Question What is the best $200 upgrade for my PC?

[sweatysniper]

I have a system from March.
It cost $900, and it was a prebuilt.
The specs are:
Ryzen 5 5600G (stock cooler)
RTX 3060 TI
Random OEM 550W PSU & MB
2x4 GB 3200MHZ RAM
SK hynix M.2 256 GB SSD

The case has... barely any airflow but the temps are fine (35 celsius idle, not exploding when gaming)

Should I get 32 GB RAM ($90) + 850W 80 Plus Gold PSU ($125)

or

16 GB RAM ($50) + 1000W PSU ($164)

The reason for the 16 GB RAM option is because when upgrading, I will get DDR5. Then, I can use the 1000W PSU for a long time. Should I stick to my orignal option (32 GB RAM) or not?

 

[rocktalkrock]

Only the latest generation motherboards are compatible with DDR5 RAM. Check the specifications of your prebuilt, it will likely be DDR4 only .

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I like Corsair rmx 850 psu. Maybe that or even higher should be a good upgrade from the o E m unit and be able to carry over to a new box when you build. I see you only have a 256gb ssd, I recently got a 2tb sata ssd for about 100 on eBay. Might pick up something like that for game storage, and you can carry that as a storage drive to a new pc as well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1447143552...1QoO_yZSxW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[sweatysniper]

I like Corsair rmx 850 psu. Maybe that or even higher should be a good upgrade from the o E m unit and be able to carry over to a new box when you build. I see you only have a 256gb ssd, I recently got a 2tb sata ssd for about 100 on eBay. Might pick up something like that for game storage, and you can carry that as a storage drive to a new pc as well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1447143552...1QoO_yZSxW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The question is, will 850W be enough for a year or two later when I upgrade to a 40 series GPU and a 13th Gen/7000 series CPU?

Im pretty sure 1000W will be enough though.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

That’s a good question. A year or so ago I’d have said it was plenty, but the way manufacturers are pushing things to the max these days you should go for as much power supply as you can afford probably.

 

[sweatysniper]

That’s a good question. A year or so ago I’d have said it was plenty, but the way manufacturers are pushing things to the max these days you should go for as much power supply as you can afford probably.

Yes haha...
Now another option I have is to stick with 8GB of RAM for now and get a even better PSU?

 

[ohio_buckeye]

It’s up to you. 8gb is very low though. 16gb is really the minimum imo.

 

[sweatysniper]

It’s up to you. 8gb is very low though. 16gb is really the minimum imo.

Yea... but I have not had any issues.
I have to edit on Premiere Pro for school, and the projects I do don't need RAM.
I rarely use After Effects, so the stuff I do in After Effects is fine even though it gives me warnings.

When I play MC, I get 1000+ FPS, and in Fortnite maxed out settings 1440p I get above 60 fps...

So maybe I should just save my $200 haha

 

[Bob.B]

Yea... but I have not had any issues.
I have to edit on Premiere Pro for school, and the projects I do don't need RAM.
I rarely use After Effects, so the stuff I do in After Effects is fine even though it gives me warnings.

When I play MC, I get 1000+ FPS, and in Fortnite maxed out settings 1440p I get above 60 fps...

So maybe I should just save my $200 haha

Why do want to upgrade?

Seems like what you have does everything you need.

Some time in the future when you decide to build the selection of parts may be quite different than what you can pick from today.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Totally your call. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up a better psu though. Ram right now is dirt cheap as well.

For example 40 bucks for a 16gb kit

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3253695886...1QoO_yZSxW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Below is an older video where they showed 16gb vs 8 for gaming. Keep in mind that I’m unsure if the 8gb was dual channel or not. But with ram prices, you’ve got a decent pc as it is. So I’d consider the 16gb ram to max it out. A better psu to carry forward to a new build, and if you have any left over maybe a 1tb ssd for game storage.

https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-AX...cCI6IjQuNDQifQ==&sprefix=1tb+,aps,128&sr=8-15

View: https://youtu.be/zokH4F0Em60

But yeah if what you’ve got does what you need, totally up to you. If you do upgrade, I’d go for things that you can carry forwards. Though, with the 3060ti, double check what psu you have now as you don’t want a psu to take out a 300 dollar card.

 

[sweatysniper]

Why do want to upgrade?

Seems like what you have does everything you need.

Some time in the future when you decide to build the selection of parts may be quite different than what you can pick from today.

Because

1. I have $200 cash, and I found out there was a PC Part store near me (did not know before).
2. I want to play some more games in addition to MC and Fortnite
3. I am getting into programming in C++, I will be competing in USACO contests and then I will be programming in C# for Unity so I don't want anything bottlenecking my PC for programming
4. My video production class might get harder on my PC because supposedly we will be making professional quality videos, we are using $600 DSLR cameras right now and we will be switching to "very professional" cameras that are 4K and probably cost like $1500.

 

[Bob.B]

Because

1. I have $200 cash, and I found out there was a PC Part store near me (did not know before).
2. I want to play some more games in addition to MC and Fortnite
3. I am getting into programming in C++, I will be competing in USACO contests and then I will be programming in C# for Unity so I don't want anything bottlenecking my PC for programming
4. My video production class might get harder on my PC because supposedly we will be making professional quality videos, we are using $600 DSLR cameras right now and we will be switching to "very professional" cameras that are 4K and probably cost like $1500.

When your pc stops doing what you want it to do you find out where the weak area is and that's where you apply the 200 bucks.

If you apply the bucks now you might put them in the wrong area and then your stuck.

 

[Flayed]

More ram would likely be useful for video editing and Unity development

 

[Eximo]

RAM, CPU cooler, storage.

DDR4 is particularly cheap at the moment.
SSDs are also about to see a low-price floor.

Get a CPU cooler that is AM5 compatible and you can upgrade to Ryzen 7000 and up without needing a new CPU cooler.

Another option would be to sell the 5600G and replace it with something like the 5700X to get some more cores and lose the unused integrated graphics. Also only 8X lanes going to your GPU because of that.

 

[sweatysniper]

RAM, CPU cooler, storage.

DDR4 is particularly cheap at the moment.
SSDs are also about to see a low-price floor.

Get a CPU cooler that is AM5 compatible and you can upgrade to Ryzen 7000 and up without needing a new CPU cooler.

Another option would be to sell the 5600G and replace it with something like the 5700X to get some more cores and lose the unused integrated graphics. Also only 8X lanes going to your GPU because of that.

Yeah, I can get 32 GB of 3600 mhz RAM for below $100, and another 256 GB ssd for 25 dollars.

What cooler would you recommend?

For the last one, no, I would rather not sell my current CPU and buy another one in the same series.

 

[Eximo]

A cooler, Something you like. Could be a mid-range air cooler like a Deepcool AK400, or a higher end Noctua NHU12 or something. RGB?

I suggest a larger SSD, 500GB is like $40.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

On the cooler another option to check probably similar to the Deepcool is the vetroo v5. I've got one of those on my 5900x and with 2 fans in push pull it actually handles it ok. I usually stay at 72 or less under full load. I think they run about 35 bucks now.