Question Advice on PC upgrade?

[EBarratt]

Hi everyone, would love advice on what to upgrade next. Looking to upgrade within the next month or so and my budget is no more than £300, so really one or two items. Would also be appreciated if I could know what to upgrade after this if I do wish to do so in the future.
I did post earlier regarding a GPU upgrade which I think may be the way to go but I am unsure; I know I will probably need to upgrade my PSU.

Current parts:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Six-Core Processor
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 ti
RAM: 2 x 8 GB Corsair DDR4 3000 MHz
PSU: Coolermaster MWE 400 (https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/power-supplies/mwe-series/mwe-400/#specifications)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend
Case: As the PC was originally a prebuilt before I first upgraded, the case is a Cyberpower case (in black not white). https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/store/item/cs-450-128
Storage: WD BLUE SATA 1TB SSD and 1TB HDD (unsure on make)
Cooling: 3 front case fans, 1 rear case fan. Stock AMD fan and heat sink for the Ryzen 5 2600.

 

[Order 66]

You absolutely need to upgrade the PSU. You could always go for a 6700xt, but that is not factoring in a PSU upgrade into the budget.

 

[Lutfij]

Question - 2070, 2080, or 1080ti?

Hiya, I currently own a 1050ti which is quite out of date now and I would like something better. I'm looking at secondhand graphics card and the three options I've decided on are the 2070, 2080 or the 1080Ti. I understand that the 20-cards are obviously newer but don't seem to be quite as good...

forums.tomshardware.com

^ Yeah, with that PSU, I will not recommend any GPU upgrade.

You should look into a reliably built 550W PSU if you intend to buy any of the GPU's listed on that thread.

As for your current build, you could update the BIOS for your motherboard, then drop in something like a Ryzen 5 5600. In all honesty, you'd see a higher uplift if you went with a B550 chipset, Ryzen 5000 series processor and pair them with a dual channel DDR4-3600MHz ram kit to get the most out of your platform. In it's current state, even if you did drop in the Ryzen 5000 processor, your motherboard can't do more than DDR4-3200MHz.

You should mention the make and model of your case, the cooler you're working with and the storage options in your build.

 

[EBarratt]

Question - 2070, 2080, or 1080ti?

Hiya, I currently own a 1050ti which is quite out of date now and I would like something better. I'm looking at secondhand graphics card and the three options I've decided on are the 2070, 2080 or the 1080Ti. I understand that the 20-cards are obviously newer but don't seem to be quite as good...

forums.tomshardware.com

^ Yeah, with that PSU, I will not recommend any GPU upgrade.

You should look into a reliably built 550W PSU if you intend to buy any of the GPU's listed on that thread.

As for your current build, you could update the BIOS for your motherboard, then drop in something like a Ryzen 5 5600. In all honesty, you'd see a higher uplift if you went with a B550 chipset, Ryzen 5000 series processor and pair them with a dual channel DDR4-3600MHz ram kit to get the most out of your platform. In it's current state, even if you did drop in the Ryzen 5000 processor, your motherboard can't do more than DDR4-3200MHz.

You should mention the make and model of your case, the cooler you're working with and the storage options in your build.

Thank you for the help. I have updated the information with cooling, case and storage. The upgrade I did on the computer originally (2 years ago now?) was an upgraded CPU and motherboard (although the motherboard was free from a friend), which is surpising that you recommend those rather than a GPU as I thought that's what was holding me back.
So you recommend upgrading from my B450M to a B550, a Ryzen 5000 series and then upgraded RAM, rather than the GPU?

 

[helper800]

Thank you for the help. I have updated the information with cooling, case and storage. The upgrade I did on the computer originally (2 years ago now?) was an upgraded CPU and motherboard (although the motherboard was free from a friend), which is surpising that you recommend those rather than a GPU as I thought that's what was holding me back.
So you recommend upgrading from my B450M to a B550, a Ryzen 5000 series and then upgraded RAM, rather than the GPU?

What do you want to get out of the upgrade specifically? If it is FPS in games, then the 2600 CPU you have is adequate enough to get a better GPU, but that means a PSU upgrade as well.

In my opinion this PSU with either a 3050 or a 3060 12gb are the minimum for an upgrade because you want it to be a meaningful upgrade and you never want to get a bad quality PSU. You can get the price down another 40 pounds but that means getting a 3050 instead and its still over budget by 25 pounds or so.

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: Zotac GAMING AMP GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card (£260.39 @ Newegg UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.85 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £360.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-14 17:05 GMT+0000

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: MSI VENTUS 2X XS OC GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 8 GB Video Card (£219.95 @ AWD-IT)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.85 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £319.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-14 17:11 GMT+0000

 

[Order 66]

What do you want to get out of the upgrade specifically? If it is FPS in games, then the 2600 CPU you have is adequate enough to get a better GPU, but that means a PSU upgrade as well.

In my opinion this PSU with either a 3050 or a 3060 12gb are the minimum for an upgrade because you want it to be a meaningful upgrade and you never want to get a bad quality PSU. You can get the price down another 40 pounds but that means getting a 3050 instead and its still over budget by 25 pounds or so.

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: Zotac GAMING AMP GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card (£260.39 @ Newegg UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.85 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £360.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-14 17:05 GMT+0000

I wouldn't even consider the 3050 since the 6600 is faster and cheaper.

 

[EBarratt]

I'm looking for something which helps with overall performance and graphics, allowing me to play games at a medium to high setting with 60 plus FPS. At the moment I can hardly some shooters run on medium graphics at 60 FPS, let alone more intensive games.

Would the 3050-3060 be better than getting say, a 1080ti or 2080 instead? As that's what I looked at originally and thought would be suitable.

 

[helper800]

I'm looking for something which helps with overall performance and graphics, allowing me to play games at a medium to high setting with 60 plus FPS. At the moment I can hardly some shooters run on medium graphics at 60 FPS, let alone more intensive games.

Would the 3050-3060 be better than getting say, a 1080ti or 2080 instead? As that's what I looked at originally and thought would be suitable.

I would not get a 1080 ti anymore. It is still a decently performant card but has waning support and trouble on a driver side with some of the new engines games run on. A 2080 on the other hand is significantly more performance ~20-30% more than a 3060 with full support from Nvidia and nearly all the features you would want from newer games. If you are willing to buy used parts, just make sure that you are aware of the potential drawbacks. Also, never buy used PSUs from people you do not personally trust. PSUs are the most important part of a PC build!

 

[artk2219]

I'm looking for something which helps with overall performance and graphics, allowing me to play games at a medium to high setting with 60 plus FPS. At the moment I can hardly some shooters run on medium graphics at 60 FPS, let alone more intensive games.

Would the 3050-3060 be better than getting say, a 1080ti or 2080 instead? As that's what I looked at originally and thought would be suitable.

I would ignore both the RTX 3050 and 3060 honestly, they're terribly priced, you can pickup an RX 6600 that is within 8% of the RTX 3060 in regular rasterization and kicks the 3050 in the teeth for less than both of those. You should be able to pickup the RX 6600, a power supply, and some ram for around 300 pounds. The power supply on the list isn't amazing, but you're on a budget, its ok enough and it wont blow up on you. I also included a review for the RX 7600 because it includes all the aforementioned cards.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/WLbrcH)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wZ22FT/corsair-vengeance-lpx-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-cmk16gx4m2d3000c16) | £36.99 @ Amazon UK
**Video Card** | [ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/D9ytt6/asrock-radeon-rx-6600-8-gb-challenger-d-video-card-rx6600-cld-8g) | £190.00 @ Computer Orbit
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CV650 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/cY2bt6/corsair-cv650-650-w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-cp-9020236-na) | £63.95 @ Amazon UK
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£290.94**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-11-14 19:27 GMT+0000 |

Radeon RX 7600 review (Page 29)

AMD unleased it's mainstream proposition which we review, the Radeon RX 7600 is aimed at gamers with a Full HD monitor. An 8GB product that is aimed at a low resolution, but still is priced $299, wil...

www.guru3d.com

 

[helper800]

I would ignore both the RTX 3050 and 3060 honestly, they're terribly priced, you can pickup an RX 6600 that is within 8% of the RTX 3060 in regular rasterization and kicks the 3050 in the teeth for less than both of those. You should be able to pickup the RX 6600, a power supply, and some ram for around 300 pounds. The power supply on the list isn't amazing, but you're on a budget, its ok enough and it wont blow up on you.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/WLbrcH)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wZ22FT/corsair-vengeance-lpx-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-cmk16gx4m2d3000c16) | £36.99 @ Amazon UK
**Video Card** | [ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/D9ytt6/asrock-radeon-rx-6600-8-gb-challenger-d-video-card-rx6600-cld-8g) | £190.00 @ Computer Orbit
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CV650 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/cY2bt6/corsair-cv650-650-w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-cp-9020236-na) | £63.95 @ Amazon UK
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£290.94**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-11-14 19:27 GMT+0000 |

I personally would not recommend a Corsair CV PSU. If he is willing to get a used 2080 for a reasonable price with a new PSU that would be significantly better than even the RX 6600.

 

[artk2219]

I personally would not recommend a Corsair CV PSU. If he is willing to get a used 2080 for a reasonable price with a new PSU that would be significantly better than even the RX 6600.

Hah I dont love it either, but it fit with the other items, and it wont go boom, if they are willing to drop the ram for now, then definitely get a better PSU. Also agreed if you can find a good deal on a used RTX 2080 or RX 6700 (XT) I would definitely recommend going that route. Either way the current PSU needs to be replaced.

 

[EBarratt]

I would ignore both the RTX 3050 and 3060 honestly, they're terribly priced, you can pickup an RX 6600 that is within 8% of the RTX 3060 in regular rasterization and kicks the 3050 in the teeth for less than both of those. You should be able to pickup the RX 6600, a power supply, and some ram for around 300 pounds. The power supply on the list isn't amazing, but you're on a budget, its ok enough and it wont blow up on you. I also included a review for the RX 7600 because it includes all the aforementioned cards.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/WLbrcH)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wZ22FT/corsair-vengeance-lpx-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-cmk16gx4m2d3000c16) | £36.99 @ Amazon UK
**Video Card** | [ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/D9ytt6/asrock-radeon-rx-6600-8-gb-challenger-d-video-card-rx6600-cld-8g) | £190.00 @ Computer Orbit
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CV650 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/cY2bt6/corsair-cv650-650-w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-cp-9020236-na) | £63.95 @ Amazon UK
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£290.94**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-11-14 19:27 GMT+0000 |

Radeon RX 7600 review (Page 29)

AMD unleased it's mainstream proposition which we review, the Radeon RX 7600 is aimed at gamers with a Full HD monitor. An 8GB product that is aimed at a low resolution, but still is priced $299, wil...

www.guru3d.com

These are the upgrades I'm thinking of:
PSU: Corsair CV650 (the one you recommended)
GPU: GeForce RTX 2070 or RX 6600
RAM: 2 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8) (as it's on a prime day sale)

Do you think a 2070 or a 6600 would be better, or is there minimal difference?

 

[helper800]

These are the upgrades I'm thinking of:
PSU: Corsair CV650 (the one you recommended)
GPU: GeForce RTX 2070 or RX 6600
RAM: 2 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8) (as it's on a prime day sale)

Do you think a 2070 or a 6600 would be better, or is there minimal difference?

A 2070 is about 10-20% faster than a RX 6600.

 

[artk2219]

These are the upgrades I'm thinking of:
PSU: Corsair CV650 (the one you recommended)
GPU: GeForce RTX 2070 or RX 6600
RAM: 2 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8) (as it's on a prime day sale)

Do you think a 2070 or a 6600 would be better, or is there minimal difference?

Its mostly a wash, the RX 6600 wins some and RTX 2070 wins others, except at 4K and ray tracing which goes to the RTX 2070, neither card can game at 4K well, and how important 4K and ray tracing is is up to you. It would come down to pricing, if you can get a used RTX 2070 for significantly less than the price of a new RX 6600, go for it. Otherwise you'll get a newer, quieter, more efficient card with a warranty with a new RX 6600 vs a used RTX 2070, which makes it a no brainer. If they're both used, and roughly the same price, I'd still say go for the RX 6600 since its the newer card that'll likely have longer driver support, but it's a toss up at that point. Also one thing to note if you are buying a used card, MSI warranties the card, and not the person that bought the card. So as long as the card is within 3 years of its production date in the serial number, it is under warranty.

AMD Radeon RX 6600 Review - Great for 1080p Gaming

AMD's Radeon RX 6600 is an excellent choice for 1080p Full HD gaming. As our review shows, the red team's latest release has enough power to achieve 60 FPS at maximum details, yet doesn't require much power to do so. It's actually the most energy-efficient graphics card we ever tested, which...

www.techpowerup.com

MSI USA

Welcome to the MSI USA website. MSI designs and creates Mainboard, AIO, Graphics card, Notebook, Netbook, Tablet PC, Consumer electronics, Communication, Barebone, Server, industrial computing, Multimedia, Clean Machine and Car Infotainment.

us.msi.com

 

[helper800]

Its mostly a wash, the RX 6600 wins some and RTX 2070 wins others, except at 4K and ray tracing which goes to the RTX 2070, neither card can game at 4K well, and how important 4K and ray tracing is is up to you. It would come down to pricing, if you can get a used RTX 2070 for significantly less than the price of a new RX 6600, go for it. Otherwise you'll get a newer, quieter, more efficient card with a warranty with a new RX 6600 vs a used RTX 2070, which makes it a no brainer. If they're both used, and roughly the same price, I'd still say go for the RX 6600 since its the newer card that'll likely have longer driver support, but it's a toss up at that point. Also one thing to note if you are buying a used card, MSI warranties the card, and not the person that bought the card. So as long as the card is within 3 years of its production date in the serial number, it is under warranty.

AMD Radeon RX 6600 Review - Great for 1080p Gaming

AMD's Radeon RX 6600 is an excellent choice for 1080p Full HD gaming. As our review shows, the red team's latest release has enough power to achieve 60 FPS at maximum details, yet doesn't require much power to do so. It's actually the most energy-efficient graphics card we ever tested, which...

www.techpowerup.com

MSI USA

Welcome to the MSI USA website. MSI designs and creates Mainboard, AIO, Graphics card, Notebook, Netbook, Tablet PC, Consumer electronics, Communication, Barebone, Server, industrial computing, Multimedia, Clean Machine and Car Infotainment.

us.msi.com

DLSS and some additional titles get to my figure of roughly 10%+ faster on the 2070S. I meant to say in the original post that the 2070 SUPER is 10%+ faster.