I'm looking for advice on the best upgrade path for my current PC. My system has a BIOSTAR A520MH motherboard, Ryzen 5 5600G, RX 580, INPLAY GS650 80+ Bronze power supply, 16GB of Lexar THOR DDR4-3200 memory, and two monitors: an NVISION EG24S1 PRO at 180Hz and an NVISION N200HDV8 at 60Hz.
I can spend roughly $200–$300, depending on local pricing. I mostly play Dota 2, where I currently get around 90–120 FPS, along with occasional AAA games such as Assassin's Creed. I also do some video and photo editing. Nothing is urgently bothering me, so I want an upgrade that offers a meaningful overall improvement rather than buying a component solely to gain more Dota 2 FPS. Should I prioritize the graphics card, power supply, or something else?
3 Answers
Upgrade the power supply before installing a stronger GPU, or at least do both together if your budget allows. The current unit is not a model I'd want supporting an expensive graphics card. Choose a reputable 550–650W 80+ Bronze or better PSU from a known manufacturer, then put the remaining money toward the best GPU you can afford.
Since Dota 2 already runs at 90–120 FPS, a GPU upgrade may not dramatically improve that particular game because the 5600G can become the limiting factor at high frame rates. It will still help much more in AAA games and GPU-accelerated editing. If you want a balanced upgrade, start with a quality PSU and GPU; consider a Ryzen 7 5700X or 5800X3D later only if you specifically need higher CPU-limited FPS or faster editing performance.
The graphics card is the clearest performance upgrade. Your Ryzen 5 5600G should pair well with a noticeably faster card, while the RX 580 is likely to limit performance in newer AAA games. Look for the best-value used or new GPU available locally in the $200–$300 range, such as an RX 6600, RX 6650 XT, or RTX 3060 if pricing makes sense. Check the card's condition, warranty, and power requirements before buying.
That makes sense. I wasn't having stability problems, but replacing the PSU first seems safer if I move to a more power-hungry card.