I've had a CyberPower prebuilt for quite a while with an Intel i7-8700, stock cooler, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a B360 motherboard, and a 550W power supply. I upgraded the GTX 1060 to an RTX 3060 and replaced the power supply with a 750W model. The system still runs my games reliably at around 60 FPS, but the i7-8700 is starting to show its age. I usually need to use high settings instead of maximum settings, and features such as ray tracing can reduce performance too much.
I'm considering a new build with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5080 for 1440p or 4K gaming, as well as heavily modded Skyrim. I'd like the new system to last for several years, but I'm unsure whether upgrading parts in the current prebuilt makes sense. I'm also concerned that the case may not have enough room for a larger graphics card or a modern CPU cooler. Should I upgrade the current system gradually, or save up and build a completely new PC?
3 Answers
If you have the budget for a 9800X3D-class system and a high-end graphics card, building a new PC is the cleaner option. Your current 3060 and 750W power supply are still usable, but the i7-8700 platform is old enough that a major CPU upgrade would also require a new motherboard and probably new memory. You could sell the current system as-is and put that money toward the new build. Keeping it as a secondary streaming or capture PC is also reasonable if you have room for it.
The cheapest sensible upgrade is to keep the RTX 3060, 750W PSU, storage, and DDR4 memory, then replace the motherboard and CPU with a compatible platform. That could make the system feel much better at 1080p or moderate 1440p settings, especially since the i7-8700 is probably the main limitation now. It will not turn the 3060 into a 4K card, though, and heavily modded Skyrim can also need more memory and graphics horsepower.
You do not have to replace the case just because it is a prebuilt. Check the maximum GPU length, the available width from the motherboard to the side panel, the motherboard form factor, and the CPU cooler height. Those measurements determine whether a particular graphics card and cooler will fit. However, a new case is relatively inexpensive compared with the rest of a high-end build, so replacing it can make installation and airflow much easier.
There is no universally perfect time to buy. Prices fluctuate, so decide based on your budget and how badly the current performance bothers you. Since your computer still works and you can generally play at 60 FPS, saving gradually for the complete build is probably better than buying an expensive partial upgrade now.
I have not been able to afford a new PC for a long time, so I may just save a little at a time. A complete build around a $3,000 budget would be easier than rushing into an upgrade I might replace soon.
That makes sense. I may keep the old PC for streaming and use a capture card so the gaming system does not have to handle everything.