[SOLVED] Which component to upgrade first

[piotreqs]

Hi, my current setup isn't too bad for a budget build although I decided to get some better stuff but I don't know what I should get first because I don't want to spend my money in one go as to periodically buy more stuff but also if I even should buy

What I have;

CPU: Ryzen 3 1200 @3.9ghz with stock cooler
GPU: MSI R9 380 4G Gaming
RAM: 1x8gb
Mobo: Asus ROG Strix B350-F
SSD: M.2 Samsung 970 Evo 500gb
HDD: 2x1tb

What I want;

Ryzen 5 2600
GTX 1060 6gb/ 1070 ti/ RX Vega 56/ RTX 2060 (open to suggestions)
Maybe another 8gb RAM

I do currently play at 1080p 60hz and my current setup does decent with high settings ~40/50-60+ fps depending on game but I plan to move to 1440p 60hz or at least 1080p 144hz or better. I'm pretty sure the 1060 will be enough for 1080p 144hz with R5, maybe even with my R3 but I want to make a more future proof build.

 

[volkgren]

You should have 2x4GB or 2x8GB for dual-channel RAM.

I would go with the GPU upgrade before the CPU. Ryzen 3000 will be out later this year. RX 580 8GB is fairly cheap and should also be considered along side the GTX 1060 6GB.

But thinking again, both of those GPUs are rather old now. Maybe wait on that too. We are still waiting some more mid-range GPUs from Nvidia.

 

[punkncat]

I agree with the above. Get 2x8gb RAM, and step up into an RX580. Should be a nice upgrade for that machine. If you truly have thoughts of going high on the next rebuild/upgrade of that machine within another year, I would probably look into an RTX2060. It's performance is on par with 1070ti according to what I have seen, and cheaper.

 

[tennis2]

Wait on GPU until GTX1660Ti and/or AMD RX30xx GPUs launch. No point buying a 2.5 year old GPU a couple months before new gen comes out. RTX will also [hopefully] get a price check once Navi comes out.

 

[piotreqs]

You should have 2x4GB or 2x8GB for dual-channel RAM.

I would go with the GPU upgrade before the CPU. Ryzen 3000 will be out later this year. RX 580 8GB is fairly cheap and should also be considered along side the GTX 1060 6GB.

But thinking again, both of those GPUs are rather old now. Maybe wait on that too. We are still waiting some more mid-range GPUs from Nvidia.

Yeah, I thought of that too and the RX 580 and 1060 are very similar if not almost equal performance but 1060 is cheaper so that's why I went with that one. I don't mind waiting a couple months for the new stuff to release but I found those at a pretty great price right now. Also, would it make sense to buy 4gb instead or 8 RAM just to be a bit cheaper?

 

[piotreqs]

I agree with the above. Get 2x8gb RAM, and step up into an RX580. Should be a nice upgrade for that machine. If you truly have thoughts of going high on the next rebuild/upgrade of that machine within another year, I would probably look into an RTX2060. It's performance is on par with 1070ti according to what I have seen, and cheaper.

Yeah, I was looking into the 1070ti for a while but I was hesitant to get it, mostly because it would bottleneck my CPU pretty badly and that was before I decided to upgrade it in the first place so I thought the 1060 would be just right for my R3.

 

[volkgren]

Where is the 1060 cheaper? It's more expensive everywhere I know of.

 

[piotreqs]

Where is the 1060 cheaper? It's more expensive everywhere I know of.

I was looking on amazon.co.uk, the 1060 6gb is £239.99 whereas RX 580 8GB Armor is at £203.98 but the other variations are £260-£280 but I heard that the Armor is less reliable but that's just speculations

 

[volkgren]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=391&sort=price&page=1

 

[piotreqs]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=391&sort=price&page=1

I stand corrected. But the £170 range is the 4GB type so would that not make a difference between the 8GB

 

[volkgren]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=391&sort=price&page=1

I stand corrected. But the £170 range is the 4GB type so would that not make a difference between the 8GB

Most of the 8GB have faster memory, 8000MHz vs 7000MHz. That makes a slight difference, but not a lot. Then there will come the time during the next couple of years, or perhaps this year when the new games come out, that 1080p Ultra settings will use more than 4GB of video memory. That will of course make another difference. You can always tweak settings to reduce vram usage.

 

[piotreqs]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=391&sort=price&page=1

I stand corrected. But the £170 range is the 4GB type so would that not make a difference between the 8GB

Most of the 8GB have faster memory, 8000MHz vs 7000MHz. That makes a slight difference, but not a lot. Then there will come the time during the next couple of years, or perhaps this year when the new games come out, that 1080p Ultra settings will use more than 4GB of video memory. That will of course make another difference. You can always tweak settings to reduce vram usage.

So by that means the 8GB RX 580 would be better than the 4GB but it is that bit more expensive than them and the GTX 1060 6GB except the Armor one I mentioned if I want to stay at 1080p high/ultra. So that leaves one more thing, should I rather get the GTX 1060 6gb for the price it is now and wait for the CPU or vice versa (buy the CPU and wait for the RTX2060) or ultimately wait it out until new versions of both are released?

 

[tennis2]

The 1660Ti is supposedly launching on Feb 14

 

[volkgren]

The 1660Ti is supposedly launching on Feb 14

Thanks for sharing this.

https://www.techpowerup.com/251823/nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-on-february-15th-usd-279-gtx-1660-in-early-march-usd-229-gtx-1650-in-late-march-usd-179