Hey everyone! I've saved up about $200 and I'm looking to upgrade my gaming PC. Here are my current specs: I have a GA-Z170M-D3H motherboard, an i7-6700k 4.00GHz CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) GPU, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. I'm also wondering if my current parts have any resale value that could help me with the upgrade. I play a lot of FPS games and I'm interested in streaming as a hobby. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
5 Answers
$200 is definitely on the low side for a solid upgrade. Check your power supply and case too, as those might also need attention. Your i7-6700k and GTX 1060 are quite old, so while you might struggle to resell them for much, consider buying used parts instead. You could find a decent AM4 motherboard and a Ryzen CPU for a reasonable price on the used market. Also, consider bumping your RAM to 32GB if you can—it's worth it for gaming and streaming!
You might want to check out sites like pcpartpicker for used component deals. A second-hand 3060 or 3070 might be good options if your budget allows. Just keep in mind that you're going to need more than that initial $200 for a worthwhile upgrade. Saving up for a couple thousand could set you up for a decent long-term rig.
I agree, save up for a lot more than $200 if you're serious about gaming and streaming. Your current setup is pretty outdated, and a couple grand could get you a solid PC along with peripherals. It sounds like a significant investment, but it could pay off in the long run!
Honestly, the best upgrade you might manage with $200 is maybe a GTX 1070 if you look really hard in the used market. But your whole setup is getting dated—it might be worth saving up for a complete overhaul to keep up with modern games.
Honestly, $200 might not be enough to make a meaningful upgrade, especially if you're looking to game and stream smoothly. If I were you, I’d consider saving up a bit more. Maybe aim for around $500? You could then look into upgrading your CPU first, but that would likely require a new motherboard too, which could all add up. If it’s just gaming you're focused on, perhaps look into a lower-end GPU from the 30 series after bumping your budget up a bit.
If I can manage to stretch it to $500, what kind of CPU should I be looking for?
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely look into getting some used parts.