I'm looking to help a friend upgrade his old PC without breaking the bank. He plays games with me and really needs a boost in performance. His current setup includes an Intel Core i5-6500 with a stock cooler, a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, 16 GB of generic RAM, a 600W power supply, and an old case. He can't upgrade his GPU yet, but I'm trying to suggest the best parts for him to replace within his budget. Here are the parts I'm considering for the upgrade:
**Current Setup:**
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core
- Cooler: Stock
- GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB Gaming
- MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2V Micro ATX LGA 1151
- RAM: Dual Channel 2x8G generic
- PSU: KCAS-600W 80Plus Bronze
- CASE: Pretty Old One
**Planned Upgrades:**
- **RAM:** Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB (2x16 GB) DDR5-5200
- **PSU:** Corsair CX750 750W 80+ Bronze ATX
- **CASE:** Montech XR Wood (White) ATX Mid Tower
**Considered Options (AMD):**
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core
- MOBO: MSI PRO A620M-E Micro ATX AM5
**Considered Options (Intel):**
- CPU: Intel Core i5-14400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core
- MOBO: MSI PRO A620M-E Micro ATX AM5
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these choices and if there are better alternatives!
2 Answers
You probably can skip the new case for your friend's build. That money could be better spent on faster RAM instead! Just so you know, the Intel option won't work as planned since you can't fit a 14th gen Intel CPU into an AM5 socket. Stick with the AMD parts; they're solid for the upgrade.
The AMD upgrade looks good! If you can, opt for DDR5 RAM with a speed of at least 6000 MHz, or 5600 MHz as a minimum. It’ll give your friend's system a nice performance bump.
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