I built my first PC in 2018 and have upgraded several parts since then, but I'm not sure what would make the biggest difference next. My current system has an MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi motherboard, Ryzen 5 2600 processor, RTX 4060 graphics card, 32GB of DDR4 G.Skill Trident Z Royal memory, a 2TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus SSD, a 2TB Seagate hard drive, and an EVGA 500W 80+ power supply. Everything is housed in a Phanteks Eclipse P500A with four case fans. I also have an unused 32GB DDR5 kit, though I know it won't work with my current motherboard. I mainly play open-world RPGs at 1440p on dual 144Hz monitors, usually with medium settings for smoother gameplay. I occasionally use Adobe Premiere, but gaming is the priority. I have $300 in work funds that must be spent by the end of the year and could add another $300 if necessary. I'm considering moving to 4K monitors eventually, but I don't expect to need refresh rates above 240Hz. Should I upgrade the processor first, and which option would offer good performance for the money and remain useful for several years? What other upgrades should I plan for afterward?
4 Answers
A CPU upgrade is the best first step, but I wouldn’t move to AM5 unless you’re prepared to replace the motherboard and DDR4 memory. A Ryzen 5 7600X or 9600X would give you a newer upgrade path, but staying on AM4 with an X3D processor is much simpler and may fit the $300–$600 budget better. You could sell the old CPU, board, and unused DDR5 kit to offset the cost, although the DDR5 kit cannot be used with your current motherboard.
The RTX 4060 is likely to become the limiting part sooner than the processor, especially if you move to 4K. For your current 1440p monitors, upgrading the CPU first is reasonable, but a stronger graphics card should be next afterward. Consider something with more than 8GB of VRAM, such as a 16GB midrange card, if newer games and future 4K use are priorities.
Since you already have an AM4 X570 board, the simplest upgrade is a Ryzen 7 5800X3D if you can find one at a reasonable price. It provides a major gaming improvement without replacing the motherboard or memory, though you may need a decent tower cooler. A less expensive X3D chip such as the 5500X3D could also make sense for 1440p gaming and would leave more room in the budget for other parts. Update the motherboard BIOS before swapping CPUs.
Your 2018 500W power supply is also worth replacing before installing a substantially faster graphics card. A quality 650W or 750W unit from a reputable model line would give you more headroom and better long-term reliability. The hard drive can remain useful for bulk storage, while the NVMe SSD is already fine for games and applications.
The cheaper X3D option should be enough for this system. At 1440p, the difference from the 5800X3D may be fairly small, while the lower price could help fund a power supply or future graphics card upgrade.