I bought a used PC for $250 as an inexpensive starting point and would like to improve it for more demanding games. It currently has an RX 580 8GB, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 1TB SSD, and an Intel Core i5-6500 running at 3.2GHz. Which component should I upgrade first, and what upgrades make sense without spending more than the system is worth?
2 Answers
The RX 580 is the oldest and most limiting part for gaming, so I’d start with the graphics card. A used GTX 1660 Super or RTX 2060 would be a noticeable step up, assuming your power supply and case can support it. The i5-6500 may still be adequate for some games, but newer titles could expose its four-core limit.
The exact CPU matters here, and the i5-6500 is an older platform. You can potentially find an i7-6700 or i7-6700K as a drop-in upgrade, but only if one is very cheap. Otherwise, a meaningful CPU upgrade would require replacing the motherboard and processor, and possibly the memory too. Since you paid $250, it makes sense to use it as-is for now and save toward a larger platform upgrade rather than investing heavily in it.
I only paid $250, so I’m fine with using it as a temporary system until I can afford a full upgrade.