I'm planning a relatively affordable PC upgrade in PLN and would like some advice before buying. I want a noticeable improvement over my current system, but I also hope to upgrade the machine further in the future.
Planned parts:
- Gigabyte B550M AORUS ELITE motherboard
- Rampage SEALITE Mini ITX case with seven ARGB fans and tempered glass
- Corsair RM750X 750W ATX 3.1 modular power supply
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 Black AIO cooler
I know the 360 mm liquid cooler is probably excessive for a Ryzen 5 5600, but I was considering it as preparation for a more powerful processor later. I'll be reusing 16 GB of DDR4 memory and my Radeon RX 570 8 GB for now.
My current PC has an Intel i5-6500, 16 GB of RAM, the RX 570, and two small SSDs. I don't know the exact motherboard or power supply in that system.
I mainly play Rust and usually don't use high graphics settings. Since Rust can be CPU-limited, I expect the Ryzen 5 5600 to be a major improvement over my old four-core, four-thread Intel processor. Is the RX 570 too weak for the proposed parts, and are there better ways to spend roughly the same amount? Also, would these components physically work together?
3 Answers
The Ryzen 5 5600 will be a clear upgrade from the i5-6500, but AM4 is already an older, effectively finished platform. Buying expensive components for future upgrades around it doesn’t make much sense, since the strongest upgrade options are limited compared with newer platforms. If the budget allows, compare the total cost with a newer CPU and motherboard platform; otherwise, keep the AM4 build inexpensive.
The 5600 and 5600X are very close in gaming performance, so choose whichever is cheaper. The RX 570 is usable for now, especially at modest settings, but it will be the limiting component in many games. Reusing it temporarily is fine, and a future GPU upgrade would likely provide a larger gaming improvement than a premium cooler or motherboard.
The 750 W Corsair unit is high quality, but it is more capacity than this system currently needs. A cheaper, reputable power supply would be adequate unless you already have a specific high-power graphics card planned. The same applies to the motherboard: choose a reliable model with the features you need rather than paying extra for features that won’t affect performance.
If possible, move to 32 GB of RAM, especially for Rust and general modern gaming. Just make sure the existing memory is compatible and ideally matches the new kit in speed and timings.
The biggest issue is that the build is spending heavily on parts that won’t improve gaming performance much. A Ryzen 5 5600 doesn’t need a 360 mm AIO; its stock cooler is generally sufficient, and an inexpensive tower cooler such as a Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE would already be more than enough. The expensive power supply and oversized cooler would be better redirected toward a graphics card or another 16 GB of RAM.
Also check the case and motherboard sizes carefully. The B550M board is micro-ATX, while a case advertised as Mini ITX may only support Mini-ITX boards. If the case doesn’t explicitly support micro-ATX and a 360 mm radiator, those parts won’t fit.
When you say the cooler isn’t needed, do you mean it won’t work properly with the processor, or just that it’s much more cooling than the 5600 requires? I’m not very experienced with PC parts.