Let me start by saying congrats on saving. It is hard for most to do. As for your current PC have you tested the ram? Ram can cause a bunch of unexplained issues with a pc. But if a new computer is warranted it fits within the time frame. If you are building yourself a desktop pc (which is what I would recommend). AMD is coming out with the Ryzen 5 which maybe a good option for you. BUT WAIT FOR THE REVIEWS! Sorry for yelling. It is just really new tech. But you could do the safe but little expensive route. Intel i5 8g ram 500ish GB SSD as well as a 2 or 4tb secondary Hard drive. pcpartpicker.com is a great resource for building a pc. Good luck any path you choose.
Thank you. I am so happy with the information you provided. Honestly, processors have always been a bit of a mystery to me. With ram and hard drives it's a bit easier to decide.
I haven't tested the ram in my current pc yet. I might just have to look into that for now... thanks for that suggestion!
Your welcome. Processors can be tricky. That is why I said wait for the reviews of Ryzen 5 April 11 is the release date I believe.. But dont qoute me on it. https://www.howtogeek.com/260813/how-to-test-your-computers-ram-for-problems/ . Think this is the easiest way to test ram. There are better ways. Or the other option is just replace it a see if it goes away. If it passes the test the other option could be failing power supply. I would not think it is the power supply but you really never know.
Hah, I had just followed the advice in that article :-) it didn't result in any problems. The annoying thing is, as long as I don't play Ark, things seem okay. As long as I don't install Photoshop/Lightroom, things seem okay. I'm not sure if it's either of those applications causing trouble, because I'm afraid to try again. I don't feel like re-installing Windows yet again... I hate when problems are this vague!
I'll check out the Ryzen 5 news! Replacing a pc after 6-7 years that's in use basically every day seems warranted anyways...