I'm new to PC hardware and would appreciate advice on which upgrades to make first. This system was built about five years ago, aside from the monitor I bought last year: Samsung S3 24-inch 1080p monitor, Intel Core i5-9400, Gigabyte B365M DS3H motherboard, 16GB DDR4-3200 memory, 1TB SATA SSD, 240GB SATA SSD for Windows, 2TB WD Red hard drive, MSI GTX 1050 Ti 4GB, and a non-modular 650W Bronze power supply. It currently runs Windows 10 64-bit. I have about $1,000 to spend overall, and graphics card prices may increase soon where I live. The cards I'm considering cost roughly $330 for an RTX 5050, $380 for an RTX 5060, $430 for an RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, and $580 for an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB. I'm also considering used cards such as an RTX 3070 or 3070 Ti. Which components are currently holding the system back, and what upgrade order would make the most sense? Would a new graphics card work properly with my existing processor, motherboard, memory, and power supply?
4 Answers
Your 650W supply may be enough on paper, but since it is an older, non-modular unit, I’d consider replacing it with a reputable modern model before installing a substantially faster GPU. Don’t choose a power supply based only on wattage; look for a reliable platform, appropriate PCIe connectors, and a good warranty. You can reuse the case, storage, memory, and motherboard unless there is a specific problem with them.
I wouldn’t spend $220 on an older B550 motherboard and another $100 on an AIO cooler just to move to a Ryzen 7 5700X. That platform can still be useful if bought cheaply, but it is not the best use of this budget when your current graphics card is the main weakness. A sensible order would be: GPU first, power supply if the current unit is questionable, then CPU and motherboard together later. The existing 16GB of RAM is adequate for now, though 32GB would be a reasonable future upgrade for modern games and multitasking.
The GTX 1050 Ti is by far the biggest limitation, especially for gaming. I’d upgrade the graphics card first and keep the i5-9400 for now. At 1080p, an RTX 5060-class card should be a major improvement, although very high frame rates in CPU-heavy games may eventually be limited by the processor. You don’t need to replace the motherboard and CPU immediately just to install a newer GPU.
A used RTX 3070 can be good value if you find one around $200–$250, but a used 3070 Ti at about $320 is less compelling unless it is in excellent condition. Before buying used, test it under load, check temperatures and fan noise, confirm that the display outputs work, inspect it for physical damage or corrosion, and ask whether it has been heavily mined on or modified. Also verify the seller’s return policy. The 8GB VRAM is still usable for 1080p, but newer games may benefit from more memory over time.
The used 3070 listings I found are closer to $280, while a 3070 Ti is around $320. At those prices, would a new 5060 be the safer choice?
Would the 16GB version of the 5060 Ti work in my current system without changing anything else first?