Hey everyone! I'm looking to give my 10+ year old PC a much-needed upgrade. Lately, I've been noticing it feels sluggish, especially with my CPU fan possibly giving out. While most games run fine, I often dip below 60 FPS, and with Marvel Rivals' latest update, I'm down to 20-30 FPS—definitely not ideal for competitive play.
Currently, my specs are:
- Intel i7-6700K (Quad-Core, 4 GHz)
- GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB VRAM)
- MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard
- 16GB DDR4 RAM (2 x 8GB sticks)
- EVGA NEX650G 650W Power Supply
- 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD
I've linked a build I'm considering: [Newegg Build](https://newegg.io/bbc2441).
I don't want to splurge on the latest gen since budget is a concern and I believe earlier generations tend to be more reliable. I've heard complaints about the GTX 5000 series only having 8GB of VRAM, so I'm leaning towards not needing more than that just yet.
I'm not as familiar with CPUs and find the prices for the newer ones kind of daunting, especially since some 7000 series are priced similarly.
Also, is DDR5 becoming vital, or can I stick with my DDR4 for now? I've got enough power for the upgrades I'm considering, and while one of my HDDs has issues, I'm managing with my M.2 for OS and games. Thinking of grabbing a second M.2 later on.
Lastly, would it be wiser to upgrade the motherboard and CPU first and delay buying the GPU?
1 Answer
For a solid budget upgrade, check out this build:
- **CPU:** AMD Ryzen 5 5600 for $127
- **Motherboard:** Gigabyte B550M K for around $95
- **RAM:** 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200, costing about $46
- **GPU:** XFX Speedster QICK 319 Radeon RX 7700 XT for $500.
Total comes to about $768. This combo should give you a nice performance boost without breaking the bank!
I think the Ryzen 5 is a smart choice since 8 cores aren't quite necessary yet. Plus, those prices are fantastic! You could always consider adding more RAM later if needed.
If you can find a 5060 Ti for a good price, it could also be a decent upgrade choice! But good luck finding one at MSRP these days lol.