Question What should I focus on upgrading?

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bcemail

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I usually play older games and I'm used to turning setting down. I've finally got to a point where there are some games I want to play that really struggle. I'm realizing I will need to make some upgrades soon, but I don't know what to focus on. I haven't been paying attention to CPUs and GPUs for several years since I built my PC, so I'm not even familiar with current naming schemes.

I won't be spending a lot, so I was planning on getting something a gen or two old, which is what I did for my current setup, and I'm fine with getting used.

For day to day computer use, everything works fine. Some things are slower of course, like using photo software, but I'm not doing anything very intensive. Mostly it's gaming where I notice the lags and frame drops. Here's what I have:

Ryzen 7 1700X
Radeon RX 580 8GB
Gigabyte AB350M-DS3H-CF mobo
16 GB RAM

And my case is ATX but is smaller than some, so I'm not sure if every GPU would fit: Thetis case

Thanks!
 
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ohio_buckeye

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bcemail

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ohio_buckeye said:
This may or may not help but someone went through settings with a 2060 on that game.

View: https://youtu.be/dEQGOIL8KPs?feature=shared
Click to expand...
That is certainly playable, and I've been used to lowering settings. I'm guessing other games that I've played from the past few years (RE remake, various Far Cry games, etc) would look much better.

I could probably stretch the budget a little and get the 5700X, new 16GB RAM, and a used card (2060S, 2070, 6600XT, 5700XT, 6600) for about $350. That should be a pretty good boost over what I have now, right? Should buy me several years before I need a full refresh. As I said, my current system does all the day to day stuff the family needs with no problem. It's just gaming and certain apps that are starting to drag.

Thanks again!!
 
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ohio_buckeye

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If you can stretch to say the 6600 or 6600xt I’d go for one of those. If you can’t, you can’t. I get it. Just that those cards are newer. Keep in mind a lot of used cards were used for mining possibly so those newer cards may be in better shape. The older ones might be completely fine if they were treated well and kept clean and cool, you just don’t have any way to know that.

I would say though, if you go used, purchase through eBay. I think they’ve got a 30 day buyer protection, so if my memory serves that means after you receive it you get 30 days in which to return/file a claim. So be sure you read the description carefully and look at the person’s feedback. Make sure they say the card is fully working.

When you get it, install it ASAP and make sure to run it hard to and test it as well as possible by playing games etc before that 30 days in case of issues so that you’ll be able to file a claim if needed.

Keep in mind you can likely toss your 580 out there for 40-50 bucks to recoup a bit of money also.
 
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bcemail

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ohio_buckeye said:
If you can stretch to say the 6600 or 6600xt I’d go for one of those. If you can’t, you can’t. I get it. Just that those cards are newer. Keep in mind a lot of used cards were used for mining possibly so those newer cards may be in better shape. The older ones might be completely fine if they were treated well and kept clean and cool, you just don’t have any way to know that.

I would say though, if you go used, purchase through eBay. I think they’ve got a 30 day buyer protection, so if my memory serves that means after you receive it you get 30 days in which to return/file a claim. So be sure you read the description carefully and look at the person’s feedback. Make sure they say the card is fully working.

When you get it, install it ASAP and make sure to run it hard to and test it as well as possible by playing games etc before that 30 days in case of issues so that you’ll be able to file a claim if needed.

Keep in mind you can likely toss your 580 out there for 40-50 bucks to recoup a bit of money also.
Click to expand...
Good idea. I think the 6600xt is right about at my price point and there seem to be some available. Are those better than the 2060S? I think I read they were newer.
Now I just need to upgrade my bios. Looks like I might have to do it several times to get up to the current versions
 
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bcemail

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ohio_buckeye said:
If you can stretch to say the 6600 or 6600xt I’d go for one of those. If you can’t, you can’t. I get it. Just that those cards are newer. Keep in mind a lot of used cards were used for mining possibly so those newer cards may be in better shape. The older ones might be completely fine if they were treated well and kept clean and cool, you just don’t have any way to know that.

I would say though, if you go used, purchase through eBay. I think they’ve got a 30 day buyer protection, so if my memory serves that means after you receive it you get 30 days in which to return/file a claim. So be sure you read the description carefully and look at the person’s feedback. Make sure they say the card is fully working.

When you get it, install it ASAP and make sure to run it hard to and test it as well as possible by playing games etc before that 30 days in case of issues so that you’ll be able to file a claim if needed.

Keep in mind you can likely toss your 580 out there for 40-50 bucks to recoup a bit of money also.
Click to expand...
I think the 6600xt is right about in my price range. Prices are similar for a 2060 super. Should I go with 6600 since it's newer? Then it's just a matter of updating the bios and not killing everything! I think I can go straight to the recommended version from my version, but the page with all the versions listed is sort of confusing
 
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ohio_buckeye

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bcemail said:
I think the 6600xt is right about in my price range. Prices are similar for a 2060 super. Should I go with 6600 since it's newer? Then it's just a matter of updating the bios and not killing everything! I think I can go straight to the recommended version from my version, but the page with all the versions listed is sort of confusing
Click to expand...

I'm running a 6800xt and am happy with it. 2-3 years ago I did briefly own a 6600xt and sold it during mining. So I've got no issues with the 6600xt. I would say look at those cards, maybe also look at the 6650xt as well as those were basically an updated version of the 6600xt, and I think is very very slightly faster. So if you can get it for about the same price go for it. If not, the 6600xt should be good.
 
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bcemail

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ohio_buckeye said:
I'm running a 6800xt and am happy with it. 2-3 years ago I did briefly own a 6600xt and sold it during mining. So I've got no issues with the 6600xt. I would say look at those cards, maybe also look at the 6650xt as well as those were basically an updated version of the 6600xt, and I think is very very slightly faster. So if you can get it for about the same price go for it. If not, the 6600xt should be good.
Click to expand...
I think I'm changing my original plan, since better upgrades now will probably last longer, so might be worth more of an investment now. I was able to find a used 6700XT for a good price. Almost bought a 5700X and RAM for about $225. Then I started thinking about moving to a new mobo, even though that means reinstalling everything. That might be offset by not having to update my BIOS several versions and hope for the best.

What about this bundle:
https://www.microcenter.com/product...ies-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle

Would add $150 bucks but maybe would provide more longevity? Would that leave me with a pretty good midrange build? Thanks again! Obviously I've overthought this a bit...

EDIT!:
Edit: OK, maybe I've changed my mind again. Not sure that mobo is very good (I guess that's why it's in a cheap bundle). And what's with slow boot times for DDR5?

I think I will upgrade my mobo, Ethernet port broke, no wi-fi, it's mATX and a bit crowded. So maybe just a 5700X, new RAM, and some mobo??

Ugh.
 
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