Hey everyone! I'm looking to breathe some new life into my 6-year-old PC so that it can handle modern games at 1440p and 120hz. Right now, I'm running an i5-8400 CPU (liquid cooled), a 1070TI GPU, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a .5TB Samsung 970 EVO SSD. I'm particularly eager for the new Anno game but I know my CPU is on its last legs.
After doing some research on the best upgrades for around $500, here's what I'm considering:
- i7-12700KF CPU
- RTX 5060 GPU
- 2TB Samsung 990 SSD
I also plan to upgrade to a 1440p 120hz monitor down the line. How does this upgrade list look to you? I'm counting on some good sales on Black Friday, but right now it totals about $570 without any discounts. Thanks for your help!
2 Answers
Honestly, it might be worth saving a bit more for a more powerful setup. If the 5060 can't handle 1440p, a slightly larger budget could get you an AM5 CPU and a 9060XT, especially if you catch some good sales. Overall, you might be looking closer to $800.
Just a heads up, the RTX 5060 only has 8GB of VRAM, and that's going to struggle a bit at 1440p. You might want to consider a higher-end card for real performance.
Yeah, that makes sense! Are there any similar cards in that price range you think would perform better?
Seconded on that. If you're serious about 1440p, consider bumping your budget up for a 5070.
The 9060 does look promising. I might swap the 5060 for that.
But about the CPU recommendation for AM5, why suggest it? I ran some quick benchmarks and the AM5 9600X is only about 1% different from the i7-12700KF, but it's way more expensive. Seems like Intel’s the better choice.