What to upgrade (or is it even worth it?)

[REVVVV]

Hello.

I am getting some back pay this month (almost £400) and I could be sensible and save it or I could upgrade my PC. I am not sure what to do. Currently I have:

CPU: i5 6500 @ 3.2GHz
GPU: GTX 1060 6GB
RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz
MOBO: ASRock B150M Pro4s (this was a serious budget buy)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB (plus some other random SSD with more space)
CASE: Fractal Define S

I play PoE and Destiny 2 a fair bit, usually solid 60fps (occasionally drops) in D2 on p high settings but PoE is putting serious stress on my system and getting mega frame drops. Other than that it runs fairly well but does drop frames here and there on bigger games e.g. Witcher 3 and what have you. Its 4 a years old PC.

My current line of thinking is that I could upgrade the CPU & mobo to Ryzen 3600 + some other mobo (not sure which, recommendations appreciated) and then upgrade my GPU to something fancier next year? Or is it not even worth doing an upgrade? I would like PoE to run better and I feel like the processor is the route to this.

Bottleneck calculator told me that upgrading to ryzen 3600 would result in 100% bottleneck from my GPU but I'm pretty sure that site is ********.

 

[arc@css]

Yeah, I'd purchase a new motherboard and CPU. Something like, for example, a B450 (e.g. MSI Tomahawk max) and a 3600 would make a huge difference to the overall experience.

Your GPU is fine. What PSU do you have?

 

[Grimley]

Sell your old CPU & board, put the proceeds towards this:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £129.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £289.99

Total: £430.44 (includes shipping: £10.50)
​

 

[REVVVV]

Yeah, I'd purchase a new motherboard and CPU. Something like, for example, a B450 (e.g. MSI Tomahawk max) and a 3600 would make a huge difference to the overall experience.

Your GPU is fine. What PSU do you have?

Thanks. I have a 600w EVGA power supply. What do you think of the other guys suggested purchase of a b450m and a R7 3600x? I had considered that CPU

 

[arc@css]

Thanks. I have a 600w EVGA power supply. What do you think of the other guys suggested purchase of a b450m and a R7 3600x? I had considered that CPU

It's a good suggestion. The motherboard is the same as the one I mentioned and stepping up from a 3600/X to a 3700X isn't a bad idea.

PSU should be fine (assuming it's not ancient).

 

[REVVVV]

It's a good suggestion. The motherboard is the same as the one I mentioned and stepping up from a 3600/X to a 3700X isn't a bad idea.

PSU should be fine (assuming it's not ancient).

Sounds great. Last question - would it be a good route to go if considering upgrading to a top end GPU at some point in the future (say, next year)?

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Sparx]

Grimley's spec is a good build - and yes it will run well in tandem with any new top-end GPUs released.

Nvidia/AMD are expected to release their next series this year, around Aug/Sep time actually.

 

[REVVVV]

Excellent. A plan is formed. Thank you so much for all your help.