What do I upgrade?

[kyleiskool1234]

I obtained some money from my family for Christmas and I’m trying to decide what component of my PC I should upgrade. I have a 1060 3gb, I3 8100 4 core 3.60 ghz, 8 gb of ram. I could also go external with a new microphone/headset I currently have a Logitech g633. Or should I just wait? I need help deciding. I play general games like Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, PUBG, etc.

 

[asoroka]

You should first work out where your bottle neck is.


Depending on how much money you have, I would look at a new GPU, something that you can take to your next build.
Other than that I would wait until you could build a new system

 

[kyleiskool1234]

You should first work out where your bottle neck is.


Depending on how much money you have, I would look at a new GPU, something that you can take to your next build.
Other than that I would wait until you could build a new system

The only thing is that I’m not planning for a new build anytime soon. I’m leaning towards cpu but I’m not sure.

 

[asoroka]

A new CPU will require new motherboard and RAM as well as CPU.

 

[Tumeden]

I didn't see you mention your hard drive at all. Do you have a solid state drive?
If not, i would recommend in getting one of those as they significantly improve performance.

 

[kyleiskool1234]

I didn't see you mention your hard drive at all. Do you have a solid state drive?
If not, i would recommend in getting one of those as they significantly improve performance.

I do have an SSD it holds some games and windows 10. And I also have a hard drive for everything else. I’m not sure the specific ones.

 

[kyleiskool1234]

A new CPU will require new motherboard and RAM as well as CPU.

Couldn’t I just get a better cpu from the same generation? I don’t believe that will cause a motherboard change.

 

[sizzling]

I know it’s nice to upgrade but really the best time to upgrade is when you find something about your setup lacking and not meeting your needs. If the system is meeting your needs hold onto your money until needed.

 

[asoroka]

I also would not be throwing money at old technology unless there was a real need.

But if you are looking to upgrade then get another 8GB of RAM and a SSD.

You will find that your current rig is not CPU limited, so upgrading teh CPU will not give you any noticeable improvement

 

[nmb255]

You upgrade options are:

a) SSD - Life changing noticeable upgrade
b) More Ram - Useful upgrade, but not essential [8 is the Minimum needed]
c) New processor compatible with your MB - Potential to improve some tasks/games
d) New GPU - Likely to improve most games
e) New platform - change MB/CPU and possible ram [expensive and not recommended]

Out of those a) is the easiest and cheapest option. The others only make sense if you know where your problems lie. I'd be inclined to look at the processor if you can get an i7 for the right price. That would give the longest life to your platform, imho. But, I would definitely do the SSD.

 

[originalletmepicyou]

Depends on what game you're playing. Quite a few games now have 8 gig has a MINIMUM, with 16 gig recommended. So since you're already on an 1151 platform, honestly I would start with ram. Another 8 gig will provide for a solid foundation for today and the next few years.

However, if you play a lot of older games and don't think you will see a benefit from 16 gig of ram right now, save that for later and upgrade the CPU. The i3 is ok on a pauper's budget, but you get a lot more bang for the buck with the i5's. Microcenter currently has the i5 9600k for $230 on sale. It's a Gen 9 cpu, so you'll have to be running a Z390 chipset (or Z370 with bios update). Once you eliminate the i3 as a bottleneck, imo you'll get a lot more out of your future video card upgrade.