I built this PC about nine years ago, and it has been remarkably reliable. The current hardware is an MSI B350M Mortar motherboard, Ryzen 5 1600X, 16 GB of RAM running at 2133 MT/s, a GTX 1080 Ti with 11 GB of VRAM, a 489 GB Crucial SATA SSD, and a 2 TB hard drive. It also has several quiet Noctua fans.
I'd like to give it to my wife so we can play co-op Steam games together. She would mainly play games such as The Sims 3, World of Warcraft, and similar titles, with the possibility of playing Guild Wars 3 when it releases. I know the system struggles with newer demanding games and maximum settings, but I'm hoping a few affordable upgrades could keep it useful for less-intensive 1080p gaming.
What would be the best upgrade path? I'm considering a newer Ryzen processor, faster or additional storage, and possibly a graphics card later. I'd also appreciate advice on BIOS compatibility, memory speed, and anything else I should check before spending money.
2 Answers
For the games you listed, the current graphics card should still be fine. I’d prioritize a CPU upgrade and a larger SSD instead of immediately buying another GPU. A 1 TB SATA SSD would give her plenty of room for Windows and frequently played games, while the hard drive could remain for files and older titles.
A Ryzen 5 5600 would usually be a sensible value upgrade if it’s supported by the board. If you find a reasonably priced Ryzen 7 5700X3D or another compatible X3D chip, that would provide even more longevity, but it may be unnecessary for lighter games.
Before upgrading, check the power supply’s model, age, and wattage, then clean out the case and replace any aging thermal paste. Also make sure the SSD has reasonable free space and that the system is using dual-channel memory. The machine should handle The Sims 3, World of Warcraft, and most co-op games well at sensible settings; newer demanding releases are where the older platform will show its age.
I would only replace the 1080 Ti after testing the games she actually wants to play. A graphics card upgrade would be the most expensive part and may not improve the experience much for this use case.
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