 50 series card. And then will it even work? Is the CPU socket okay? What about other broken things I might not know about? Just seems like a hassle for a computer that wasn't even all that great to begin with. This Indiana Jones build that I shopped around for on NewEgg costs $1,093.33. It has a B650 motherboard, Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, RX 7700 XT GPU, 32GB of DDR5 6000MHz CL36 RAM, 1TB Gen 4x4 SSD, and 750W PSU. It only meets the recommended specs for minimum ray tracing though, as full ray tracing requires at least a 4080, and anything that good is at least $1,300 (more than the whole rest of the computer). Minimum ray tracing it is. What would you recommend? I'm leaning more towards the new rig myself, but I don't want my first PC I ever built to be a waste. Would you recommend a different new build rather than the one I picked? I'm using this on a 200Hz 1080p monitor with cheap USB/3.5mm dual speakers for context.

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BaUKBenjamin
Junior Member
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38
Yesterday, 02:22 AM
#2
512GB M.2 SSD and 750W PSU Make and model of your PSU (and when it was made) as well as the make and model of your M.2 drive? You could recycle the 512GB drive to use as your C: drive, putting the OS, apps, and launchers on there. You have listed your specs generally, but we usually need the make and models of your parts to see if you are using bad components in this build. 1TB Gen 4x4 SSD or Are you trying to recycle your old PSU? What would you recommend? If you decide to build a system from scratch, be sure to put in quality components so you get good value over time. However, if the series of mistakes on your build could be caused by an electrical issue, I'd suggest checking that your wall outlet is fixed (call in a certified electrician) or else you might see the same problems again as in your old system. Also, if you're not going to go beyond 1080p resolution, you are wasting a lot of money either way.
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BaUKBenjamin
Yesterday, 02:22 AM #2

512GB M.2 SSD and 750W PSU Make and model of your PSU (and when it was made) as well as the make and model of your M.2 drive? You could recycle the 512GB drive to use as your C: drive, putting the OS, apps, and launchers on there. You have listed your specs generally, but we usually need the make and models of your parts to see if you are using bad components in this build. 1TB Gen 4x4 SSD or Are you trying to recycle your old PSU? What would you recommend? If you decide to build a system from scratch, be sure to put in quality components so you get good value over time. However, if the series of mistakes on your build could be caused by an electrical issue, I'd suggest checking that your wall outlet is fixed (call in a certified electrician) or else you might see the same problems again as in your old system. Also, if you're not going to go beyond 1080p resolution, you are wasting a lot of money either way.

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