My current PC has an Intel Core i5-7500, a Zebronics H110 motherboard replacing an ASUS B250M-K Prime, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4-2400 memory, a 120GB WD SATA SSD plus a 1TB Crucial drive, a Cooler Master 600W Bronze power supply, and a Zotac GTX 1650 4GB that is still under warranty. I mainly use the system for photo editing and coding, with only occasional light gaming. I'd like an upgrade that will remain useful for the next three to four years while reusing as many existing components as possible. Please suggest both Intel and AMD-based options if practical, keeping the total cost as low as possible.
2 Answers
For a longer-lasting upgrade, consider a 12th–14th generation Core i5 with an H610 or B760 DDR4 motherboard. You could keep the existing case, power supply, storage, and GTX 1650 for now, then upgrade the graphics card later if your editing or gaming needs increase. A newer platform will give you a much better path for future CPU and memory upgrades.
If you want to spend as little as possible, check whether the motherboard BIOS is current and look for a used Core i7-7700. Your current system is still adequate for coding and moderate photo editing, so a CPU swap and a move to 32GB of RAM could extend its useful life. Keep Windows on the 120GB SSD and use the larger drive for applications, projects, and storage, although a larger SSD would be a worthwhile future upgrade.
The Zebronics board is causing problems because it runs my 2400MHz memory at 2133MHz, and support has not been able to fix it. The computer works, but the slower memory speed occasionally affects responsiveness.
Are there any comparable Ryzen options I should consider?