My PC is getting older. It still handles some games reasonably well, but larger and more demanding titles are starting to give it trouble. I'm trying to decide whether upgrading my current system would be better value than saving up for a new prebuilt or custom PC and selling the parts I can reuse. My budget is roughly $800–$1,500, and I work at Walmart, so I can get 10% off certain PC parts, although availability is limited. Current specs: RTX 2060 Super, Ryzen 5 3600, B450 Tomahawk motherboard, 500GB SSD, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 500W power supply.
3 Answers
The best choice depends heavily on how much performance you want for the $800–$1,500 budget. Since your B450 motherboard supports Ryzen 5000 processors, upgrading the CPU and graphics card while keeping the motherboard and RAM can be much better value than buying a completely new system. Just check that your motherboard BIOS supports whichever Ryzen 5000 chip you choose.
Look into discounted Ryzen 5 5600X3D or similar gaming-focused processors if you can find one at a good price. Even if the nearest store is a long drive away, compare the total cost with shipping and local availability before making the trip. A used gaming PC is another option, but carefully verify the exact parts, power supply, condition, and warranty before buying.
Your platform still has useful upgrade options, so you probably don’t need to replace the entire PC. A Ryzen 7 5700X or 5800X3D would be a major CPU upgrade, and you could move to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. A newer graphics card such as an RTX 4060—or something faster depending on your budget—would help with demanding games. Keep in mind that your 500W power supply may need replacing if you choose a more power-hungry GPU, and a larger SSD would also be worthwhile.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload