I'm new to PC upgrades and want better FPS in games such as CS2, League of Legends, and possibly some battle royale titles. My current system is a little old but still averages around 140–170 FPS depending on the game. The components are:
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- 16 GB DDR4-3200
- MSI B450M Mortar Titanium motherboard
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
I usually play with all settings on low. In-game monitoring shows the GPU at roughly 80–85% usage while the CPU is around 40–50%. Which component should I upgrade first for the biggest improvement? I'm not sure about my budget yet because hardware prices seem high, so I'm mainly looking for the best-value upgrade. Monitor resolution and refresh rate may also affect the recommendation.
3 Answers
A CPU upgrade could also help in CPU-limited games, particularly CS2 and other high-FPS titles. A Ryzen 5 5600 would be a relatively inexpensive drop-in upgrade for your AM4 motherboard and should offer around 15–20% more CPU performance than the 3600. However, with a GTX 1660, the difference may not be very noticeable unless you also upgrade the graphics card later.
The GPU is probably the first upgrade to consider, especially if you want higher settings or better performance in battle royale games. The GTX 1660 is fairly old now, although current prices make it worth waiting for a sale or considering a good used card. Your monitor’s resolution and refresh rate would help determine what GPU class makes sense.
The usage numbers suggest you may be CPU-limited in some situations, since the GPU is not reaching full utilization. Still, overall GPU performance usually matters more for most games. If you want the most balanced path, look for a used or discounted Ryzen 5 5600 first, then save for a stronger GPU. A faster CPU such as an X3D model only becomes especially worthwhile once you pair it with a more capable graphics card.
I haven’t settled on a budget yet. I’m mostly trying to figure out which upgrade gives the best value before I start shopping.