I bought my PC in 2016 and have upgraded several parts over the years, but it is starting to struggle with newer games. I would prefer to upgrade it rather than replace the entire system, although I am open to a larger rebuild if that offers better value. My total budget is roughly £500–£1,000, and I would ideally purchase a few components each month. I am based in the UK.
Current specifications:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super 6GB
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H, BIOS F50 from November 2019
- Memory: 16GB DDR4-3200, configured as 2×8GB
- Storage: 500GB WD SATA SSD and 1TB WD HDD
- PSU: Corsair CX600 600W, purchased in 2016
- Case: Fractal Design Core 1000
- Monitor: LG 27US550-B, 27-inch 4K 60Hz
- Operating system: Windows 10, with plans to move to Windows 11
My main goal is to play modern AAA games at around 60fps with high image quality. Ideally, I would like enough performance for 4K gaming and some future-proofing. Ray tracing is not a priority; I would rather have stronger standard rendering performance and good image quality. I would also prefer a reasonably quiet system with effective cooling.
I am considering replacing the case and PSU first because they are both old. For the graphics card, I have been looking at a Radeon RX 9070-class card with 16GB of VRAM, and I am also considering a Ryzen 7 5700X3D to extend the life of the existing AM4 platform. I am unsure whether investing in AM4 still makes sense or whether I should move to AM5 instead.
I would also like to know whether upgrading from 16GB to 32GB of RAM or replacing the SATA SSD with an NVMe drive would make a noticeable difference compared with putting that money toward the GPU. Is an RX 9070 or RX 9070 XT a sensible choice for 4K/60Hz gaming, and what case and PSU would leave room for future upgrades? If buying parts gradually, what order would you recommend, and are there any overlooked components I should prioritise?
2 Answers
A sensible upgrade plan would be an RX 9070 XT, another 16GB of DDR4, and an X3D processor if you can find the 5700X3D at a reasonable price. At 4K, the graphics card is the main priority, so an NVMe drive will not meaningfully increase gaming frame rates compared with your existing SATA SSD. It will mainly improve file-transfer and loading times. Moving to 32GB is worthwhile for newer games and general multitasking, but it should come after the GPU unless your current memory usage is already causing stutters.
Replace the old power supply before installing a high-end graphics card. Choose a good-quality 750W or 850W unit from a reputable manufacturer, depending on the exact GPU model and the price difference. Also update the motherboard BIOS before changing to the 5700X3D, since the current BIOS may not support it.
A Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with an RX 9070 XT is a very strong way to extend the life of your current system. A complete AM5 platform change would consume a large part of the budget because you would need a new motherboard, DDR5 memory, and CPU, so AM4 is likely the better value here. The X3D chip should provide a substantial gaming improvement over the Ryzen 5 3600, while the GPU will make the biggest difference at 4K. That combination should remain capable for several years, provided you are comfortable lowering a few settings as newer games become more demanding.
Do you think that combination would reasonably last around five years? I would prefer not to rebuild again soon.
Is there a particular CPU model you would prioritise, or is the Ryzen 7 5700X3D the main one to look for?