I have a secondary PC that I'd like to give to my younger brother for gaming. It currently has an Intel i5-6500T, 8GB of RAM installed as a single 8GB stick, an RX 580 8GB, an H110 motherboard, and a Corsair CX550 power supply. I want to keep the same motherboard. Should I upgrade the RAM first, replace the CPU, or consider another component?
3 Answers
The platform is quite old, and sixth- and seventh-generation processors have limited support for newer operating systems. You can still make it a decent budget gaming PC with 16GB of RAM and an i7-6700 or i7-7700, but I wouldn’t spend heavily on it. Keep the RX 580 for now; a stronger graphics card could be bottlenecked by the CPU, and the CX550 may also limit high-power GPU upgrades. A full platform replacement would be the better long-term plan.
Since the current memory is one 8GB stick, add a second 8GB module if possible, or replace it with a 2x8GB kit. After that, a used i7-6700 or i7-7700 could provide a useful boost from four cores/four threads to four cores/eight threads. Check the motherboard’s CPU support list and BIOS version before buying; an H110 board generally won’t support overclocking, so a 7700K would mostly be unnecessary.
RAM first. Once the system has 16GB in dual channel, look for a reasonably priced used i7 rather than paying extra for a 7700K.
Upgrade the RAM first. Add another matching 8GB stick so the system has 16GB in dual-channel mode. That will help with modern games and multitasking more immediately than replacing the CPU. The RX 580 is still a reasonable match for this system.
I was considering the CPU because the 6500T is a low-power model, but I’ll check whether I can find a matching 8GB stick first.
Would you prioritize the CPU or RAM if I can only buy one part right now?