Hey everyone! A friend of mine is looking to do a budget-friendly upgrade to his PC so that Counter Strike 2 runs smoother. Right now, during intense firefights, his PC was freezing and sometimes crashing. It isn't overheating, but his CPU and RAM are constantly maxed out at 100% usage. His current setup has decent FPS, but he just needs a little push for better performance. He wants to keep the costs under €80 and doesn't want to change the entire platform. Here's what he currently has:
- **CPU:** i5-7400 with a stock Intel cooler
- **RAM:** 1x8GB 2133MHz
- **GPU:** GTX 1050ti
- **Motherboard:** MSI H110M PRO-VD
- **OS:** Windows 10 64-bit
I'm thinking that upgrading to 2x8GB RAM for around €45 used might be the best move. Alternatively, he could look into upgrading his CPU to a better one in the LGA1551 lineup, but a RAM+CPU upgrade together would go over the budget. What do you all think?
3 Answers
Upgrading the RAM is definitely your best option here. Try to find a speedier option, like 16GB at 3200MHz if you can. More RAM will make a noticeable difference in performance. Also, if you come across a GTX 1660 Ti for a good price, that card would significantly outclass the 1050 Ti! But keep in mind, your motherboard limits you to 2133MHz RAM, so faster RAM wouldn’t matter much for your setup. Just getting that extra 8GB would really help boost performance.
More RAM is definitely a good move, but don’t overlook the CPU. The i5-7400 might not be giving you the kind of boost you need during those intense moments. If you can find an i7-7700 cheap, it could offer a decent uplift, but it may not change things as much as you'd hope. If you're open to more significant upgrades later down the line, keep an eye out for B450 boards and Ryzen CPUs in case you rack up a bigger budget eventually!
Yeah, the AM4 upgrade route can be pricey, especially with motherboards and RAM in that mix. Better to stick with what fits your budget now!
Just a thought, but does he have an SSD? That could help with load times and overall system performance. More RAM will help, but if the system is still running on an old HDD, an SSD would make a bigger difference. Plus, it looks like he has a 120GB SSD for Windows and another for games, so he might want to focus on consolidating that as part of the upgrade instead!
Yes, he has a couple of SSDs, but that old 120GB is probably holding him back. Upgrading or consolidating storage could really help free up some performance.
Totally agree! Even though the motherboard caps the RAM speed, having 16GB could be a game changer for overall stability and performance.