I built this PC roughly seven years ago and have fallen out of touch with current hardware. I'm getting back into gaming and would like advice on the best upgrade path. I'm happy with 1080p, although 1440p would be great if it can be achieved without spending a fortune. My budget is around €1,000, and I'm also open to used parts.
Current system:
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 Aorus M
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
- Memory: 32GB DDR4
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super 8GB
- Storage: 2TB hard drive and 500GB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD
- PSU: Approximately 600W
I'm concerned that the current platform may not have much upgrade room, so I'm willing to replace the motherboard if necessary. What combination of parts would provide the biggest improvement for gaming?
2 Answers
If you want to keep the existing AM4 platform, a Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a strong gaming upgrade and should work with the B450 board after a BIOS update. Put the remaining budget toward a newer graphics card; that will make the biggest difference for 1440p. A Radeon 9070 or 9070 XT could be considered depending on local pricing, though the XT model may require a stronger power supply.
You probably don’t need to replace the motherboard immediately. The B450 board, 32GB of DDR4, and a 5700X3D can make a cost-effective upgrade package, leaving more money for the GPU. Only move to a new motherboard and memory platform if you want a longer-term upgrade path and are willing to spend more than the €1,000 budget.
Check the exact PSU model rather than relying on the estimated wattage. For a 9070 XT-class card, a quality 750W unit would be a safer choice.