My current PC has a Ryzen 5 1600 and a GTX 1070, and it is starting to fall below the minimum requirements for newer games such as Star Wars Zero Company. I can sometimes use a laptop with an RTX 4050, but even that struggles and becomes choppy at low settings. I have a 1440p monitor, although I am also happy to play at 1080p. My budget is roughly €400–€500, and I would prefer to upgrade the existing system rather than build an entirely new €2,000 PC. What CPU and GPU upgrades would be realistic?
4 Answers
There are some good new-part combinations near this budget. For example, a Ryzen 7 5700X at around €145 plus an RX 9060 XT 8GB at roughly €330 comes close to €475. A Ryzen 5 5600X with an RTX 5060 Ti may also fit if you can stretch slightly past €500. Compare local prices, because availability varies a lot by country.
With about €500 for both parts, a Ryzen 5 5600 or a Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with a Radeon RX 9060 XT could work well. The 16GB version is preferable if the price is manageable, since newer games are increasingly demanding more VRAM. The 5500X3D makes the most sense for competitive or CPU-heavy games, while the regular 5600 leaves more money for the graphics card.
If your motherboard supports it with a BIOS update, a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X is a strong inexpensive CPU upgrade from the 1600. A Ryzen 7 5700X is also worth considering if you find one at a good price. Pair it with the best used graphics card you can afford, such as an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT. At 1440p, the GPU upgrade will usually make the biggest difference.
Check your power supply before choosing the GPU. Its wattage, age, and available PCIe power connectors matter, especially with cards such as the RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT. If the PSU is inadequate, replacing it is an additional cost, but usually far cheaper than replacing the whole computer.
The GTX 1070 already runs in the system, but I will check the exact PSU model and connectors before buying anything. I had not considered that a graphics upgrade might require replacing it too.