[SOLVED] GPU upgrade with current PC help

[WillowWay]

Hi Tom's Hardware,

I enjoy reading posts here and thought I'd post one of my own. I have a older PC that if possible, I'd like to upgrade the graphics card to whatever is best "bang for buck" that could give me a nice upgrade and that I could still potentially use when I decide to upgrade my entire PC setup. I am worried about compatibility and wattage and seek to talk with the experts here. Any recommendations would be appreciated as well:

Here are my below specs:
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA 1155 Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4 GHz Quad-core Processor (Ivy Bridge)
EVGA Geforce GTX 1060 6gb SC
16GB RAM Corsair Vengeance DDR3
Corsair HX750 W (Semi-Modular) Psu

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 full tower
Alienware AW3420DW 34" 3440x1440 120Hz Monitor

Edit:
I should mention that I play mainly MMORPGs at the moment-- currently lost ark and would like to increase my framerates. Sometimes in loading screens, it drops to 1fps. but otherwise is hangs around 40-110 fps with reduced custom settings. Thankyou!

I wonder if I am CPU bottlenecked, I had hit 100% cpu utilization and the game would sometimes crash. This was resolved thru upgrading my RAM to 16gb (previously 8gb) and I also OC'd my cpu to 4.2gHz. Core temps remain at healthy safe levels (~70degC) when gaming. Thankyou,

 

[Why_Me]

I'd upgrade the board, cpu and RAM for now seeing how graphics cards are continueing to drop in price.

Here's an example.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144531
MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 $139.99

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $179.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098D84SLF
Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 CPU Cooler $30.00

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-1700-SS2-Mounting-Coolers-Platform/dp/B09LTQYNSL
Thermalright LGA 1700-SS2 Mounting Kit $8.69

https://www.newegg.com/team-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331354
TeamGroup T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4-3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $59.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4

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

 

[USAFRet]

What is your overall budget for an upgrade?
Your current system is pretty well balanced.

But, start here...

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[logainofhades]

MMO's tend to be more CPU limited, so I would also recommend starting there.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX GTE V2 64.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $429.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-13 16:59 EDT-0400

 

[WillowWay]

What is your overall budget for an upgrade?
Your current system is pretty well balanced.

But, start here...

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

Thank you, it was a powerhorse of its time! I was more concerned about GPU compatibility and.. well, I have not thought much about budget... I know GPUs are much more expensive now due to supply/demand but if I can re-use for when I do eventually upgrade my entire PC, then all is well.

I have not kept up with all the newest release of GPUs and RTX series and was hoping that there was an obvious choice (best "bang-for-buck") GPU as back in the day when I built this one.

As one of the replies mentioned, maybe upgrading mobo+cpu/RAM is the better route to go at this time, but I'd like to still consider a GPU upgrade and weight out my options.

I hope to achieve more fps in the game I am currently running (Lost Ark which is a MMORPG). Thankyou,

 

[logainofhades]

Lost Ark, iirc, is very CPU heavy. You are hitting 100% CPU utilization, so it is mostly likely what is holding you back. Upgrading to 12th gen would be a massive upgrade.

 

[WillowWay]

I hope to achieve more fps in the game I am

100%, Ok-- I will look into this option further. Thank you so much!