My RX 580 seems to be failing, and my Ryzen 5 2600 has started overheating and causing crashes. I need a working graphics solution, but my budget is very limited—ideally under $150, or around $200 at most. My motherboard is an ASUS Prime B450M-K II, so I'm limited to AM4 processors. Should I replace the CPU with one that has integrated graphics, repair the overheating issue and buy a used graphics card, or choose another budget combination?
4 Answers
A Ryzen 5 5600G would give you integrated graphics and work on AM4, but its gaming performance is fairly limited compared with a dedicated card. Another option is a Ryzen 5 5500 for roughly $75 and putting the remaining money toward a used card such as an RX 5600 XT. That will generally offer much better gaming performance than an AM4 integrated GPU.
Before replacing the processor, troubleshoot the overheating. High temperatures are not normal and could be caused by a loose or aging stock cooler, clogged dust filters, or dried-out thermal paste. Reapplying paste and installing an inexpensive single-tower air cooler for around $10–20 might solve the crashes and leave more of your budget for a graphics card.
If you can find good used deals, a Ryzen 5 5600 paired with an RTX 2060 or RTX 2070 may come in around $200. A Ryzen 5 2600 can also handle cards around the RTX 2060 or even RTX 3060 level, depending on the games, so replacing the CPU may not be necessary right away.
Try borrowing another graphics card or testing the RX 580 in another system if possible. That can help determine whether the crashes are caused by the GPU, the CPU temperature, or both. If the 2600’s temperatures are brought under control, it may still be perfectly usable, allowing you to spend most of the budget on a used RX 6600 or RTX 2060.
That makes sense. I’ll check the temperatures, cooler mounting, dust, and thermal paste before assuming the CPU needs to be replaced.