Hey everyone! I recently got back a PC I built back in 2017, and I'm considering upgrading it since it has an AM4 motherboard. My goal is to make it capable of running modern games at 1440p. Right now, I use an RTX 3060 laptop, so I'm hoping to make this desktop more powerful.
Here are the current specs:
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AB350 Gaming 3
- CPU: Ryzen 5 1600
- GPU: GTX 1060 6GB
- RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200 MHz
- PSU: Corsair CX550 Grey Label (550W)
- Case: NZXT S340
I'm thinking of upgrading to the Ryzen 5 5600 and either an RX 6800 or a secondhand 5060 Ti 16GB. I'm leaning towards the 5060 Ti due to its lower power consumption and DLSS support, but I'm unsure if spending an extra 150 euros on it is worth it. I'm also concerned about whether my power supply can handle these upgrades without needing a replacement.
I'll be playing a mix of AAA titles and indie games, and I'm especially excited to try out Alan Wake 2 and the new Indiana Jones game. It's been a while since I've dived into PC building, and I'd really appreciate any insights you all have!
4 Answers
The good news is your GPU is fine for now, but you might want to think about adding another 16GB of RAM if your budget allows it! That will help a lot as well.
I wouldn’t recommend the 5060 Ti. While the Ryzen 5000 series will work with your motherboard (just make sure to update the BIOS), the 5060 Ti uses an x8 interface which can bottleneck performance on PCIe Gen 3. A 9060 XT runs on an x16 interface and would perform better. Also, if you can, grab a new PSU since 550W may not be enough with the 5600 and 9060 XT. A good M.2 SSD upgrade would be a good move too!
I’d go for the Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the 5060 Ti 16GB. The 5060 Ti has lower power requirements than the RX 6800, so you won’t have to worry about upgrading your PSU. Plus, the DLSS support gives you a solid advantage for 1440p gaming!
Your upgrade path sounds good! The R5 5600 is a nice leap, and the RX 6800 is a fantastic card if you find it at a decent price. However, consider the 9060 XT or 7700 XT for their lower power draws and better ray tracing performance. The RX 6800 should work fine with your 550W PSU—I actually ran a 5700X with an RX 6800 on a 500W PSU, and it was fine since the total draw was under 380W.
How severe is the bottlenecking with that setup? I haven’t found many benchmarks that show it. I’m considering upgrading my motherboard in a year or two, which made me think about going with the 5060 Ti for now. I already have a solid M.2 SSD that I’d like to move from my laptop to the PC.