Request for advice: talk me out of upgrading my PC
Request for advice: talk me out of upgrading my PC
Hi, I’ve got a fairly modest computer by today’s standard and I’m looking to upgrade the GPU and perhaps also the CPU. Mostly I use it for playing games and your other typical PC tasks, not much video editing and stuff of that sort. Mostly MMOs, sandbox games, RPGs, CRPGs and the occasional sim or 4X.
At the time I’m having a blast with Baldur’s Gate 3 (me and everyone else), and it runs fine (albeit with a fairly hot GPU topping out around 89 C, but ambient is around 35 tbf) on High settings. Only thing I noticed is some occasionally long turn times of enemies “thinking” during combat. Also been meaning to play Elden Ring but my PS5’s GPU died early in the game (just after console warranty expired), so I’m tempted to get it for PC.
Currently got:
- Asus Prime B450M-A
- Ryzen 5 2600X
- MSI RX 580 8GB
- Corsair DDR4 16 GB (2x8GB dual-channel) 3200 memory
- 650 W PSU
I think the biggest performance gain would come from upgrading the GPU. Where I had something like a 6700 XT (currently at 330 € here) in mind.
Is it nonsensical to also upgrade the CPU to a 5800X3D (currently 320 €) instead of just waiting a couple more years and going with whatever platform is current then? Not interested in buying all new memory nor a higher-rated PSU now. Thinking the mentioned CPU can squeeze at least five more years or so out of this motherboard before I need a bigger upgrade. Perhaps it would also help with turn times?
Probably around 150 € can be recouped by selling my old parts once I have flashed the BIOS and no longer need the old CPU.
Can you afford it?
8Yeah, not a problem really. Just saving kind of aggressively for a down payment for a house.
8Do it. I have a 1070 Ti (released around the same time) and although it's still chugging along, it's starting to struggle with the games I'm playing (they're not AAA). I want to upgrade, but it'll have to be next summer since I'm a poor af student.
Also, in case you're not aware: https://pcpartpicker.com/. I added in the parts you listed to check, and if you upgrade your CPU you might also have to update the bios for the motherboard.
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Or perhaps I’m going about this all wrong and I should instead spend half of that budget on repairing my PS5 and the other half on continuously buying new controllers after they get stick drift.
6That gpu is old enough. I dunno it sounds like you've been good about saving. It might be worth it. I went from a 5600xt to a 6800xt and have been quite pleased with my choice.
As long as treating yourself this once doesn't break the damn of spending I don't see an issue
6Yeah, I feel like I haven't rushed the upgrades too soon with the GPU. It has been almost impossible to get one at a normal price these past three years though.
Some spending is flowing over the top of the spending dam, but I don't think it's about to give structurally. We're also spending a bit on vacation around this same time, it feels worse to spend a lot at once but honestly it doesn't make a difference if we spend it now or spread out as long as it's isn't a pattern.
6Yeah you know yourself better than anyone else, you know how much this + the vacation will set you back in your bank accounts and towards your goal. Relative to downpayments(which range in the tens of thousands to beyond here in the states) 330 is a drop in the bucket. Plus your gpu is like 6 years old and wasnt that much more powerful than the 480 it replaced.
If it were 9 years ago I'd say "wait and see the new gpus are just coming out soon", but this gen has been a bit of a bust for gpus. The Nvidias are expensive or lack vram in the budget space, and the current gen AMDs are also more expensive while offering very minimal gains(and in some cases are power hungry). If anything I'd say aim a little higher and see if you can snag a 6800xt for a good price(and if not stick with that your getting).
But yeah if you have the savings to eat the cost without it being much of an issue, and if this isnt going to awaken the shopaholic deep inside I dont see too much reason to not treat yourself. I'm sorry for coming in as the devil on your shoulder, but your thought process reminds me of my own saving habits and it's important to remind yourself sometimes that it's good to treat yourself!
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From what I understand about BG3, it's the CPU that's causing issues later in the game. Not yours in particular (I'm running a 2600X as well!), but CPUs in general.
I'll have to find the Digital Foundry article, but if I recall, even some 13th gen Intel and current Ryzen chips have been experiencing issues.
Seems very much like an optimization thing for the third act of Baldur's Gate in particular.
As for whether or not you should upgrade, I think it depends on what you want out of it.
I've got almost identical specs to you, except I'm running the original RTX 2060 instead of the RX 580.
I've also been considering an upgrade, but I kind of just stick with Nvidia (their availability where I live is much higher than AMD GPUs, and they're somehow more affordable which is very strange) and I'm noticing more and more GPUs requiring larger PSUs which I'm in no hurry to swap out just yet.
Also the VRAM thing because of absolutely terrible optimization we've seen recently, but that's more of an Nvidia issue than AMD.
But if you feel you're in need of an upgrade for whatever reason, I'd say go ahead. It's sometimes better to spend the money you have while you can than waiting on something better (as long as you have some left over, otherwise priorities should maybe be a bit different).
5So a faster CPU might improve performance in Act 3 of BG3? Sign me up! It did indeed seem like a CPU issue since there was no stuttering or frame drops, but characters just standing around thinking long and hard about their turns during combat. Partial towards that upgrade since the 2600x is fine for most cases and this specific issue is likely to be patched by devs.
I'm leaning towards AMD mainly because I have had no bad experiences with dealing with their drivers on Linux and because their mid-range cards actually have more VRAM than the card from 2017 that I'm trying to replace. My RM650x should be fine driving a RX 6700xt or even a 6800xt, so neither should be too power hungry for this setup.
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I spent a lot upgrading my PC, but I ended up being so busy with other things that I really didn't have time to play it. The promise of better looking games and better VR performance excited me, but after it was all said and done, I hardly turn the thing on. For a whole month I just wanted to play on my Steam Deck, and even just these past two weeks, I haven't had time to do any gaming at all.
Maybe your situation is different, maybe not. But think about what your day to day life will be like after you buy it, rather than focusing on game fidelity.
You said you're saving up for a house. Moving is time consuming and stressful, it will likely be a month, 2 months of making arrangements. Will you have time to game?
5Those are all fair considerations. My free time outside of work mostly consists of some housework, dog-related activities, and gaming. I honestly doubt it's going to change much until we can afford to finally buy a house, and children are out of the question for us. Even when the house-buying day comes it'll probably only be a brief disruption to our normal schedules for a few months before we settle back into the routine. Of course with the extras that come with keeping a house in a livable condition.
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I have a similar setup to yours and fiber internet.
While I debated upgrading my system, I got a subscription to GeForce Now for $20/month. It adds about 15 ms of lag (which, honestly, I don't notice) and it runs everything at max settings on a server quality machine with an RTX 4080 card. I play from my laptop usually, but I also use my tv or phone and a Bluetooth controller.
I am no longer debating upgrading my system. All hail cloud gaming.
4Sounds similar to my system, with a Ryzen 5 2600 and GTX 1070 until earlier this year, which I bought in late 2018. I'm going to upgrade my rig later this year or early next.
How long have you had this PC? Do you feel you got value over that amount of time?
You can wait for a sale or buy used perhaps. But if you want it now and you can afford it, why would I want to stop you?
3What did you replace the 1070 with? Are you planning a full platform change or just a beefier CPU in the AM4 for your next upgrade?
I built it about 4.5 years ago now. I'd say with the amount of use I've gotten out of it that it's definitely provided value, not exclusively as a gaming platform. If I didn't care much about demanding gaming, high graphics settings, and FPS I'd probably just keep it as it is now for another 4-5 years. There's not really much wrong with it and it does run Terraria.
Parts are currently on sale which is why I'm considering this upgrade only now, unless I'm being bamboozled by the online store. Gotta cross-check with historic prices and other stores first.
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You will get better framerate with a newer GPU, but if you already have playable FPS then you can wait with the upgrade. I don't see any point getting a better CPU for your motherboard unless you have many tasks you know are CPU limited for you. For games I'm sure there will be little difference. And getting a new cpu/motherboard/ram is basically building a new computer. It's better to wait a few more years.
1When was the last time you traveled?
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