Question Help me upgrade my 2018 PC for $500-$600!

fuzmaster

Distinguished
Feb 26, 2011
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I’m looking to upgrade my PC that I originally built in 2018. It’s still kicking, but it’s starting to struggle with stiffer games like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3. It definitely needs more RAM, and I’m debating whether to add another SSD or just reorganize my current storage. I’m also planning to copy my current OS to a new, larger SSD if I get one (which I think I should). Open to tips on how best to handle this!


Original Build

PCPartPicker Part List

ComponentDetailsPrice (2018)
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core$140.00 @ Amazon
MotherboardGigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX AM4$139.99 @ Amazon
MemoryCorsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2x4 GB) DDR4-2666$29.99 @ Amazon
Storage 1ADATA SU800 256 GB SSD$66.48 @ Amazon
Storage 2WD Caviar Blue 1 TB HDD$39.99 @ Amazon
GPUGigabyte GTX 1060 3GB(2018 Purchase)
CaseDeepcool Dukase ATX Mid Tower Case(2018 Purchase)
PSUCorsair CX500 500W 80+ Bronze(2018 Purchase)
MonitorDell SE2417HG 23.6" 1080p 60 Hz$337.44 @ Amazon
Keyboard/Mouse/SpeakersLogitech K350, Corsair Harpoon, Logitech S120Various

Proposed Upgrade

PCPartPicker Part List

ComponentDetailsPrice (2024)
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core$105.00 @ Amazon
MotherboardMSI B550 GAMING GEN3 ATX AM4$89.99 @ MSI
MemoryCorsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR4-3200$39.99 @ Amazon
Storage 1ADATA SU800 256 GB SSD (Already Own)$0.00
Storage 2Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD$54.99 @ Amazon
Storage 3WD Caviar Blue 1 TB HDD (Already Own)$0.00
GPUMSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 12GB$279.99 @ Amazon
CaseDeepcool Dukase ATX Mid Tower Case(Reusing)
PSUCorsair CX500 500W 80+ Bronze(Reusing)
MonitorDell SE2417HG 23.6" 1080p 60 Hz(Reusing)
Keyboard/Mouse/SpeakersLogitech K350, Corsair Harpoon, Logitech S120(Reusing)
Total Cost: $612.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts (as of 11/30/2024).


My Questions

  1. Are there any weak spots or areas I should rethink in this upgrade?
    • My main goals are smoother gaming performance and better multitasking.
  2. Is my 500W power supply enough for the RTX 3060, or should I consider an upgrade?
  3. Does adding an M.2 SSD make sense with this setup, or should I just replace the current SSD with a larger one?
  4. Any tips on moving my current OS to a new SSD?
  5. Will the RTX 3060 pair well with my current 1080p 60 Hz monitor, or is it overkill?
This build is for the next month or so, so I’m not necessarily chasing Black Friday deals. Just want something solid within my budget. Open to any suggestions you might have!
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Since you're moving forward, performing a worthwhile upgrade;
1| swap the ram out for a DDR4-3600MHz dual channel, tight latency kit.

2| That green labelled CX unit is trash and is known in the PSU industry as a dumpster fire...well not exactly but it's a bad unit. I would not be recycling it, let alone use it to power an RTX3060. To also add, a PSU will undergo wear and tear so an used PSU will not output the same as it did when brand new.

3| Your PCPP listing shows USA on the location in the drop down menu, is that so? We get traffic from other parts of the world and some don't notice their location showing up on said top right hand corner.

4| Yes, adding an M.2 NVMe drive as your game drive is a worthwhile decision. With that being said, you reinstall the OS since you're performing a platform change, so no other way around it.

5| RTX3060 for 1080p gaming is overkill, well you can max out eyecandy in your games.
 
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($107.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI (rev. 1.0) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A650BN 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $536.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-30 21:21 EST-0500
 
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