[SOLVED] What do I upgrade first?

[therealssryujin]

So my cousin built a PC 4 years ago and now it's outdated. He wants to upgrade his PC but then he can only buy parts one by one. He wants to be able to run most FPS titles smoothly.

His current GPU is GeForce GTX 1060 3GB. His CPU is Intel Core i5 7500 with an ASUS Prime B250-A.

What should he prioritize so he can boost his PC's performance?

 

[kanewolf]

So my cousin built a PC 4 years ago and now it's outdated. He wants to upgrade his PC but then he can only buy parts one by one. He wants to be able to run most FPS titles smoothly.

His current GPU is GeForce GTX 1060 3GB. His CPU is Intel Core i5 7500 with an ASUS Prime B250-A.

What should he prioritize so he can boost his PC's performance?

How much RAM and how many DIMMs?
For gaming performance, the GPU is the first thing to upgrade.

 

[ratAB]

gpu is the priority but you didn't state how many Ram slots your cousin is running with

 

[kanewolf]

gpu is the priority but you didn't state how many Ram slots your cousin is running with

Or the power supply. That might be the first thing....

 

[ratAB]

that too, make sure it has 12v ocp or dual railings (idk lol)

 

[maxhiggskl]

gpu of course

 

[geofelt]

What kind of performance?
Best to list all of the specs.
It will let us know what can usefully be reused.

I might presume gaming.
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

Try this simple test:
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.

The power supply will limit what graphics upgrades are possible.

The motherboard can support a I7-7700K upgrade.
But, that processor is sill in high demand and fetch high prices used.

If cousin does not use a ssd at least for windows, that is one of the best performance upgrades around. Not so much for gaming, but everything goes quicker.

 

[captaincharisma]

basically the consensus is we will need a full system spec. just knowing the GPU and PSU does not help much. also, when getting the specs for the power supply make sure you get the make and model

 

[therealssryujin]

What kind of performance?
Best to list all of the specs.
It will let us know what can usefully be reused.

I might presume gaming.
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

Try this simple test:
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.

The power supply will limit what graphics upgrades are possible.

The motherboard can support a I7-7700K upgrade.
But, that processor is sill in high demand and fetch high prices used.

If cousin does not use a ssd at least for windows, that is one of the best performance upgrades around. Not so much for gaming, but everything goes quicker.

Apologies. His full system specs are the following:

CPU: Intel i5 7500
Motherboard: Asus Prime B250-A (4 RAM Slots)
RAM: 8gb HyperX Fury DDR4 2400mhz
PSU: SeaSonic S12II Bronze 620W
GPU: GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

 

[geofelt]

Cousin has a well balanced pc.

The PSU is top quality and should be able to run any graphics card he is willing to buy.
Fast action games and higher resolutions need good graphics.
If the test above indicated that a graphics upgrade is worthwhile, that is the easiest thing to do first.
Such an upgrade is easy to move to a future cpu upgrade.

8gb ram is not usually enough.
16gb is usually plenty.
But, simply adding another 8gb is not so simple.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards, can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.

If you do buy more disparate sticks, they should be the same speed, voltage and cas numbers.
Even then your chances of working are less than 100%
I might guess 90% success .
What is your plan "B" if the new stick/s do not work?

If you want 16gb, my suggestion is to buy a 2 x 8gb kit that matches your current specs.
Then, try adding in your old 8gb,
If it works, good; you now have extra ram.
If not, sell the old ram or keep it as a spare.

The I5-7500 is an excellent processor, as far as it goes.
It will be uneconomical to buy a used i7-7700K which is the top processor that the motherboard supports. They sell for $250-$300 used on ebay.

A modern processor like the I5-10600K costs the same and is vastly stronger.
Here is a review for gaming:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i5-10600k-cpu-review
You will need a Z490 based motherboard for best performance.
The current i5-7500 has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 6132. That is when all 4 threads are 100% utilized.
The single thread rating is 2281. That is what most games depend on.
By comparison, the i5-10600K has 12 threads and a rating of 14685/2934.

Unlike ryzen, intel does not depend on fast ram.
The current 2400 speed ram is ok.
You could start with that.
On a new build, I would go faster, in the 3200-3600 speed if the price differential is not too great.