I recently bought a prebuilt PC and I'm happy with it for now, but I'd like to improve performance in games such as Call of Duty, Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Elden Ring without putting unnecessary strain on the system. I also want to use it for video editing, recording, and streaming. My budget is roughly $800 USD maximum for any single component.
I'm also wondering whether liquid cooling would be worthwhile because I live in a hot space without air conditioning. Does water cooling perform better than air cooling in that situation, and are there any compatible brands or models I should consider?
Current specifications:
- GPU: RTX 4060
- CPU: Intel Core i5-14400F
- RAM: 16GB DDR5, currently one 16GB stick
- Storage: 1TB WD Blue NVMe SSD
- Case: Five RGB fans
- Motherboard: ASUS Prime B760M-A AX6 II
- CPU cooler: Cooler Master 120mm air cooler
- Power supply: 600W Gold-rated unit, exact model unknown
3 Answers
There’s no performance advantage to switching to liquid cooling just because the room is hot. Both air and liquid coolers ultimately dump heat into the room, so the room temperature affects them in much the same way. If your CPU is staying around 31–32°C during moderately demanding gaming, your current cooler is doing fine. A larger tower air cooler might be quieter or provide more thermal headroom, but an AIO would add cost, pump noise, and a possible failure point without improving game performance in your situation.
Monitor temperatures during genuinely demanding CPU workloads, and improve case airflow if needed. Five case fans are already a good starting point, assuming they’re oriented sensibly and the case has adequate ventilation.
The motherboard isn’t an urgent problem with the i5-14400F. It may not be the ideal foundation for a future high-end CPU upgrade, but changing it now would not meaningfully improve your current system. Prioritize 32GB of RAM first, then add storage if you need more space. Consider a GPU and PSU upgrade later based on your monitor resolution and actual performance needs rather than upgrading preemptively.
The RTX 4060 is still a reasonable 1080p card, so I wouldn’t rush to replace it unless you’re targeting 1440p, higher settings, or consistently higher frame rates. It’s currently the component most likely to limit graphics performance, but a meaningful GPU upgrade may also require a stronger power supply. Before buying one, identify the exact PSU model and check the power requirements of the replacement card.
For now, the most practical upgrade is memory. Since you’re using one 16GB module, adding a matching 16GB DDR5 module would give you 32GB and enable dual-channel operation, which can help games and creative applications. Ideally, use the same capacity, speed, and timings, though a matched 2x16GB kit is best if replacing the current module is an option.
I was already planning to move to 32GB by adding another 16GB stick, and I’m also considering another 1TB SSD or some other storage option. When you mentioned the motherboard, did you mean my actual motherboard? My CPU also hasn’t been reaching high temperatures; I was mainly worried that demanding games would make it heat up quickly.