Hey everyone! I'm considering an upgrade for my old PC, which has an overclocked i5-8600k, overclocked 1050Ti, and 16GB of RAM. Recently, while playing CS2, my graphics card seemed to give up on me after I tried updating the drivers. The screen went black, and now I can't get the GPU to work properly anymore. I reverted to the Windows default driver for now. Since my PC is from 2018, and I'll be heading to college soon, I want to leave my parents with a reliable setup. I'm thinking of upgrading to an Aorus B550m motherboard, a Ryzen 7 5700x processor, and an RTX 5060 while keeping the current storage, case, RAM, and liquid cooling. What do you all think?
6 Answers
I recommend getting a 12600K with a mid-range B760 DDR4 motherboard. That will give you room to upgrade in the future. Although some say AM4 is a dead end, Intel CPUs can accommodate both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, opening more upgrade options for you down the line!
I just built a new PC for my kid and, surprisingly, the 1050 is still running strong! I found it strange that a driver update would toast a GPU, but that’s unfortunate. Hope you find a great upgrade!
I’d suggest going for an LGA 1700 Intel motherboard and CPU like the 12600K since you’ll have a clear upgrade path to the 14th generation. But if you’re worried about compatibility with your cooler, the 5700X is still a solid choice. If you want something pricier, an AM5 setup with DDR5 could be a good option too, but it’ll cost more.
Upgrading to a 5060 sounds solid! But if the 9060 XT 16GB is affordable, it’s a better card with more performance and double the VRAM.
Are your parents into gaming or do they just need a functional machine?
Yeah, my dad likes gaming, especially racing and history games. He really got into Red Dead Redemption and even bought Alan Wake 2 and FM for himself!
For a new graphics card, consider one that has more than 8GB of VRAM, like the B570, B580, or 9060XT. Those Intel cards are generally slower. If you opt for used, you could snag a solid 3080 for around $300!
Totally agree, getting an older 3080 can be a game changer!
True, AM4 isn't completely obsolete, but leaning towards Intel for this build makes sense—especially if you may want to eventually switch to DDR5.