Hey PCMR, what’s a good upgrade path for my old PC from 2018? My budget is about $500 USD, here are the specs:
CPU: i3-8100
Mobo: B360
GPU: 1060 6GB
RAM: 16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
Monitor: Asus 60 Hz 24", VZ249HE I think
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520w
Use case: gaming, streaming, minor video editing, work
I don’t mind getting secondhand, might actually prefer it depending on the part. Also kinda wish I won’t have to change mobos unless the performance difference is big enough for the same price (like 10+ FPS). I’m thinking I’ll just get an i7-8700 + 6700 XT + 650w brand new PSU and I’ll follow that up with a monitor upgrade a month or two after this upgrade. Though someone here might know a more optimal route?
Also, any monitor recommendations? Would it be better to go with a 1080p 24" 144 Hz or 27" 1440p 75 Hz? I don’t play a lot of FPS but I do go sim racing
Thanks guys
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Wait and save some more money.
A new board and CPU will be hurt by 1060. A 30 series GPU will be hurt by i3.
You could look at B550 with 5700x and 32GB for a lot more speed in everything, gaming could be smoother with 5700x but necassarily high framerate.
1060 is still incredibly solid. You’ll be running more graphically intensive games on low but it won’t hold you back as much as that cpu. I upgraded from an 8500 to a 12600 and was blown away by the difference. OP, get a new mobo and cpu. Even the budget current gen cpus will outclass nearly anything 8th/9th gen, especially in terms of power for cost (cpu prices never seem to drop much) . The 1060 will hold up for most games.
That’s why I said B550, 5700x, and 32GB to run the 1060 at max capacity that the current 4 cores can’t do.
You sound like my kind of person. I‘m looking at the 6700 xt as well. Extreme bang for the buck and longevity.
I‘d do pretty much the exact same way as you do. Video editing might actually benefit from more ram though.
I checked your available routes. You could go up to 64 GB of Ram and you could max out to i9 9900K although thats not a cheap processor.
If you can shoot all these used, you should be good. Scrap additional ram for processor if need be. The board seems reasonable for another 5 yrs or so.
Good luck.
I just recently got the 6700xt secondhand, upgrading my gtx 970. Got it for $360 which was not bad at all. The 970 served me well and was still playing many games 1080p @ 60fps. But it’s a noticeable difference with the 6700 xt. And as you said, it looks to have longevity. My 970 lasted me 8 years, and I picked the 6700xt expecting at least the same. I highly recommend it!
Nice! So it‘s got your recommendation I suppose? I‘m deciding between it and the nvidia 3060ti which seems to have marginally better performance but less vram and is also cheaper. Two reasons why I will probably take the amd: the pc I want to put it in is Ubuntu so those nvidia drivers are pretty rough for it. Secondly, I‘m not really enjoying the idea of supporting nvidia with their bad business practices.
You’re exactly where I was. Lol. For the longest time I was sure I was going to get a 3060ti because the 3070 was just too expensive. Then as prices started dropping and secondhand cards were getting so much cheaper, I was inclined to open up my options. After reading a lot, I decided that the extra vram would serve me better for a long run with the card, especially since I was generally finding the 6700xt going for less than the 3060ti and 3070 on FB marketplace.
And as you said, the recent business practices by Nvidia definitely weigh heavily.
Thats pretty funny. Thanks for sharing. I didn’t think I‘d meet someone who had this exact thought process. How are your experiences with the card?
It sounds like you have the right idea. You should be able to easily fit all second hand parts within your budget. Happy computing
I would probably just do the GPU unless you can find a great deal on a CPU. i5 it’s probably a better buy as the 8th Gen i7s still cost to much used.
Something like this and keep in mind that pretty much everything can be found second hand for a lot lower price and I don’t see a reason why not buy it second hand. Only buy the SSD and the PSU new. And this is just an exemplary build, no need to buy everything. Personally I would go with a 1440p monitor anytime.
Type Item Price CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor $269.99 @ B&H CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler $29.99 @ Newegg Motherboard MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard $159.59 @ Amazon Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory $44.99 @ Amazon Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive $119.00 @ Amazon Video Card XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card $449.99 @ Amazon Case Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case $94.99 @ Amazon Power Supply Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply $99.99 @ Newegg Monitor Gigabyte M27Q 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor $299.99 @ Amazon Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts Total (before mail-in rebates) $1593.52 Mail-in rebates -$25.00 Total $1568.52 Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-10 23:08 EDT-0400 I think a 8700 and 6700 xt should be good, and for a powersupply, i would recommend something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/x96p99/corsair-cx650m-2021-650-w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020221-na
Definitely take a good look at a new GPU 1st. I3-8100 can still pull some weight. AMD 6600/6650XT are both good choices and you can get them for a really good price is you’re comfortable with buying 2ns hand…
