Question New Build - Need Help

[Black_Username]

Hello there - I am looking to upgrade my components from an old OptiPlex 7060. My goals are to run most games at least at 1080, but preferably at 4k (I know this will make it cost quite a lot). The only reason I would like that, is I bought a new $300 monitor, but have only been able to run games like RuneScape 3 at native resolution, 2560x1440. Actually, now looking at it, would this monitor be 1440p or 4k? I always get confused with the two resolution numbers and what they represent. I know they do horizontal:vertical, though. Anyway, here are my current specs:

Monitor: LS27AG552ENXZA @ 2560x1440 @144hz

GPU: Radeon RX 550 2GB Low Profile (pretty bad but stock PSU so had to choose)

CPU: i5 8500

RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2133Hz I think)

PSU: An OEM OptiPlex 7060 200W total

Motherboard: Not sure, but I'm sure it's OptiPlex 7060 OEM motherboard.

I know I will have to upgrade almost every piece, I just prefer to save on a CPU and GPU for now, and am always open to upgrading later. I just don't have enough money right now to warrant buying more than a psu/ram/motherboard/case. I have settled on a case, and that is the NZXT H6 Flow.

Approximate Purchase Date: Slow over time

Budget Range: $500 or preferably less, but $500 is okay.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming --> YouTube --> Discord

Are you buying a monitor: No



Parts to Upgrade: Preferably just Case/PSU/RAM/MB

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, but willing to buy from anywhere besides 3rd party resellers like ebay, as long as the prices are right.

Location: Eau Claire or Menomonie, Wisconsin

Parts Preferences: No

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No SLI, not sure what Crossfire is.

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560x1440

Additional Comments: Definitely prefer a quiet PC; the less RGB the better but if the price is better than non RGB, I don't mind; I do not need to purchase any additional peripherals.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Cuz I'm tired of dealing with this bad PC and constantly running into power draw issues, where my monitor shuts off then back on multiple times due to insufficient wattage from PSU supplying the GPU.

 

[geofelt]

OEM pc's are not designed to be upgraded.
This is a photo of your motherboard.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/153603747812
It does not have a standard layout.
Note the power and usb parts on the front.
The NZXT flow case will not work.

What to do?
Test to see if your cpu can effectively run a stronger graphics card.
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.
If you are cpu limited, the only effective cpu upgrade will require a new motherboard.

If a graphics upgrade is ok, then you will need to replace the 200w psu which is not a standard atx psu.
I think there are some 500w units out there that could work.

 

[helper800]

So you want to do 1440p gaming for 500 dollars or less? Thats a really tough ask. Your computer is basically completely unusable to achieve your goal. You may want to get a console if you are not married to PC as a platform. If you dont mind 1440p low to medium settings at 40-80 fps it may be possible. I would say that this is close to the minimum viable PC with modern parts. I put in a great PSU that would allow you to upgrade as well as a motherboard you can put an i7 or i9 later on.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-14100F 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($90.48 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760M GAMING PLUS WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($45.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D OC Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Video Card ($179.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($25.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 Max 95 CFM 140 mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 Max 95 CFM 140 mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $650.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-13 15:41 EDT-0400