I'm planning to jump back into gaming after a long break! Right now, I have an i5-2500k running at 4.2GHz, and I recently upgraded my RAM from 8GB to 16GB. My setup includes an Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard, a Corsair TX 650 PSU, and an R9 390 GPU that I built as a budget rig a few years ago. While it still performs decently, I'm looking for comparable upgrades to the CPU, motherboard, and RAM to enhance my gaming experience in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 5, and CSGO. I mainly game at 1080p and I'm working with a budget of $300 to $400, mainly for the main components and not focusing on future-proofing or GPU upgrades just yet. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
Have fun with the upgrades! You mentioned a budget of $300-400, right? That's definitely doable for just the CPU, motherboard, and RAM, especially if you check out used parts. Just keep an eye out for good deals, and you’ll be up and running in no time!
You could consider upgrading to a Ryzen 5 5600X with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and pair it with a 3060 Ti. If you hunt for good deals, you might manage that setup for around $500! But if you're really focusing on just CPU, mobo, and RAM, sticking to something like a newer Ryzen will give you a great FPS boost in those games without breaking the bank. Just don't forget about the GPU later, though!
I'm kind of in the same boat! I really need a new GPU but just focusing on the other components for now.
Given that your current setup is from like 2011, you might wanna look into some used Xeon options! The ASRock Z68 Extreme3 can actually support Ivy Bridge Xeons. You can snag an E3-1240 v2 for around $11 or an E3-1270 v2 for around $13. They're equivalent to an i7-3770, which could give you a solid bump in performance for pretty much the cost of a pizza! If you're planning on playing more modern titles, this could be a really cost-effective upgrade.
That's a neat idea! I could definitely repurpose my old components for a secondary setup later on.
Dude, that's a steal for such good performance!
Yeah exactly! Just looking to upgrade those parts before I think about the GPU.