[SOLVED] Prioritizing Upgrades to Gaming PC

[Clintesmith]

I built the following set-up about 8 years ago and it's time to upgrade for better performance with newer games. I need help prioritizing because I can't afford to upgrade everything all at once. I can spend $300 right now. My guess is that the GPU should get upgraded first, then the CPU later, and try to fit RAM and a new SSD into the budget as well. I don't do online, MMO's anymore, and I tend to play games that are at least a couple years old, so I don't need to be at the forefront of the latest and greatest. Think Vermintide or Total War: Warhammer II for instance. (Edit: at 1080p)

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-2nd-gen-core-i5-2400/p/N82E16819115074

GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950
https://www.newegg.com/sapphire-radeon-hd-6950-11188-22-20g/p/N82E16814102987

RAM: AMD Performance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333
https://www.newegg.com/amd-8gb-240-pin-ddr3-sdram/p/N82E16820103006

MOBO: Biostar TZ77B
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813138352

PSU: PC Power & Cooling ModXStream 600W
https://www.newegg.com/modxstream-pro-ocz600mxsp-600w/p/N82E16817341017

Storage: Zalman S Series 128GB SSD
https://www.newegg.com/zalman-s-series-128gb/p/N82E16820118003

 

[WildCard999]

If at 1080P then I agree with the GPU first however I'd probably upgrade the PSU as well.

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB GAMING Video Card ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $281.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-17 12:19 EDT-0400

The I'd go with the CPU/MB/RAM upgrade.

 

[Clintesmith]

Thanks @WildCard999 . Assuming that I go that route with the GTX 1660, what would you recommend for the next upgrades in terms of CPU etc. that would play well with that GPU?

 

[WildCard999]

Thanks @WildCard999 . Assuming that I go that route with the GTX 1660, what would you recommend for the next upgrades in terms of CPU etc. that would play well with that GPU?

Probably go Ryzen 2600/3600 with a B450 board (If you get the 3600 go with the MSI Tomahawk as it supports updating the MB without a CPU) & pair those with a 2x8gb kit @3200 or @3000 as Ryzen performs better with faster memory.

This of course can change depending on what's available when your ready to buy.

 

[edeenrs]

Thanks @WildCard999 . Assuming that I go that route with the GTX 1660, what would you recommend for the next upgrades in terms of CPU etc. that would play well with that GPU?

I'd recommend going for a new Ryzen CPU as you're on a budget. Perhaps 3600 / 3600x?

 

[ConanLock]

Personally, I'd recommend choosing an RX 590 over a GTX 1660. It performs ever so slightly better, while being cheaper. As for the rest of the upgrades, this is a very good route:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($197.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($61.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 590 8 GB Phantom Gaming X Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $696.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-17 15:16 EDT-0400

Remember, you will have to get the CPU, motherboard and RAM at the same time, as the ones from your previous system are not compatible with these new parts. The SSD won't be compatible either. The motherboard supports BIOS flashing without a compatible CPU, to allow the Ryzen 3600 to work.