I'm looking for some advice on upgrading my girlfriend's gaming PC. She's recently started gaming with me, but her current setup is pretty outdated—she's using a Xeon 3350 with 8GB DDR2 RAM and a GTX 1050 Ti. She's been playing games like The Sims 4, Tomb Raider, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Roblox, and wants to improve her performance in Minecraft and play The Last of Us with mods and shaders. I'm thinking of keeping the 1050 Ti and just upgrading the motherboard, CPU, and RAM. Since she's not focused on FPS, I'm aiming for a budget of around 300 to 350 euros for these upgrades. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
Since you're thinking about sticking with the 1050 Ti, that's pretty reasonable for casual gaming. If you want to go cheaper, consider prioritizing the upgrade to 16GB DDR4 RAM. It’s essential for a smoother gaming experience with mods. Just make sure your motherboard supports the new RAM you choose!
And don’t forget to look up the CPU socket type to ensure compatibility with your motherboard.
If she's really into Minecraft with mods and shaders, you're going to need a decent GPU in the future. But for now, focusing on CPU and RAM will help a ton. You could find older parts that fit within your budget, but agreed, getting something newer is definitely better for long-term upgradability.
Yeah, I’ve done modded Minecraft on a budget, and it runs fine, but shaders are really demanding!
It's definitely doable on a budget; just plan for gradual upgrades if you can!
To get the most bang for your buck under 350 euros, you should definitely focus on upgrading the CPU and RAM first. The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with an ASRock H510M motherboard would be a solid combo, and you might find it used for around 110 euros. This upgrade should significantly boost performance, especially in Minecraft and games with mods.
Sounds like a good plan! How much are you looking to spend on RAM? Adding 16GB would really help with gaming performance.
Just remember to check that the new parts are compatible with the existing GPU.
For sure! RAM can make a huge difference, especially in gaming.