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Question 10 Years with my i5-6600K & GTX 1070 FTW – Maintenance vs. Upgrade Advice?

Foxslink

Foxslink

Member
Hi everyone,

I’d like to share my PC build and its history, along with the stress tests I’ve recently done, and get some opinions from more experienced users about thermal paste, noise optimization, and possible upgrades.
This system has been in use for almost 10 years, and my goal is to understand whether it still makes sense to keep it as it is, perform some preventive maintenance, make it quieter, or start planning an upgrade.


PC Specifications​

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K @ 3.5 GHz (stock)
  • CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 (49 CFM)
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI (ATX, LGA1151)
  • Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15
  • Storage: PNY CS2211 480 GB SATA SSD
  • Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W – 80+ Gold, Semi-modular
  • GPU: EVGA FTW GAMING NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB
  • Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
  • Case Fans: 2×140 mm front intake + 1×120 mm rear exhaust (RPM ~900 under load)
  • OS: Windows 10 Pro 22H2 (Build 19045.6466)
  • NVIDIA Driver: 582.28

Stress Tests Performed​

I recently ran several stress tests to evaluate thermals, stability, and overall health.:

GPU​

  • Unigine Heaven (20 minutes loop)
    • Max GPU temperature: 74 °C
    • Core clock: ~2012 MHz (stable)
    • No artifacts, no crashes, no throttling

CPU & RAM​

  • OCCT CPU + RAM (default settings, 15 minutes)
    • Max CPU temperature: 72 °C
    • CPU usage: 100%
    • CPU clock: ~4.2 GHz (Turbo working correctly)
    • Power draw: ~88 W
    • No errors reported
  • Cinebench R23 (Multi-core, 10-minute loop)
    • Score: ~5139 points
Overall, temperatures and performance seem very solid for the age of the system (AFAIK)


Thermal Paste​

The CPU is using Artic Silver 5 since the day I built my rig and the GPU is still using its original thermal paste. Since I also work as a technician and perform maintenance on other systems, I’m considering buying thermal paste that:
  • Is reliable and long-lasting
  • Is safe for CPUs and GPUs
  • Works well for general maintenance tasks

Questions:
-Based on my current temps, would you replace the thermal paste now or wait?
-Which thermal paste would you recommend for long-term use and professional maintenance? (I’m considering options like Arctic MX series, Noctua NT-H2, etc.)


Noise & Cooling Optimization​

According to HWInfo sensor data, the system currently runs:
- 2×140 mm front intake fans at ~890–930 RPM
- 1×120 mm rear exhaust fan at ~940 RPM
- CPU fan (Cryorig H7) around ~1050–1100 RPM under load

At these speeds, the system is already fairly quiet and maintains good temperatures.

Questions:
- Would upgrading to higher-end fans (Noctua / be quiet! / Arctic) make a noticeable noise improvement at similar RPM?
- Is there any real benefit in adding top exhaust fans in this case, or would it be unnecessary given current thermals?
- Would fan curve tuning alone be the best next step instead of hardware changes?


Upgrade Thoughts​

Based on stress testing and current fan behavior, the system appears healthy and thermally stable. My main goals at this point are:
  • Long-term reliability
  • Low noise
  • Reasonable temperatures
  • Smart, cost-effective decisions
I’m not chasing maximum performance, but rather looking for informed opinions on whether any preventive maintenance or small improvements are worthwhile after 10 years of use.

Thanks in advance for your time and feedback — I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
 
I use two steps approach.

  1. Does my system can do what I need to do?
If yes the issue it whether it can be Upgrade by the Windows Update system.

If yes Update.

If it refuse to update because the system is old. I try to Update with the install on Rufus

https://rufus.ie/en/

  1. If Rufus works and get me to 25H2, then I save myself thousands of $$$ and keep for the time being the system as is.
If Rufus does Not work, then it time to go with new system.

In the coming years there probably will be major important upgrade/changes caused by the developing of the AI. So… I am going to take it currently easy until the Field will become more clear.

To me it is obvious that I n Computer hardware it “”silly”” to think that there Future Proof Hardware.


😎
 
There really is no upgrade path for that hardware. If it was mine and I didn’t want a total rebuild, I’d first try to clean and re-paste the CPU cooler. I have an older Noctua cooler that worked nearly every day for about 8 years. I’d blow the dust out as well as possible when I did my monthly PC cleaning, but when I dismantled the PC to do a new build, I soaked the heatsink towers in hot soapy water, rinsed them well with hot water, blew as much water as possible out, then hung it up to dry. I was surprised at how much nasty gunk I got out of the fins.
 
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The CPU temp looks fine, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Fan noise - without personal experience of the fans you currently have, I can't say. But two 12cm fans came with my Fractal Design Focus G case, and while idle I could definitely hear fan noise. I swapped them out for Be Quiet! Shadow Wings 2 14cm fans and the system is now so quiet that in order to hear it, I need to put my ear within about 1ft of the case to pick up very quiet fan noise.

Other potential noise producers in my setup:

NH-D15S CPU cooler (the stock fan typically runs at about 500RPM)
AMD RX 6700 XT (while idle the fans are not spinning)
1x 4TB HDD (for the purposes of my examples the hard drive had spun down thanks to APM settings in Linux).

Fan speeds right now in my system:
NH-D15S fan: 548RPM
Chassis fan 1 (BQ SW 2 14cm): 577RPM
Chassis fan 2 (BQ SW 2 14cm): 577RPM

My only other anecdote was in my previous (Haswell) system in which I switched from a Cooler Master TX3 to a BQ Pure Rock Slim and the noise reduction was very noticeable.
 
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Thanks for your feedback!

Should I go for: DDR4 Reuse + 14600KF Path or GPU First?
Looking for experienced input before I make any financial moves.


Local Pricing Context (Santiago, Chile)

Estimated resale value of current system:
  • CLP 500,000–600,000 (~USD 600–750)
Upgrade component pricing locally:
  • i5-14600KF: ~CLP 320,000 (~USD 400)
  • DDR4 LGA1700 motherboard: CLP 75,000–210,000 (~USD 90–260)
  • RTX 4060 / 4060 Ti: CLP 330,000–450,000 (~USD 400–560)
  • PSU 650–750W Gold: CLP 90,000–140,000 (~USD 110–175)
Estimated total for DDR4-based rebuild (no SSD):
→ CLP 800,000–1,120,000 (~USD 1,000–1,400)

GPU pricing locally is noticeably above MSRP levels.


Path I'm Considering

Instead of going full DDR5, I’m considering:

  • i5-14600KF
  • DDR4 LGA1700 board (reuse current RAM)
  • RTX 4060 / 4060 Ti
  • New PSU
  • Keep case + storage
This would avoid DDR5 cost entirely.


Alternative Strategy: GPU First

Another idea:

Buy RTX 4060 / 4060 Ti now,
Sell GTX 1070 while it still holds some value,
Use the new GPU in the Skylake system temporarily,
Then upgrade CPU/platform later.

This would spread the cost over time.


Questions
  1. From a longevity standpoint (2025–2027), is DDR4 reuse a reasonable compromise with a 14600KF, or am I artificially shortening platform life?
  2. Given current GPU prices (~USD 450–500 locally), is buying now a mistake? Or is waiting unrealistic given global trends?
  3. If upgrading one component first:
    • GPU first?
    • Or full platform jump first?
  4. Would pairing a 4060 Ti with a 6600K temporarily create a severe CPU bottleneck at 1080p/1440p, or is it manageable short term?
  5. From a resale perspective, is it smarter to:
    • Sell full system now?
    • Or part it out (GPU separately)?


Why This Matters
  • GPU prices in my region are inflated relative to MSRP.
  • Selling the GTX 1070 now may prevent further depreciation.
  • DDR4 reuse saves significant money.
  • I don’t have budget for a full DDR5 + high-end GPU build immediately.
  • I want to maximize performance per dollar (or peso) without making a short-sighted move.
Appreciate any technical insight, especially from those who’ve upgraded from Skylake recently or reused DDR4 on 13th/14th gen builds.
 
Intel 13 and 14-series chips seem like artificially shortening platform life to me. They tend to burn out prematurely. Have you looked at 12-series, newer Intel, or AMD Zen 3?
 
OK ive decided not to upgrade my PC, but now im having sound issues :S

After some troubleshooting I’ve determined the audio output on my PC’s onboard Realtek codec is no longer delivering proper stereo sound — it sometimes collapses to one channel and the balance behaves weirdly with headphones. I’ve confirmed the issue is not with my Audio-Technica ATH-M40X headphones since they work fine on another PC.

I want to add a budget USB DAC/headphone amplifier to bypass the onboard audio entirely and get reliable stereo output with improved sound quality. My rough budget is up to ~CLP 40,000 (~USD 50).

So far I’ve found a few candidates like:
  • FiiO JA11 USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier
  • FiiO KA11 Dongle DAC/Headphone Amplifier
  • FiiO Snowsky Tiny portable DAC/Headphone Amp
  • Some generic USB DAC dongles around CLP 10k–25k

My main use is:
  • PC gaming audio (headset/desktop)
  • Music listening
  • No Bluetooth required
  • Prefer something simple plug-and-play

Questions:
  1. At this price range (~USD 50), which DAC/amp models are actually worth it for stereo headphone use (especially with ATH-M40X)?
  2. Are there options that give significantly cleaner audio or better channel separation than typical USB dongles?
  3. Any specific models you recommend that are easy to set up on Windows 10 and won’t introduce drivers or software complexity?

Thanks for your help!
 
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