I built this PC in 2020 with an ASUS H410M-A motherboard, Intel Core i5-10400, GTX 1660 Super, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 550W power supply. It has lasted fairly well, but newer demanding games often run around 30 FPS at 1080p, and the GTX 1660 Super is especially weak when ray tracing is enabled. I'm interested in playing newer titles such as Assassin's Creed Shadows and Crimson Desert, ideally at 60 FPS or higher at 1080p. I'm not planning to move to 4K, and I'd like a good-value upgrade that can last several years. My maximum budget is around $1,000. Should I upgrade the graphics card first, or would my CPU and power supply also need to be replaced? I'm considering AMD for better traditional performance per dollar, while NVIDIA's RTX cards appeal to me for ray tracing and DLSS.
3 Answers
For 1080p, an RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM or an RTX 5060 would be a sensible match. A faster card such as an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT may be more than you need at this resolution, and your i5-10400 could limit performance in some games. If you experience frequent frame-time dips, a used i7-10700F could be a reasonable drop-in CPU upgrade, assuming your motherboard BIOS supports it. Check the exact model and condition of your power supply before installing a more demanding GPU.
A graphics card in the RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT class should be enough for a solid 1080p upgrade without being excessive. Before buying, confirm whether the current 550W PSU is a reputable model and has the required connectors; replace it if it is old or low quality. Also check whether your games are installed on an NVMe SSD, since storage and memory can affect loading and overall smoothness, even though the GPU will provide the biggest improvement.
The RX 9060 XT 16GB is probably the strongest value-oriented choice for this system, while an NVIDIA RTX card makes more sense if ray tracing and DLSS are priorities. I would avoid spending the entire budget on an especially powerful GPU because the older CPU platform could become the limiting factor. Put some of the remaining money toward a quality power supply and possibly another 16GB of RAM.
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