My brother and I have been gaming together, and he wants to improve his PC for 1080p gaming. He plays Final Fantasy XIV, Space Marine 2, Deadlock, World of Tanks, World of Warcraft, and similar games.
His current system is an Intel Core i5-9400F on a BIOSTAR B365MHC motherboard, an RX 580 8GB, 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory, a Sharkoon SHP550 v2 power supply, a 256GB Samsung SSD, a 500GB Kingston SSD, a 1TB Toshiba hard drive, and a Sharkoon VG6-W case. The system still runs smoothly, and he does not need new peripherals. His current monitor is 75Hz, although he may upgrade to 144Hz later.
A few PC-building shops suggested keeping the existing DDR4 memory and storage while replacing most of the other components with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, Gigabyte B550M AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 motherboard, RTX 5070, Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler, Seasonic Focus GX V4 850W power supply, Thermaltake View 270 Plus case, and additional case fans.
The RTX 5070 seems excessive for 1080p, so I am wondering whether a cheaper RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT would make more sense, or whether it is worth spending more on a stronger AMD card. Should we keep the current 32GB DDR4 platform and storage, switch to a newer DDR5 system, sell the existing PC and build an entirely new one, or upgrade individual components? The total budget is approximately $2,000, and we are flexible about where we buy the parts.
5 Answers
Before choosing parts, check the actual prices and warranty terms in the country where the system will be used. Component pricing and availability can vary considerably, and warranties are not always transferable across regions. Also, the existing 550W power supply is not something I would reuse with a modern high-end graphics card; replacing it with a reputable unit is a good idea.
A cheaper upgrade path would be checking whether a used Core i9-9900 or another compatible ninth-generation processor is available at a reasonable price, then replacing the RX 580 and power supply. However, do not pay much for that old CPU, because a full AM5 build will provide better long-term value. The best choice depends on whether the priority is the lowest immediate cost or a platform that can be upgraded later.
For 1080p at 75Hz, an RTX 5070 is more than you need unless you specifically want high refresh rates, heavy ray tracing, or a future 1440p monitor. A midrange card such as an RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT should be enough for most of these games, while demanding titles may benefit from stepping up one tier. Put the savings toward a newer AM5 platform, a reliable power supply, and possibly a larger NVMe SSD rather than overspending on the GPU.
Since you are replacing the CPU, motherboard, graphics card, power supply, case, and cooler, selling the current computer as a complete working system is worth considering. Even a few hundred dollars from the sale could increase the budget and make a modern DDR5 build more sensible. Keeping the storage and 32GB of DDR4 is still perfectly usable, but building around an older AM4 platform limits future upgrades.
The current 32GB of DDR4 is enough for these games; 16GB would be the minimum I would recommend, but there is no urgent reason to replace 32GB just for capacity. If you keep the memory, an AM4 upgrade can work, although the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is only attractive if it is priced well. A new AM5 system with DDR5 gives you a much better upgrade path.
If you are already spending close to RTX 5070 money, compare it with the Radeon RX 9070 XT or another similarly priced card. It may offer better rasterized gaming performance, though regional pricing and features such as ray tracing should be considered.
Selling it is an option, but it still runs well and we would prefer to see whether a practical upgrade makes sense first.