I'm looking to upgrade my gaming PC without breaking the bank, ideally staying under $350. My current setup includes an MSI B450 Tomahawk Max motherboard, an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor with 32 GB of RAM, a Radeon RX 480 graphics card, and a Samsung 32" Odyssey G51F monitor. My gaming doesn't get too intense—I'm mainly into Skyrim, World of Warcraft, and Minecraft. I'm considering a graphics card upgrade, possibly the Intel Arc B350 or something similar. However, I'm also curious if I should upgrade my Ryzen 3600 to a 5600 for better performance. Any advice on where to spend the money for the best gain?
5 Answers
If you're looking at upgrading, the Intel Arc B580 or 9060 XT are solid options within your budget. The 9060 8GB version is around $350, but the 16GB version will set you back about $500. It might be worth shopping around for prices though!
The B580 could be a good pick, though it may require a CPU upgrade too. You could snag a Ryzen 5 5600 online for around $180, which isn't too different from the Ryzen 5 9600X in price.
Consider getting a used RX 6800 or 7700XT—they might fit your budget and offer better performance. Just a heads-up about the ARC B580: it's decent for the price but might struggle with older games due to driver issues. And upgrading your RAM speed could give you an extra 5-10% in FPS, just something to keep in mind!
If you're looking for a solid performance boost, keep an eye out for a used RTX 3080, which can sometimes be found for about $300. It would be a major upgrade from your current graphics card!
You might want to check the used market for a GTX 1660 Super—it usually goes for around $40-60. That could hold you over until you're ready to invest in a more complete build. If you're feeling adventurous, a 9070XT or 5070Ti could also be worth considering to future-proof your system!
I found that the 9060 8GB is right at $350, but definitely look into prices for the 16GB! Those prices can change quickly.