I'm planning a long-term PC upgrade and would like advice on the best path. My current motherboard, an A520M Pro (MS-7D14), only has one M.2 slot, but I want to install a second SSD for dual-booting. I'm not upgrading immediately, and the replacement motherboard does not need to support my current CPU if it makes more sense to upgrade the CPU and motherboard together later. I'd like to keep the total budget below €500 if possible.
My current system is an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, A520M Pro motherboard, 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 A-DATA memory, a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070, and an AeroCool CS-100 Micro-ATX case. I also already own a Sharkoon VK3 ATX case, so an ATX motherboard would fit in the new case.
Would it be better to use an M.2 expansion card or a 2.5-inch SATA SSD instead of replacing the motherboard? If a motherboard upgrade makes sense, I'd also appreciate recommendations for a suitable CPU and 32GB RAM upgrade. I'm located in Germany and would prefer ordering the parts online.
4 Answers
A 2.5-inch SATA SSD is probably the cheapest option for the secondary operating system or extra storage. It will be slower than NVMe, but still feels fast for normal desktop use, and it avoids replacing a perfectly capable motherboard and CPU.
Before replacing the motherboard, check whether an M.2 expansion card will work in your available PCIe slot. It can provide an additional NVMe drive for much less money, although the exact performance depends on the slot and motherboard support. For a dual-boot setup, a PCIe adapter may be the simplest solution.
If you want to stay on your current platform, a decent B550 motherboard is the most sensible upgrade. Your Ryzen 7 5800X is still strong, so there’s no urgent reason to replace it. Look for a B550 board with two M.2 slots and enough PCIe connectivity for your graphics card. Upgrading to 32GB of DDR4-3600, ideally around CL18 or better, would also be worthwhile.
If you can eventually stretch the budget to roughly €700, moving to AM5 would give you a newer platform with a better future upgrade path. You would need a new motherboard, CPU, and DDR5 memory, so it may exceed the current €500 target. If you want to remain under budget, a B550 board plus 32GB of DDR4 is the better value.
That makes sense. I’m not in a hurry, so I’ll compare the cost of a B550 and DDR4 against an AM5 bundle before buying anything.