I've had my Lenovo C730 prebuilt PC since 2019, and it's equipped with an i7-8700K and a GTX 1060 6GB, along with 16GB of DDR4 memory in single channel configuration. Considering the current price hikes, I'm wondering if it would make more sense to upgrade my existing setup or to save up for a completely new machine. If I do decide to upgrade, what parts should I focus on first? And are there good options for second-hand components?
5 Answers
I just upgraded a couple of my PCs and it's a bit tough with current prices. You could either sell your current PC for a new prebuilt or make some upgrades to your existing one since you already have decent RAM, a cooler, PSU, and motherboard. Just hang tight and hope prices eventually drop!
If you’re looking for performance improvement, upgrading the GPU is your best bet. Just make sure your PSU and case can handle it. For games that are more dependent on the GPU, you could really see some gains. For CPU-bound games, however, you might eventually need a full rebuild.
Honestly, there’s not much of a viable upgrade path here. Most of your components would need replacing, and some may be proprietary to Lenovo. It might be better to sell your current setup and build a new one from the ground up.
I think you should definitely save up for a new GPU! My first build had an 8700K and GTX 1060 too, and honestly, the CPU still performs well, but the GPU is a major bottleneck. If you can, look for an AMD card like the XFX 9060XT, which offers great value with 16GB of VRAM. Just be mindful of your PSU since the 9070XT can be power hungry!
You can definitely boost performance simply by changing the GPU. And even after that, you can still consider getting a whole new system later. Don't stress too much if the new graphics card is a bit overkill for your CPU!
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