Should I Upgrade My Current PC or Save for a Brand New Build?

New build seems to be the way to go if that’s your long-term goal. You'll need a new motherboard, CPU, and GPU eventually anyway. If you're strapped for cash now, you might reuse parts like your SSDs, but plan out your budget wisely to avoid saving for years.

Honestly, if your current setup is running fine, hold off on upgrades for now. Prices for parts are high, and you might find better deals in the used market. Just keep in mind that someday you'll want to invest in a full system overhaul.

If your focus is on playing games like Enshrouded and Elden Ring, I'd recommend at least upgrading the GPU. Your current CPU may struggle a bit with those games, but a graphics upgrade could extend the life of your setup. You could upgrade to an i5-9600 or 9700 for cheap, too. Just know this would be a temporary fix until you can afford a full build.

Honestly, I recommend going for a new build. Your CPU is quite outdated, and that's going to be a big bottleneck as games get more demanding. With that said, if you're working with a tight budget, you might consider used parts. An i7-9700k could be a great upgrade for your socket type, and pairing that with something like a GTX 4060 would really boost your performance at 1080p for about $300. What budget are you looking at for upgrades?

I'd lean towards upgrading the CPU and getting a newer GPU. You could find an i7-9700k for a decent price and if you snag a good deal on a modern graphics card, you'd see a significant performance boost. It all comes down to what games you want to play though. Higher frequency RAM may help too, but prices are a bit crazy right now.