Low FPS - new graphics card required?

Hello,

I am a casual gamer with a low end PC that really only plays Counter Strike GO. In the last two weeks, something has happened and after two minutes of gaming, my PC seems to crap itself and the game lags like I have 300 ping even though my ping is less than 20. My FPS drops to 20 or less and I can't figure out why. I have done all the usual, updated graphics card, lowered all visual settings, basically any fix that is available online to stabilise or boost FPS I have tried. I didn't realise how old my graphics card and PC is so I am basically wondering if I need to update my graphics card, if it may be something else or if i should just buy a new PC. My specs are:

Device name HOME
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Graphics Card NVIDIA Geforce GTX 745

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance
 
Hello,

I am a casual gamer with a low end PC that really only plays Counter Strike GO. In the last two weeks, something has happened and after two minutes of gaming, my PC seems to crap itself and the game lags like I have 300 ping even though my ping is less than 20. My FPS drops to 20 or less and I can't figure out why. I have done all the usual, updated graphics card, lowered all visual settings, basically any fix that is available online to stabilise or boost FPS I have tried. I didn't realise how old my graphics card and PC is so I am basically wondering if I need to update my graphics card, if it may be something else or if i should just buy a new PC. My specs are:

Device name HOME
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Graphics Card NVIDIA Geforce GTX 745

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance
Your cpu is eight years old as is your graphics card. I'd think about a new system starting with a B660 board and i5 12400F. What country are you located and what is your budget?
 
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Thanks for the response! I am in Australia and I haven't really considered a budget given that this is the first issue I have had with the computer. I would suspect around $1,000 but I literally only use it for basic tasks and playing CSGO so the cheaper the better.
 
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Get yourself a cheap USB flash drive, download Windows Installer and use the free version of Windows for now.

Cougar MX330-G Air Mid Tower Case $79.00

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/47167/super-flower-leadex-iii-gold-550w-power-supply
Super Flower Leadex III 550W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $149.00

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-bazooka-ddr4-lga-1700-matx-desktop-motherboard
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $169.00

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i3-12100f-lga1700-alder-lake-boxed-cpu
Intel Core i3-12100F $106.99

be quiet PURE ROCK Slim 2 CPU Cooler $32.00

Kingston Fury Beast DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $78.00

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B089DNM8LR
Crucial P2 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Internal SSD $107.96

https://www.ple.com.au/Products/648756/XFX-Radeon-RX-6600-Speedster-SWFT210-Core-8GB-GDDR6
XFX Radeon RX 6600 Speedster SWFT 210 Core 8GB GDDR6 $349.00

Total: $1070.95 AUD

https://cougargaming.com/us/products/cases/mx330-g-air/


https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/2248

https://www.xfxforce.com/shop/xfx-speedster-swft-210-amd-radeon-tm-rx-6600-core

 
Last edited:
Hello,

I am a casual gamer with a low end PC that really only plays Counter Strike GO. In the last two weeks, something has happened and after two minutes of gaming, my PC seems to crap itself and the game lags like I have 300 ping even though my ping is less than 20. My FPS drops to 20 or less and I can't figure out why. I have done all the usual, updated graphics card, lowered all visual settings, basically any fix that is available online to stabilise or boost FPS I have tried. I didn't realise how old my graphics card and PC is so I am basically wondering if I need to update my graphics card, if it may be something else or if i should just buy a new PC. My specs are:

Device name HOME
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Graphics Card NVIDIA Geforce GTX 745

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance
If you want to possibly trouble shoot in the meantime, you could use UserBenchmark, which is free, to test all of your components.

If everything is working (as well as really old parts work), check your CPU and GPU temperatures, update all your drivers, make sure you have plenty of space on your drive, and run malwarebytes to see if you have viruses or malware. If your hardware is still functioning okay and all the stuff I just listed is fine, then it might be worth trying a clean installation of Windows. You can often get old PC's running like new by starting from fresh with your OS. Over time, Windows tends to get worse and worse.
 
Get yourself a cheap USB flash drive, download Windows Installer and use the free version of Windows for now.

Cougar MX330-G Air Mid Tower Case $79.00

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/47167/super-flower-leadex-iii-gold-550w-power-supply
Super Flower Leadex III 550W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $149.00

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-bazooka-ddr4-lga-1700-matx-desktop-motherboard
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $169.00

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i3-12100f-lga1700-alder-lake-boxed-cpu
Intel Core i3-12100F $106.99

be quiet PURE ROCK Slim 2 CPU Cooler $32.00

Kingston Fury Beast DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $78.00

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B089DNM8LR
Crucial P2 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Internal SSD $107.96

https://www.ple.com.au/Products/648756/XFX-Radeon-RX-6600-Speedster-SWFT210-Core-8GB-GDDR6
XFX Radeon RX 6600 Speedster SWFT 210 Core 8GB GDDR6 $349.00

Total: $1070.95 AUD

https://cougargaming.com/us/products/cases/mx330-g-air/


https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/2248

https://www.xfxforce.com/shop/xfx-speedster-swft-210-amd-radeon-tm-rx-6600-core


Thank you so much, you're help is really appreciated!
 
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If you want to possibly trouble shoot in the meantime, you could use UserBenchmark, which is free, to test all of your components.

If everything is working (as well as really old parts work), check your CPU and GPU temperatures, update all your drivers, make sure you have plenty of space on your drive, and run malwarebytes to see if you have viruses or malware. If your hardware is still functioning okay and all the stuff I just listed is fine, then it might be worth trying a clean installation of Windows. You can often get old PC's running like new by starting from fresh with your OS. Over time, Windows tends to get worse and worse.

I am going to do all the things you said, thanks for the advice! I asked the missus about the budget for a new pc and got a firm no so I better figure out a way to fix what I've got! Will let you know how I get on, cheers
 
If you want to possibly trouble shoot in the meantime, you could use UserBenchmark, which is free, to test all of your components.

If everything is working (as well as really old parts work), check your CPU and GPU temperatures, update all your drivers, make sure you have plenty of space on your drive, and run malwarebytes to see if you have viruses or malware. If your hardware is still functioning okay and all the stuff I just listed is fine, then it might be worth trying a clean installation of Windows. You can often get old PC's running like new by starting from fresh with your OS. Over time, Windows tends to get worse and worse.


UserBenchmarks: Game 11%, Desk 73%, Work 10%
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 - 78.6%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 745 (OEM) - 10%
SSD: Kingston RBU-SC100S37128GD 128GB - 30.1%
HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - 88.6%
RAM: Samsung M471B1G73DB0-YK0 2x8GB - 58.5%
MBD: Asus G20AJ

9.98% is a very low 3D score (RTX 2060S = 100%). This GPU can only handle very basic 3D games but it's fine for general computing tasks.

So it's my graphics card. Is it possible just to upgrade this one component?
 
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UserBenchmarks: Game 11%, Desk 73%, Work 10%
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 - 78.6%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 745 (OEM) - 10%
SSD: Kingston RBU-SC100S37128GD 128GB - 30.1%
HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - 88.6%
RAM: Samsung M471B1G73DB0-YK0 2x8GB - 58.5%
MBD: Asus G20AJ

9.98% is a very low 3D score (RTX 2060S = 100%). This GPU can only handle very basic 3D games but it's fine for general computing tasks.

So it's my graphics card. Is it possible just to upgrade this one component?
You should be able to. You need to check to make sure the new GPU is compatible with your motherboard, and you might need a new PSU to handle it. Here's a link on checking compatibility

 
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UserBenchmarks: Game 11%, Desk 73%, Work 10%
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 - 78.6%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 745 (OEM) - 10%
SSD: Kingston RBU-SC100S37128GD 128GB - 30.1%
HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - 88.6%
RAM: Samsung M471B1G73DB0-YK0 2x8GB - 58.5%
MBD: Asus G20AJ

9.98% is a very low 3D score (RTX 2060S = 100%). This GPU can only handle very basic 3D games but it's fine for general computing tasks.

So it's my graphics card. Is it possible just to upgrade this one component?
yep of course it's possible to just upgrade your GPU, and as long as you find a compatible one with your motherboard that fits your budget, you also have to make sure that your PSU also is up to the task. 😉

So you might end up replacing both, but that's way cheaper than a brand new computer for the games and work you want to use it for. 😁

Goodluck. (also some older 2nd hand GPUs are cheaper nowadays)