I'm looking to upgrade my outdated gaming PC that I built about 8 years ago. My current specs are a GTX 1060 6GB graphics card, a Ryzen 5 2600X CPU, an MSI X370 Gaming Plus motherboard, 16GB of DDR4 RAM running at 3200 MHz (2x8GB), and a combination of 250GB and 500GB SSDs. I'm hoping to finally play Star Citizen, which surprisingly runs on my current setup at 15-30 FPS on the lowest settings. I'm based in France and have some savings for this upgrade.
To avoid spending all at once, I'd like to first upgrade my CPU and then get a new GPU in a few months, though I know the CPU upgrade will lead to a bottleneck with my existing GPU. I'm considering a BIOS update for my motherboard to support either a Ryzen 5 5700X or 5700X3D, but I've learned that the BIOS update is only available for the Gaming Pro version of my motherboard. I'm also planning to add another 16GB of RAM to hit 32GB total.
I'm weighing the choice between staying with the AM4 platform or moving to AM5 for future-proofing. I estimate the costs for a new CPU, motherboard, and more RAM will be around €300 second-hand, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I've also been researching GPUs but am confused about which AMD models would give me the best value within a total budget of €600-700 for both the CPU and GPU.
Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
3 Answers
Just to clarify, your Ryzen 5 5700X and 5700X3D are supported by your motherboard with the latest BIOS update, so you're good there! Definitely check that out to avoid confusion. You can also consider upgrading your RAM to 32GB. It’ll help a lot with multitasking and gaming performance.
I would suggest the Radeon 7900 XT for your GPU. It might push your budget a little, but it offers great performance for the price and would handle Star Citizen well. Just remember that it's okay to increase your budget a bit for a solid long-term investment!
Thanks, that sounds like a solid choice! I’ll keep that in mind.
A good option for a GPU that fits your budget could be the Radeon 6800 or a used 6700 XT. They offer good performance and are more in line with a mid-range budget upgrade without totally breaking the bank. Check out site comparisons to see what’s cheapest!
That’s super helpful! I’ll check out those options. Thanks!
Thanks for clearing that up! I guess I need to double-check the BIOS version then.