My current PC is pretty old: an Intel i5-9400, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and 32 GB of RAM. I mainly use it for gaming, with some modded games such as Skyrim, and I want a system that can handle large mod lists smoothly. I'm considering building a PC myself instead of buying another prebuilt, but I've never done a build before and could use help selecting compatible parts.
My budget is around $1,300–$1,500, though I can increase it if there's a worthwhile reason. I'd prefer a mid-tower case, although I have room for a full tower. I play at 1080p and would like to make good use of a 144 Hz monitor. I'm located in the United States, but the nearest Micro Center is two or three hours away. I'm open to reusing anything useful from my current system, though I'm not sure whether the case, power supply, storage, cooler, or RAM are worth keeping. What parts would you recommend for a strong gaming and modding-focused upgrade?
4 Answers
For this budget, I’d focus most of the money on the graphics card and a current gaming CPU. A modern six- or eight-core processor paired with a midrange-to-high-end GPU should be plenty for 1080p at 144 Hz and will leave room for heavily modded games. A good B650-class motherboard, 32 GB of memory, a 1–2 TB NVMe SSD, and a quality 750 W power supply would make a sensible foundation. A mid-tower with decent airflow is all you need; a full tower won’t improve performance.
Since you’re building for 1080p rather than 4K, you don’t need an extreme flagship system. Spend on a balanced CPU and GPU, then leave some budget for a reliable power supply, airflow-focused case fans, and a decent SSD. If you’re comfortable assembling it yourself, building from parts should give you better component quality and upgrade options than a similarly priced prebuilt.
You could save money by reusing the existing RAM and storage if they’re in good condition, but the i5-9400 and GTX 1660 Ti would be the main limitations. Used previous-generation graphics cards can offer good value, while a new card with at least 12–16 GB of VRAM is preferable for large texture packs and extensive mods. Just verify the card’s power requirements and make sure the used component has been tested.
Before choosing parts, it would help to know the exact model and speed of your RAM, along with your case, power supply, CPU cooler, and storage. The 32 GB of RAM may be reusable if it’s DDR4, but a newer platform could require DDR5. The power supply is especially important because a modern graphics card may need more capacity and newer connectors.
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