My gaming PC is starting to show its age, and I'm not very familiar with current PC hardware or component compatibility. I'd like to spend roughly £1,000 on upgrades, though I can stretch the budget a little if necessary. I'm not aiming for ultra settings—being able to play most modern and upcoming games at decent quality with a stable frame rate would be enough. Would it make sense to upgrade this system, or would I be better off selling it and building a completely new PC?
Current specifications:
- Motherboard: ASUS Z170
- Processor: Intel Core i7-7700K at 4.20 GHz
- Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
- Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3
- Operating system: Windows 10
4 Answers
Before deciding what can be reused, check the exact model and wattage of the power supply, along with the case, storage drives, and monitor. Those details could affect whether a partial upgrade is worthwhile. Once you have that information, it’ll be easier to recommend a specific parts list.
With this platform being several generations old, a major upgrade would likely mean replacing most of the important components. The graphics card is the most obvious limitation, but a newer card could also be held back by the older processor in some games. Unless your case, power supply, storage, and memory are known to be suitable for reuse, putting the money toward a new build is probably the better long-term option.
You may be able to reuse the memory if it’s compatible and reasonably fast, but check the exact type first. Some Z170 boards used DDR4 while others used DDR3L, and modern platforms generally use DDR4 or DDR5 depending on the parts chosen. Since you’ve confirmed yours is DDR3, it probably shouldn’t be the deciding factor for a new build.
I’d suggest selling the current computer as a complete system and adding that money to the £1,000 budget. A balanced new build would give you a newer CPU platform, a current graphics card, and better upgrade options instead of spending heavily on parts for an outdated socket.
I’ll check the case, storage, monitor, and power-supply details when I get home and add them. I appreciate the help.