Should I upgrade my Ryzen 5 3600 or buy a new graphics card first?

If you want to stay on the same platform, a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X would be a sensible budget CPU upgrade later. For a more substantial gaming upgrade, a Ryzen 7 5800X3D-class chip can extend the life of the system, but only consider it if you find one at a good price. I would not replace the processor before the graphics card unless monitoring shows the Ryzen 5 3600 is already the clear bottleneck in your games.

At 1440p, I’d prioritize the graphics card and upgrade the processor later. Your Ryzen 5 3600 may limit performance in some CPU-heavy games, but it should still be usable. Before buying anything, check your GPU and CPU usage while playing the games you care about—whichever component is consistently maxed out is probably the one holding you back. Also, consider a 16GB RX 9060 XT instead of the RTX 5060 if pricing is similar, since it generally offers better value and more breathing room for 1440p.

I’d be cautious about the RTX 5060 for 1440p because its VRAM capacity can become a limitation in newer games. A used RTX 3070 or another reasonably priced higher-tier card could offer stronger performance for less money, though you should check the card’s condition and power requirements carefully. Your current CPU can be upgraded afterward if you run into processor-related frame-time issues.