My current system has a Ryzen 5 5600X, a GeForce GTX 1660 Super, 32GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1440p monitor. Most of the games I play are older and run well, but World of Warcraft has started feeling pretty rough, especially in demanding areas. The 1660 Super was meant to be a temporary card while I waited for newer GPU stock, but I never ended up upgrading. I'm thinking the graphics card is the obvious weak point, but I'd like advice on the best way to improve the system without spending excessively. Should I upgrade anything else, and what GPU tier would make sense?
4 Answers
The GPU is definitely the main limitation here. Your 5600X and 32GB of RAM are still perfectly capable for 1440p gaming, so I’d upgrade the graphics card first and leave the rest alone for now. Cards from the last couple of generations should handle your games well, whether bought new or used.
If World of Warcraft is the main concern, remember that large raids and busy cities can become CPU-limited. A Ryzen 7 5800X3D would be the best drop-in AM4 upgrade for that situation, paired with a midrange GPU such as the RX 9060 XT. For general gaming, though, the graphics card should still come first.
A Radeon RX 9070 GRE or RX 9070 would be a strong match if current pricing is reasonable. You could also look at something around the RX 9060 XT class if you want to keep costs down; that’s already plenty for 1440p and may be more than enough for your needs. Just check that your power supply has enough capacity and the right connectors.
You could also consider an Nvidia option such as an RTX 5060 Ti if you prefer that ecosystem and find one at a good price. There’s no real need to jump all the way to a higher-tier card unless you want substantially more performance or plan to keep the next GPU for many years.
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