I recently started building and upgrading my own PC. My original 2016 system had a GTX 970, i7-6700, Asus Z170-A motherboard, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 600W power supply, a 250GB NVMe drive, and a basic Intel cooler.
Since then, I added a 1TB NVMe drive and two SATA SSDs, upgraded to a 12GB RTX 2060, and most recently installed an Asus Prime B760-Plus D4 motherboard with an i7-13700K. I also replaced the CPU cooler with a be quiet! Pure Rock 3 Black after discovering that my old cooler was incompatible.
The RTX 2060 now seems like the weakest major component. It handles my games reasonably well, including Oblivion Remastered, but I still need to use medium settings and fairly aggressive anti-aliasing compromises. I would like better performance in newer games and in applications such as Blender and After Effects, although those workloads are secondary.
I am upgrading gradually and would prefer something that should remain useful for several years without spending heavily on unnecessary performance. I am in the UK, so value and local pricing matter. What is the lowest-tier GPU that would make sense for this system and provide a worthwhile long-term upgrade? I am open to either a previous-generation card or a current model, depending on the price difference.
I would also appreciate advice on whether I should upgrade from 16GB to 32GB of RAM, whether air cooling is sufficient for the i7-13700K, and whether my 600W PSU should be replaced. I would rather avoid liquid cooling if a good air cooler and case airflow are adequate.
5 Answers
Upgrade the RAM to 32GB when convenient. Sixteen gigabytes can still work for gaming, but Blender, After Effects, multitasking, and newer games benefit from the extra capacity. It is not as urgent as the GPU, though.
Your air cooler is fine in principle, but the i7-13700K can run hot under sustained workloads. Make sure the cooler is mounted correctly, use sensible motherboard power limits, and have good case airflow. You do not need liquid cooling unless you specifically want maximum sustained performance and are comfortable with the added complexity.
I would be cautious about keeping a 600W PSU with a new high-performance GPU. Its suitability depends on the exact model, age, efficiency rating, and available connectors, but an established 750W or 850W unit would give you much more headroom. Choose a reputable modern model and use the native GPU power cable where possible rather than relying on questionable adapters.
For the UK market, a discounted RTX 4070 Ti Super with 16GB can be a sensible Nvidia upgrade, especially if you use CUDA or other Nvidia-specific features in Blender. On the AMD side, the RX 9070 or 9070 XT offers strong performance and plenty of VRAM. A previous-generation RX 7800 XT or RTX 4070 can also make sense if you find one substantially cheaper. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is worth considering only if it is priced well; otherwise, the higher-tier cards provide a much better jump from an RTX 2060.
Before settling on the upgrade, update the motherboard BIOS and check its power settings. Early 13th-generation Intel systems had well-known stability and degradation concerns when motherboard defaults allowed excessive voltage. A BIOS with the appropriate Intel baseline settings is worthwhile, especially with a 13700K.
The GPU is now the clear weak point, but the best choice depends on your monitor resolution and budget. For a balanced 1440p upgrade, cards around the RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT level are a reasonable minimum. Current options such as the RX 9070 or RTX 5070 would give you more longevity, while the RX 9070 XT is a strong value choice if the price fits. I would avoid paying a premium for a card with only 8GB of VRAM if you want it to last several years.
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