I'm looking to upgrade my PC for mid- to high-end gaming, with a budget of about $600 and possibly up to $700. My current system has an Intel Core i3-10105F, an ASUS PRIME H510M-D motherboard, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, a GTX 1650, a 1 TB SSD, and a 550W power supply. I know I need a better CPU, motherboard, and graphics card, while the RAM and storage can probably stay for now. I'm considering a Ryzen 7 5700X and an RTX 5060 Ti, preferably the 8 GB version because the 16 GB model costs significantly more. I'm especially interested in newer upscaling and frame-generation features because I mostly play military games. I'm inexperienced with PC building, so I'd appreciate advice about compatibility, whether my power supply is sufficient, and which combination gives the best performance and value. Would it be better to keep my current motherboard and use a compatible processor such as a used i5-10600K or i5-11600K, or should I move to a newer platform?
2 Answers
Your budget may be tight if you replace the CPU, motherboard, and GPU all at once. One way to save money is to keep the H510 motherboard and upgrade to a used i5-10600K or i5-11600K, assuming the BIOS supports it. Then put as much of the remaining budget as possible toward the graphics card. Check the exact GPU price, because a new RTX 5060 Ti can use a large part of the budget by itself.
If you are replacing the platform anyway, a used Core i5-12600K with a B760 DDR4 motherboard may offer better value than moving to AM4. It performs slightly better than a Ryzen 7 5700X in many workloads and leaves you a possible upgrade path to a stronger 13th- or 14th-generation processor. Pairing it with a well-priced used Radeon RX 9060 XT could provide stronger raw gaming performance for roughly $600–$700 total, depending on local prices. Just confirm the motherboard supports the processor, the case has enough room, and the power supply has the required connectors and enough capacity.
The 12600K and a B760 DDR4 board sound appealing. I’m less certain about the RX 9060 XT because an RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB may perform similarly at a comparable used price. The newer NVIDIA upscaling and frame-generation features are a major reason I’m leaning toward the 5060 Ti.
I found an RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB for roughly $350, while the 16 GB version costs much more. The compatible i5-10600K or i5-11600K seems like it would let me upgrade only the CPU and GPU. Is the 8 GB model still a reasonable choice if I specifically want the newer NVIDIA features?