What’s the best way to upgrade this $500–$600 gaming PC build?
Asked by
MapleOrbit42
I built this PC in 2020 after hunting for parts during the inflated market: Ryzen 5 1600, Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB, Gigabyte B450 AORUS M motherboard, 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200, 500GB WD Blue SSD, a 500W ARESGAME power supply, and an older Cooler Master case. My main priority is improving gaming performance, while storage and the case can wait. I have about $500–$600 USD to spend and would appreciate advice on which parts to upgrade first. I'm also near a Micro Center and would consider used hardware, although I'm not very familiar with buying secondhand.
Answers
A Ryzen 5 5600 with an Intel Arc B580 12GB and a new 750W Gold-rated power supply can land around $550. The B580 gives you more VRAM than many competing cards, but make sure your BIOS, drivers, and motherboard settings are up to date, since it may be a less straightforward choice than an established Nvidia or AMD option.
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A balanced new-parts option would be a Ryzen 5 5600-class processor paired with an RTX 5060 or a similar midrange card. That should make a strong 1080p combination and fit near the upper end of your budget, depending on current prices.
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You’re in an awkward spot because the CPU and GPU both need an upgrade, and the 500W ARESGAME unit may not be something I’d keep for a newer graphics card. Look for a Ryzen 5 5600 or better, then put the remaining money toward a graphics card and a reputable power supply. Since you’re near Micro Center, check their CPU bundles and motherboard BIOS support.
MapleOrbit42: I’m close to a Micro Center, so I’ll check their bundles. I’m also willing to spend a little extra on a better power supply if necessary.
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If you can find good prices, a Ryzen 5 5500 or 5600 paired with a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB could fit around $500–$550. Used parts may give you more performance for the money, such as a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5700 and a stronger previous-generation graphics card. Check reputable local listings, established used-hardware stores, and marketplaces with buyer protection.
MapleOrbit42: I haven’t bought used PC parts before, so I’ll need to learn how to verify the condition and avoid bad listings.
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Start by updating the motherboard BIOS to the latest official version, then replace the Ryzen 5 1600 with a Ryzen 5 5600. For the graphics card, a used RTX 4060 could be a reasonable match and may let you keep the current power supply, although I’d still verify the PSU’s quality and condition before relying on it.
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CobaltMoth19: The B580 is a somewhat unusual recommendation for this older system, so I’d compare current performance, driver support, and pricing against similarly priced AMD or Nvidia cards before choosing it.