[SOLVED] Upgrading PC - Need Help!

[merpette]

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my PC.

Here is my current build:
(Please note, the GPU is actually an AMD and not an MSI, but I could not find the AMD on PC Part Picker).

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor | $221.98 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI H170A Gaming Pro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard |-
Video Card | MSI Radeon R9 270X 2 GB Video Card |-
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $99.89 @ OutletPC
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $321.87
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-24 23:58 EDT-0400 |

I absolutely want to upgrade my GPU as my current GPU was not able to run the Modern Warfare Beta, but I am open to any upgrades you think would be good.

What I want is to upgrade my PC to something that will run games very well now and will continue to run games well into the foreseeable future. (I'm thinking 3+ years before new upgrades.)

I'm not very interested in overclocking, just looking for a smooth gaming experience.

Preferably, I would like keep as many components as I can.
Additionally, I would like to purchase parts from Best Buy as I currently have a $500 gift card there.

I am looking to spend around $500 or less, however I'm not entirely stuck on that number, if an upgrade is worth it.

Thanks!

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Well, an i5 6500 would pair well with something like a GTX 1660, or a GTX 1060 6GB, or an RX 580 or 590. Any of those would get you to a good place for 1080p gaming performance. I wouldn't pair much stronger GPUs with it though, even something the next tier up like an RTX 2060, GTX 1660 Ti, or RX 5700 would be more GPU than the CPU could feed in many games. The good news is that this leaves you with a fair amount of money leftover. So you could pick up a spacious SSD to put your OS and games on for quick load times, and probably some more RAM if you've only got 8 GB or so.

Your alternative upgrade would see you picking up something like a Ryzen 2600 or 3600, a new motherboard, and faster RAM with no GPU upgrade in sight, and then you'd get the same performance in games because you've got the same weak GPU.

I'm afraid that you aren't going to find a whole lot else in the price range that will have a big impact on performance.