I'm trying to decide between upgrading two different PCs and could use some advice. The first one is my HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG-01, which I've been using. It has an Intel i5-10400F CPU, a GTX 1650 GPU, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 2TB Samsung EVO SSD. The second one is an older build my cousin gave me, featuring an i7-4790K CPU, an AMD R9 390 GPU, 32GB of DDR3 RAM (4x8GB), a 512GB Samsung EVO SSD, and a 2TB HDD. I definitely want to upgrade the GPU, but I'm worried that the HP Pavilion has limitations due to its case space and a 400W power supply. On the other hand, the older PC is already kind of dated with its CPU, so I'm not sure how future-proof upgrading to an RTX 5060 would be. I'd like to keep my upgrade budget under $400. Any suggestions on which PC would be the better choice for an upgrade?
2 Answers
Out of the two, the first PC seems to have more modern components which might give you better performance overall. Upgrading the GPU would definitely boost its capabilities, but you should keep in mind that you might need to eventually invest in a new system as time goes on, especially if you're looking for longevity with gaming.
Have you checked what kind of power connector the GTX 1650 is using with the HP? If it's from a proprietary HP supply, that could limit your upgrade options. If the PSU doesn’t connect to the 1650, that’s a significant consideration since it can restrict your GPU choices. You might be better off with your cousin's rig despite its age, since the motherboard can at least handle some decent upgrades if you decide to swap out that GPU.
Good point! The GTX 1650 doesn’t use a connector from the HP’s PSU, which might complicate things a lot.