Hey everyone! My brother has taken over a budget PC that I put together about 9 years ago, and it's definitely time for an upgrade. The current setup includes a GTX 1050, a Ryzen 3 1200, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which seems decent. It plays older games and competitive titles well, but he's looking to run modern AAA titles like Cyberpunk and GTA6 (even if it's at low to medium settings and below 60fps). I'm considering a GPU upgrade to either a 2070 or 3060, which I can find for about AU$250. For the CPU, I'm eyeing a 5700G or some 5600Xs priced around $150, but I'm not sure if those are good choices. Additionally, the PC needs an SSD—is it risky to get a used one, or should I buy new? Any recommendations on parts or other advice to keep the costs down would be super helpful. Thanks a lot!
5 Answers
You're definitely on the right track! Just remember to do a BIOS update first so that you can swap in the 5600X. As for the GPU, both the 3060 and the 2070 Super are great options and will get the job done for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings. With DLSS, you might even be able to push it to ultra settings in some games!
You might want to consider a full upgrade with a BIOS update to the latest version, upgrade to a Ryzen 7 5000 series CPU, bump up the RAM to 32GB DDR4 3600 MHz, and get a 1TB Gen4 M.2 SSD. That will really future-proof the setup! Also, think about checking for an Intel WiFi 7 PCIe adapter if he needs WiFi.
Before you buy, make sure the motherboard is compatible with the 5000 series CPUs—most will work with a BIOS update using the original CPU first. I'd avoid the G CPUs since they have less cache, and given you already have a dedicated GPU, go for the 5600x, 5700x, or even the 5800x if you can swing it. And about the SSD, while new ones are generally recommended, if the prices are high, taking a risk on a used one might be okay right now.
Thank you for this. Very helpful!
The 5600X is a solid choice! Also, check the price difference between the 3060 and the 3060 Ti in your area. Sometimes the 3060 Ti is only slightly more expensive but offers about 30% better performance, making it worth considering!
Can you share the motherboard and PSU model? That would help in giving more tailored advice!
Wow okay, thank you.