I built my gaming PC around the COVID period and think it may be time for an upgrade. I'm interested in trying newer technologies such as DLSS 5, but I'm not upgrading solely for that—I'd like the system to handle modern games well for the next five or more years without serious bottlenecks or performance drops.
My current setup is an Intel i5-9600K, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 24-inch 1920×1080 144Hz monitor, and a 500W power supply. The graphics card replaced a GTX 1650 Ti about three or four years ago. This system currently runs heavily modded Cyberpunk 2077 fairly well, although I occasionally see brief pauses while parts of the city load.
What components should I prioritize replacing, and would I need a new monitor as part of the upgrade? I'm trying to keep costs reasonable, with around $500 as my target for the monitor rather than spending $1,000 or more.
2 Answers
If DLSS 5 is a major priority, waiting for a newer generation of Nvidia graphics cards may make more sense, since current cards may not support its features as well. If the bigger goal is simply better performance in upcoming games, plan around your actual resolution, refresh rate, and total budget instead of upgrading for one feature. Also keep in mind that a 500W power supply could limit your graphics-card choices.
This is likely more than a single-component upgrade if the goal is to stay comfortable for five-plus years. Before recommending exact parts, it would help to know your total budget and whether you’re committed to replacing the monitor. The CPU, platform, GPU, and power supply may all need to be considered together so one upgrade doesn’t hold back the others.
I definitely want to replace the monitor, ideally for under $500. I’m less certain about replacing the GPU right away and mainly want the rest of the system to keep up with newer games.
DLSS 5 isn’t the only reason I’m looking at upgrades. I mainly want the PC to be more current and better prepared for the increasing requirements of newer games.