I built this PC about 10 years ago, and it is starting to struggle in newer, graphics-heavy games such as Call of Duty and Forza. I play at 1080p and 60 Hz and do not plan to replace my monitors soon. Because component prices are high, I would prefer to upgrade only the graphics card, possibly replacing the power supply if necessary.
Current hardware:
- Intel Core i5-6600K
- Gigabyte Z270 Ultra Gaming motherboard
- 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4-2666
- Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB
- EVGA 650W Gold power supply
Would a newer GPU be heavily bottlenecked by the i5-6600K? Will using a PCIe 4.0 graphics card in my motherboard's PCIe 3.0 slot noticeably reduce performance? Is switching from AMD to Nvidia difficult? Would a quality 650W PSU be enough for a modern card? Finally, with a budget of roughly $300–$400, would a used higher-end card such as an RTX 3080 be a better choice than a new midrange card?
4 Answers
If you can find one very cheaply, a used i7-6700K or i7-7700K would add hyper-threading and help with newer games. It will not transform the system into a modern gaming PC, though, so do not overpay for an old CPU. The better long-term move is saving for a newer CPU, motherboard, and memory while using a reasonably priced GPU upgrade now.
A good-quality 650W unit should be enough for a moderate modern GPU and your low-power CPU. It may run a 3080 depending on the exact model and its transient power demands, but that would be pushing the limits, especially if the PSU is old. Check the exact model rather than relying only on the Gold rating, and consider replacing it if it is nearing a decade of use. Also make sure the replacement card has adequate VRAM, since running out of video memory can cause serious stutter on this system.
The GPU will still be a major improvement over the RX 480, but the four-core i5-6600K is likely to become the limiting factor in many modern games. Expect lower minimum frame rates and stuttering in CPU-heavy titles, even if the average FPS looks good. A used card is probably the best value, but I would avoid buying something excessively powerful for this platform. Cards around the RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT/6800 level make more sense than spending heavily on a 3080.
PCIe 4.0 cards work normally in a PCIe 3.0 slot. At 1080p, the performance difference should be negligible for the cards being discussed, so the motherboard's PCIe generation is not a reason to avoid a newer GPU. Switching between AMD and Nvidia is also straightforward: uninstall the old driver with a clean driver-removal utility, install the new driver's software, and reconnect the card.
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