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

[fuzmaster]

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!

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Original Build​

PCPartPicker Part List

Component	Details	Price (2018)
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core	$140.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX AM4	$139.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2x4 GB) DDR4-2666	$29.99 @ Amazon
Storage 1	ADATA SU800 256 GB SSD	$66.48 @ Amazon
Storage 2	WD Caviar Blue 1 TB HDD	$39.99 @ Amazon
GPU	Gigabyte GTX 1060 3GB	(2018 Purchase)
Case	Deepcool Dukase ATX Mid Tower Case	(2018 Purchase)
PSU	Corsair CX500 500W 80+ Bronze	(2018 Purchase)
Monitor	Dell SE2417HG 23.6" 1080p 60 Hz	$337.44 @ Amazon
Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers	Logitech K350, Corsair Harpoon, Logitech S120	Various

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Proposed Upgrade​

PCPartPicker Part List

Component	Details	Price (2024)
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core	$105.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI B550 GAMING GEN3 ATX AM4	$89.99 @ MSI
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR4-3200	$39.99 @ Amazon
Storage 1	ADATA SU800 256 GB SSD (Already Own)	$0.00
Storage 2	Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD	$54.99 @ Amazon
Storage 3	WD Caviar Blue 1 TB HDD (Already Own)	$0.00
GPU	MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 12GB	$279.99 @ Amazon
Case	Deepcool Dukase ATX Mid Tower Case	(Reusing)
PSU	Corsair CX500 500W 80+ Bronze	(Reusing)
Monitor	Dell SE2417HG 23.6" 1080p 60 Hz	(Reusing)
Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers	Logitech K350, Corsair Harpoon, Logitech S120	(Reusing)

Total Cost: $612.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts (as of 11/30/2024).

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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]

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.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($107.98 @ 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 ($189.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A650BN 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $396.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-12-01 10:49 EST-0500

 

[fuzmaster]

• RAM Upgrade: I’ll look into swapping the RAM for a DDR4-3600MHz dual-channel kit with tighter latency. That’s a great call for maximizing performance—do you have any specific kits you’d recommend?
• Power Supply: I had a feeling the PSU might be an issue. Thanks for confirming! Since my current unit is older and wasn’t premium to begin with, I’ll replace it. What wattage and brand/model would you suggest for this build? I want something reliable for the RTX 3060, but I’m also budget-conscious.
• Location: Yep, I’m in the USA. I’ll double-check prices to make sure I’m looking at accurate listings.
• M.2 NVMe Drive: I’m sold on adding an M.2 NVMe drive as my game drive—it seems like the simplest and most efficient way to improve storage speed. Reinstalling the OS makes sense, especially since I’m changing the motherboard/CPU. I’ll plan for that during the upgrade.
• RTX 3060 for 1080p: Overkill is definitely better than underpowered, so I’m okay with maxing out the eyecandy. If I decide to upgrade my monitor in the future (maybe to 1440p or higher refresh rates), I’ll already have the GPU to support it. For now, I think it’ll give me a smooth experience even with my older 1080p monitor.

 

[SkyNetRising]

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.

Get more ram - 2x16GB.

Why do you think, you need to change the motherboard?
Current one will support new cpu just fine. Just update BIOS to required level.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Exactly. Keep the current board. With a bios update it should support the newer cpu with no issues. I was running a 5900x on a b350 board for a time.

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

Use this but skip the new board, maybe pick up a 2tb ssd drive and keep using your 256gb as a boot drive. Load games and apps on the 2tb. That should be around 100. Use the money saved to upgrade to maybe a 5700x that way you get a little more future proofing perhaps.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JmhFf7/amd-ryzen-7-5700x-34-ghz-8-core-processor-100-100000926wof

If you can swing it, pick up the 5700x3d for a little more. That should max out your current boards and keep you a couple more years anyway. Maybe until am6 arrives with any luck.