[SOLVED] Gaming PC Upgrade Advice - $1000 budget

[inopportune_sneeze]

Hi all,

I'm looking to upgrade my current system (see specs below) with a budget of around $1000. I use my system for gaming only and I'm looking to improve performance on higher settings for AAA games.

What components would be my best bang-for-buck performance upgrade? My thinking is that upgrading GPU/CPU only would be my best option but I'm open to suggestions.

Also, with the current state of the market for graphics card market is this a bad time to be upgrading? I'm keeping an eye out for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals but I have no idea how these prices compare to previous years.

Current Specs (last upgraded Nov 2018):
-GPU: Radeon RX 570 8GB
-CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (3200Mz, 6 cores)
-PSU: Rosewill 550W
-MB: MSI B450-A PRO
-RAM Vulcan 2x8gb DDR4
-OS: Windows 10 Home
-Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144396
MSI MAG B560M BAZOOKA $99.99 Save: $40.00 (29%)

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-11400-core-i5-11th-gen/p/N82E16819118241
Intel Core i5-11400 $189.98

https://www.amazon.com/DEEPCOOL-GAMMAXX-Cooler-Heatpipes-Anodized/dp/B08C2TJ4QZ/

DEEP COOL GAMMAXX GTE V2 CPU Air Cooler $29.99

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820236540
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200 CL16 $59.99 Save: $16.00 (21%)

Total: $380

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B560M-BAZOOKA

Review of that cpu w/benchmarks

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/intel-core-i5-11400f-processor-review,1.html

Intel Core i5-11400F Review - The Best Rocket Lake

The Core i5-11400F is Intel's most affordable Rocket Lake processor. While its multiplier is locked, you can still adjust the power limit. Once we did that, the CPU ran over 15% faster and almost matched the Core i5-11600K. We also made an interesting discovery regarding Gear 1 vs. Gear 2.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Why_Me]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334233835280
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING 12GB Graphics Card $774.99

https://www.newegg.com/super-flower-leadex-iii-sf-550f14hg-550w/p/1HU-024C-00008
Super Flower Leadex III 550W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $69.99
+ $10 off w/ promo code BFCM247 Save: $35.00 (33%)

 

[sizzling]

Is your monitor 60Hz and does it have Freesync or G-Sync?

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334233835280
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING 12GB Graphics Card $774.99

https://www.newegg.com/super-flower-leadex-iii-sf-550f14hg-550w/p/1HU-024C-00008
Super Flower Leadex III 550W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $69.99
+ $10 off w/ promo code BFCM247 Save: $35.00 (33%)

Thanks for the advice - Having shopped around a bit I'm debating delaying the GPU upgrade based on how inflated the prices are at the moment. Could I expect much of a gaming performance upgrade with the i5 processor and additional RAM compared to my current setup?

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

Is your monitor 60Hz and does it have Freesync or G-Sync?

My current monitor is 60Hz and no, I don't think it has Freesync or G-Sync (it's about 8 years old - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aoc-27...or-piano-black-silver/6293177.p?skuId=6293177).

 

[sizzling]

My current monitor is 60Hz and no, I don't think it has Freesync or G-Sync (it's about 8 years old - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aoc-27...or-piano-black-silver/6293177.p?skuId=6293177).

Then depending on the type of games you play a gpu and monitor upgrade might be a good choice. I play a lot of fast moving games and having gone 144Hz I’m never going back to 60.

 

[larkspur]

Thanks for the advice - Having shopped around a bit I'm debating delaying the GPU upgrade based on how inflated the prices are at the moment. Could I expect much of a gaming performance upgrade with the i5 processor and additional RAM compared to my current setup?

The #1 gaming upgrade for your system would be a better GPU. The difference between your 570 8gb and your current CPU vs a more powerful CPU is minimal. With a BIOS update, your board supports the current best CPUs from AMD. You could upgrade your CPU to a 5600x or higher but until you upgrade your GPU, the differences will mostly be small.

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

Then depending on the type of games you play a gpu and monitor upgrade might be a good choice. I play a lot of fast moving games and having gone 144Hz I’m never going back to 60.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind - I'll have to get my FPS well above 60 for that to be worth it but it does sound like a much smoother experience.

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

The #1 gaming upgrade for your system would be a better GPU. The difference between your 570 8gb and your current CPU vs a more powerful CPU is minimal. With a BIOS update, your board supports the current best CPUs from AMD. You could upgrade your CPU to a 5600x or higher but until you upgrade your GPU, the differences will mostly be small.

Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the response.

 

[Zerk2012]

Thanks for the advice - Having shopped around a bit I'm debating delaying the GPU upgrade based on how inflated the prices are at the moment. Could I expect much of a gaming performance upgrade with the i5 processor and additional RAM compared to my current setup?

Their no need to buy all that Intel stuff.
Update the BIOS on your motherboard and get a 5600X processor.
What exact memory do you have/

From their probably a new power supply and join the newegg shuffle every day and try to get a new video card.

Newegg Shuffle FAQ - Newegg Knowledge Base

Newegg shuffle is our drawing system used to purchase in-demand products that are currently limited in supply.

kb.newegg.com

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

Their no need to buy all that Intel stuff.
Update the BIOS on your motherboard and get a 5600X processor.
What exact memory do you have/

My current RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Memory (Desktop Memory) Model TLRED416G3000HC16CDC01

 

[Zerk2012]

My current RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Memory (Desktop Memory) Model TLRED416G3000HC16CDC01

Get the 5600X and from their join the newegg shuffle daily till you get a decent video card buy a new power supply with it.

Newegg Shuffle FAQ - Newegg Knowledge Base

Newegg shuffle is our drawing system used to purchase in-demand products that are currently limited in supply.

kb.newegg.com

You can usually get a RTX 3060 or 3060ti in the 650 area

 

[inopportune_sneeze]

Get the 5600X and from their join the newegg shuffle daily till you get a decent video card buy a new power supply with it.

Newegg Shuffle FAQ - Newegg Knowledge Base

Newegg shuffle is our drawing system used to purchase in-demand products that are currently limited in supply.

kb.newegg.com

You can usually get a RTX 3060 or 3060ti in the 650 area

Thanks, I think that's what I'm most likely to do. I'll keep an eye on those shuffles and I may even wait a few months in hopes that GPU prices will start to come down.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the advice - Having shopped around a bit I'm debating delaying the GPU upgrade based on how inflated the prices are at the moment. Could I expect much of a gaming performance upgrade with the i5 processor and additional RAM compared to my current setup?

If you already have a set of 2x8GB DDR4 3200 CL16 then ignore that part of the build I posted.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks, I think that's what I'm most likely to do. I'll keep an eye on those shuffles and I may even wait a few months in hopes that GPU prices will start to come down.

If you go with the 5600x then you should upgrade your RAM to 3600mhz or that cpu is going to be bottlenecked.

 

[larsv8]

5800x ($340)
Good 750w power supply (~100)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 ($45)
Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM 27.0" 1920x1080 280 Hz Monitor ($340)