What Can I Reuse When Upgrading My 7-Year-Old PC?

If you’re planning to drop over 2k on a 5090, consider just replacing the whole rig! The only parts you might reuse are the case, PSU, or drives. Spending less than 10% of your budget on ancient components doesn’t make much sense when you’re upgrading for performance.

If you're going with a 5090, it’s recommended to grab at least a 1000W PSU to ensure it runs smoothly. You might be able to keep your current one, but if you’re getting a new Ryzen CPU from the 7000 or 9000 series, remember you’ll need DDR5 RAM as well. A new cooler could be necessary too if it doesn't fit the new AM5 mounting bracket.

In my opinion, if you're going for a 5090 and X3D build, why would you want to limit the performance with older DDR4 RAM and SSD? It really makes sense to upgrade everything at that point. Most of the new CPUs require an AM5 motherboard, which is all DDR5, so it’s not just about the GPU; you’ll need to invest in a solid all-around build.

Honestly, putting a 7-year-old water cooler in a new $4,000+ build doesn't seem very trustworthy. You might want to consider getting a newer cooling solution to avoid any overheating issues down the line. Better safe than sorry!

You're definitely on the right track about needing a new motherboard and CPU. Most of the latest boards use DDR5 RAM, so you might have to upgrade that too. The 1080ti is pretty dated for 4K gaming, so a shift to the 5090 is a big jump up. As for the SSD, it might feel a bit behind the curve too, and getting a newer NVMe Gen4 or Gen5 SSD can really boost performance. Honestly, if you're upgrading that far, starting fresh with the whole setup might be your best bet!

To be honest, it might just be best to sell your current setup as a whole unit. Reusing just parts here and there isn’t really worth it for the price of your new GPU. You could potentially keep the case and PSU if they're good enough, but selling the rest might get you some cash towards your new build!