Question Advice on old but still going strong gaming desktop I put together (should I upgrade & if so, what)

[GTheAlchemist]

Hello world.
This is my first ever post on Tom's hardware
So, if I'm doing anything wrong, forgive me. I'm not a frequent forum poster, I mostly just lurk around forums but never actually post anything.

My current custom desktop build still gives me joy and no issues whatsoever, but I know it's outdated and EOL.
My question is what should be my next move in terms of upgrading it.

I should add im not a super esports/bleeding edge gamer but I do LOVE high refresh rates and am an enthusiast of OLED tech.
(I own a 1080p LG OLED TV (weird huh? 🤪), The OLED switch, multiple PlayStation Vita 1000's and recently purchased myself a laptop for work featuring a 2K OLED display with a native 90hz refresh rate packing an 12-core i5 processor (12th gen intel i5 1240p) Because I just couldn't resist those specs. As a 90's baby, a 12-core cpu is something I never thought I would own, and although it's 8gb RAM (soldered/non-upgradable) and integrated Intel Iris Xe and a 'permanent' 128gb SSD (bleh) along with TERRIBLE battery life... Still, the brilliant Panel, CPU, and Dolby Atmos-Harman/Kardon speakers sold me. I should add I'm not made of money or anything I'm just a sucker for certain features regarding tech at prices I can afford. And since i'll be using it mainly for work, music and video streaming (maybe a little GTAIV & V) it seemed a no brainer.

Anyway.
My Current self-built Gaming Rig:

Windows 10
ASRock AB350 Pro 4 Motherboard (AM4 Socket)
AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Quad-Core 3.20 GHz (not overclocked)
XPG 16gb 3000mhz XPG DDR4 RAM (2x 8gb sticks)
Nvidia EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
My power supply is a dirt cheap one, have no idea the make & model or even the wattage TBH but it does the job.
As for cooling, I just use standard fans, but good one's. (6 Total; 3 front fans, one rear and 2 top fans, All Corsair, in a well ventilated Corsair Case.
It maintains a stable 42 degrees Celsius browsing with 20+ tabs open and while streaming 1080p video and doesn't ever get loud while gaming, even at maxed out settings, so I'm just assuming that it's perfectly adequate.
As a monitor I'm using the 24" 1080p Sony PlayStation "3D" Display that came out waaaay back when the Phat PS3 was a modern console, and while it does 120hz when used with the PS3, it is limited to just 60hz when used as a computer monitor.

That being said, What would you professionals out there say makes the most sense to upgrade as we enter Q3 2022 and beyond?
Based on my own personal unique features & quirks that I find important, which why I gave you guys sort of a backstory on what really drives me as far as tech goes. I have a distaste for LED/IPS/VA technology and 60hz panels, although the PlayStation Display doesn't bother me too much as its a good panel, and am unsure if my machine as it stands can handle, lets say a 144hz or 240hz Monitor. I don't really mind 1080p resolution. I personally don't care for 4K at all (i do have a 4K 120hz IPS TV in the living room but prefer my smaller 1080p OLED bedroom TV) though and believe 4k is pretty pointless on anything smaller than 55", but am loving my new 2.8K 2880 x 1800 90hz Laptop, but again, it's probably just because it's OLED.


I am aware that the AM4 Socket is Highly upgradable and my CPU, while technically a Ryzen 5, is super outdated but it pairs perfectly with my GTX 1060 6GB. The two never bottleneck the other and seem to be made for each other =]

So.. What should be my next upgrade?
What would make to the most sense to upgrade first?
Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

 

[Why_Me]

What country are you located and what is your budget?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Board and CPU.

 

[GTheAlchemist]

North America and Budget really depends on the component im upgrading. I'd say, $500 for a GPU. Probably a little less for a CPU ~$425 and up to 1K for a monitor I'll enjoy, given my machine as it stands can unlock its full potential and make it worthwhile. I like Razer Peripherals and their monitors look at least aesthetically pleasing. I'm usually not a fan of Samsung as far as displays go (their other products are good) at all but that Odyssey monster looks badass I just don't think my Rig can handle it... or can it??

 

[GTheAlchemist]

Interesting, why do you say the Board if it's able to accommodate essentially any Ryzen processor? (at least I thought it could..)

 

[Karadjgne]

Fps ability all stems from the cpu. The gpu is the limiting factor applied later, as it'll either do the job or fails, depending on the resolution and detail settings.

So first you'll need to figure out what the holdup is to onscreen fps. To do that means changing graphics details, not cpu details, or changing cpu details and not graphics. Going from ultra to low, you change both simultaneously, which bunks the results.

So set the game on ultra, then start dropping individual settings to low. Viewing distance, AA, floating damage and object count etc are cpu details. If lowering them jumps fps way up, the cpu is lacking. If lowering them doesn't really change much, it's the gpu that's limiting.

And that's going to change per game. Games like CSGO only use 2 threads, so well within tolerances for a 4 core cpu. A game like cyberpunk 2077 prefers 8 threads, so is automatically stifled by a 4 core cpu. CSGO will play on a potato of a gpu, cyberpunk needs something far beefier.

So your own habits, games, settings, expectations etc will have a far stronger weight to them than just broad based answers about what's lesser or good enough.

 

[Why_Me]

North America and Budget really depends on the component im upgrading. I'd say, $500 for a GPU. Probably a little less for a CPU ~$425 and up to 1K for a monitor I'll enjoy, given my machine as it stands can unlock its full potential and make it worthwhile. I like Razer Peripherals and their monitors look at least aesthetically pleasing. I'm usually not a fan of Samsung as far as displays go (their other products are good) at all but that Odyssey monster looks badass I just don't think my Rig can handle it... or can it??

https://www.newegg.com/evga-supernova-650-g5-220-g5-0650-x1-650w/p/N82E16817438163
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5 80+ Gold 650W Modular Power Supply $64.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144528
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $129.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-BAZOOKA-DDR4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NPJRDGD
Intel Core i5-12400F $174.99

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-Performance-Cooler-Dynamic-Bearing/dp/B09PCWK7SP/
DeepCool AK400 CPU Cooler $34.99

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...AK400-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/15222.shtml

https://www.newegg.com/team-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331544
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4 3600MHz 32GB (2x16GB) CL18 $106.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099N59B14
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC 8GB Graphics Card $469.99

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

 

[ocer9999]

https://www.newegg.com/evga-supernova-650-g5-220-g5-0650-x1-650w/p/N82E16817438163
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5 80+ Gold 650W Modular Power Supply $64.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144528
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $129.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-BAZOOKA-DDR4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NPJRDGD
Intel Core i5-12400F $174.99

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-Performance-Cooler-Dynamic-Bearing/dp/B09PCWK7SP/
DeepCool AK400 CPU Cooler $34.99

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...AK400-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/15222.shtml

https://www.newegg.com/team-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331544
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4 3600MHz 32GB (2x16GB) CL18 $106.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099N59B14
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC 8GB Graphics Card $469.99

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

Good suggestion, just would say the 3060 ti at that price is not a good option, there's a Asrock 6700XT for less, 449$ and it's faster!
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8H...2-gb-challenger-d-video-card-rx6700xt-cld-12g

 

[Bob.B]

Hello world.
This is my first ever post on Tom's hardware
So, if I'm doing anything wrong, forgive me. I'm not a frequent forum poster, I mostly just lurk around forums but never actually post anything.

My current custom desktop build still gives me joy and no issues whatsoever, but I know it's outdated and EOL.
My question is what should be my next move in terms of upgrading it.

I should add im not a super esports/bleeding edge gamer but I do LOVE high refresh rates and am an enthusiast of OLED tech.
(I own a 1080p LG OLED TV (weird huh? 🤪), The OLED switch, multiple PlayStation Vita 1000's and recently purchased myself a laptop for work featuring a 2K OLED display with a native 90hz refresh rate packing an 12-core i5 processor (12th gen intel i5 1240p) Because I just couldn't resist those specs. As a 90's baby, a 12-core cpu is something I never thought I would own, and although it's 8gb RAM (soldered/non-upgradable) and integrated Intel Iris Xe and a 'permanent' 128gb SSD (bleh) along with TERRIBLE battery life... Still, the brilliant Panel, CPU, and Dolby Atmos-Harman/Kardon speakers sold me. I should add I'm not made of money or anything I'm just a sucker for certain features regarding tech at prices I can afford. And since i'll be using it mainly for work, music and video streaming (maybe a little GTAIV & V) it seemed a no brainer.

Anyway.
My Current self-built Gaming Rig:

Windows 10
ASRock AB350 Pro 4 Motherboard (AM4 Socket)
AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Quad-Core 3.20 GHz (not overclocked)
XPG 16gb 3000mhz XPG DDR4 RAM (2x 8gb sticks)
Nvidia EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
My power supply is a dirt cheap one, have no idea the make & model or even the wattage TBH but it does the job.
As for cooling, I just use standard fans, but good one's. (6 Total; 3 front fans, one rear and 2 top fans, All Corsair, in a well ventilated Corsair Case.
It maintains a stable 42 degrees Celsius browsing with 20+ tabs open and while streaming 1080p video and doesn't ever get loud while gaming, even at maxed out settings, so I'm just assuming that it's perfectly adequate.
As a monitor I'm using the 24" 1080p Sony PlayStation "3D" Display that came out waaaay back when the Phat PS3 was a modern console, and while it does 120hz when used with the PS3, it is limited to just 60hz when used as a computer monitor.

That being said, What would you professionals out there say makes the most sense to upgrade as we enter Q3 2022 and beyond?
Based on my own personal unique features & quirks that I find important, which why I gave you guys sort of a backstory on what really drives me as far as tech goes. I have a distaste for LED/IPS/VA technology and 60hz panels, although the PlayStation Display doesn't bother me too much as its a good panel, and am unsure if my machine as it stands can handle, lets say a 144hz or 240hz Monitor. I don't really mind 1080p resolution. I personally don't care for 4K at all (i do have a 4K 120hz IPS TV in the living room but prefer my smaller 1080p OLED bedroom TV) though and believe 4k is pretty pointless on anything smaller than 55", but am loving my new 2.8K 2880 x 1800 90hz Laptop, but again, it's probably just because it's OLED.


I am aware that the AM4 Socket is Highly upgradable and my CPU, while technically a Ryzen 5, is super outdated but it pairs perfectly with my GTX 1060 6GB. The two never bottleneck the other and seem to be made for each other =]

So.. What should be my next upgrade?
What would make to the most sense to upgrade first?
Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

Your mobo has a list of cpu upgrades perhaps a r5 3600.
Large bump in cpu perf.

Do consider replacing the bios bat on that old mobo.

Before moving on the gpu area consider the size and age of the psu.