I built this PC several years ago, and lately it has started feeling sluggish, especially during games. My current setup is a Ryzen 3 1200, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a Gigabyte A320M-S2H-CF motherboard, a Radeon RX 570, an SSD, and a hard drive. I mainly play League of Legends, Warframe, and occasionally Path of Exile 2. Even League has begun stuttering and struggling with frame rates, including after a relatively fresh Windows installation. I'm not sure whether the problem is the CPU, graphics card, power supply, storage, or something else. I'm considering upgrading the CPU, GPU, or both, but I'm unsure what parts are compatible or which upgrade would make the biggest difference. What should I check first, and what would be a sensible upgrade path on a budget?
3 Answers
The CPU is probably the best place to start. The Ryzen 3 1200 was an entry-level chip even when it was new, while your motherboard should support newer Ryzen processors after a BIOS update. A used Ryzen 5 5600 would be a strong value option, and a 5600X is also worth considering if the price difference is small. Upgrade the CPU first, then benchmark the games again before deciding whether the RX 570 still needs replacing.
A graphics card upgrade could improve frame rates and allow higher settings, but it depends on your budget and power supply. Since the RX 570 is still usable for lighter games, replacing the CPU first gives you a clearer baseline. After that, test your usual games and only upgrade the GPU if you still need more performance.
Before buying anything, check the power supply model, wattage, age, and condition. That information matters for both troubleshooting and choosing a replacement graphics card. Also, the RX 570 may not be failing at all—stuttering can come from the CPU, drivers, overheating, background processes, or power issues. Monitor temperatures and usage while gaming, and check whether the CPU or GPU is hitting 100% during the frame drops.
I completely overlooked the power supply when listing the parts. I’ll identify the model and check temperatures and hardware usage before assuming the graphics card is dying.
A Ryzen 5 5600 sounds like the most affordable option, so I’ll probably try that first and see how much it improves things.