I built my first gaming PC in mid-2021 and it has still been working fairly well, but I'm starting to wonder whether it's time for an upgrade or whether I'm dealing with configuration or hardware issues. My current system has a Ryzen 5 3600X, an Asus Prime B550M-A WiFi II motherboard, 32 GB of DDR4-2400 memory running at 3200 MT/s, a 1 TB Samsung 870 Evo SATA SSD, a GTX 980 Ti, and an EVGA 500W Bronze power supply. I also use portable hard drives for other files, while my games are installed on the SSD. Games sometimes take longer to load than expected, and in titles such as Rainbow Six Siege and Forza, textures can take several minutes to finish loading. I'm also limited to low graphics settings in games such as the Insomniac Spider-Man titles. I'd like to know what kind of upgrade would provide a noticeable improvement, especially whether a $500–$1,000 graphics card would get me from low settings to high settings at 1080p. I haven't changed many BIOS settings besides enabling the memory's rated speed. Should I start with the graphics card, processor, power supply, or something else?
4 Answers
The GTX 980 Ti is the biggest limitation for modern 1080p gaming, so I’d prioritize the graphics card. A current midrange card such as an RX 9060 XT 16GB or RTX 5060 Ti would be a substantial upgrade and should make high settings much more realistic, depending on the game and resolution. Less expensive options can also work if you’re satisfied with medium settings. Look up benchmarks for the specific games you play rather than judging a card by its name alone. Your 32 GB of RAM is already plenty, so you do not need to buy more memory.
Your 500W power supply is something to account for before installing a much faster graphics card. Some efficient midrange cards may work with it, but a quality 650W–750W unit would give you more headroom and is a sensible replacement if the supply is old. An 850W unit is only necessary for substantially more power-hungry hardware. Replace the PSU with a reputable model rather than choosing solely by wattage or efficiency label.
The Ryzen 5 3600X is still usable, but an AM4 drop-in upgrade could extend the system’s life after the GPU, especially if you find a good deal on a Ryzen 5 5600X3D, 5700X3D, or another compatible chip. Check your motherboard’s supported CPUs and update the BIOS first. I would not make the processor the first upgrade unless you’re seeing CPU-limited frame rates or stuttering after replacing the graphics card.
Before replacing parts, check the SSD’s health and how full it is with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo. SSDs can slow down when they’re nearly full, although very long texture-loading times can also point to the old GPU, limited VRAM, or a game installed on a slower hard drive. The 980 Ti is now quite old, and upgrading it should improve image quality and frame rates far more than changing the CPU. Also check temperatures, drivers, and whether games are really installed on the SSD.
That helps clarify things. I had accidentally made the memory section look like I only had 8 GB, but the system actually has 32 GB installed. I’ll focus on comparing graphics cards first.