Budget between $500 and $800 AUD to upgrade and secure my gaming setup for the future.
Budget between $500 and $800 AUD to upgrade and secure my gaming setup for the future.
Hey everyone,
I built this PC the other side with those specs about five years ago and am starting to think about what upgrades would be best. My current parts are:
Mobo: Asrock x570 Phantom gaming 4
CPU: AMD 5600x
GPU: RTX 3070
Memory: Corsair vengeance LPX 16gb 3600MHz
Power: EVGA 750w G+
SSD: Corsair 500Gb m.2 2280 NVMe PCIe
I’m thinking about getting a 1440p monitor since my current one is only 1080p. After that, if you had the setup I have, what would you first focus on to keep performance high for the newer, more demanding games? Thanks for any advice and suggestions.
Hello everyone,
I’m considering an upgrade for my gaming PC that was built about five years ago. My current setup includes:
- CPU: AMD 5600x
- Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black
- Motherboard: Asrock x570 Phantom gaming 4 (BIOS: P3.60, 1/12/2020)
- RAM: Corsair vengeance LPX 16gb 3600MHz
- Storage: Corsair 500Gb m.2 2280 NVMe PCIe + Samsung 1TB SSD, 860 EVO, 2.5 inch SATA III
- GPU: ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070
- Power Supply: EVGA 750W SuperNOVA G+ Modular, 80 PLUS GOLD (around 5 years old)
- Case: Deepcool Matrexx 50 Black E-ATX
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Monitor: MSI Optix G32C4W, 1920x1080, 165Hz
Budget: Approximately $500 to $800 AUD
Usage Priority:
Mainly for gaming
Upgrade Ideas:
Any component that provides the best value
OS Decision:
No need to change the operating system
Preferred Purchase Sites:
www.mwave.com.au
www.centrecom.com.au (AUS-based stores)
Location:
South Australia
Parts Preferences:
No specific preferences
Additional Notes:
- No overclocking plans
- Single GPU configuration
- Current monitor resolution is 1080p, aiming for a 1440p upgrade
- Looking to extend system longevity for future games
- Not planning to add multiple GPUs
- Budget constraints are in mind
Thank you for your support and suggestions!
What kinds of games do you enjoy? Fast-paced action? Multiplayer? Sims, strategy? From a CPU perspective, your improvements mainly focus on adding more processing threads, going from 12 to 32 with a 5950X. This would assist with multiplexing but not other configurations.
Here’s your list of supported CPUs:
https://pg.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X570 Phantom Gaming 4/index.asp#CPU
Single-thread performance stays mostly the same after upgrades, and there appears to be no X3D support.
A CPU power increase would likely need a new motherboard and probably a RAM upgrade to DDR5 and 32GB. Consider getting a new monitor as well—see how it performs. You might want to check out a 4K display first.
You can always tweak settings or resolution. With a 3070, I’m comfortable playing Civilization at 120Hz. A significant graphics upgrade may also call for a PSU replacement.
In this scenario I recommend using a GPU, particularly for 1440p resolution. Additional RAM could also be considered, though it would go beyond the budget.
I nearly overlooked it when I checked, but it confirms 5800x3d and 5600x3d are supported. 5700x3d should also function properly.
Using the available GPU now, reaching 1440p seems unlikely unless they encounter a game requiring additional cores or threads, such as Cyberpunk.
Certainly the clearest option would be to swap your graphics card and install two 16GB 3600MHz CL16 memory modules. Unfortunately, $500–800 AUD isn’t enough for a substantial GPU upgrade. The most affordable RTX 5060Ti with 16GB RAM is priced at $819 AUD, which offers better performance than your previous RTX 3070 thanks to its modern design and double the VRAM. Still, it doesn’t justify the cost since it only improves rasterization by about 10% compared to the older model. I wouldn’t recommend going for an older Radeon 7800XT with FSR3 or anything around a 25% boost in rasterization. That would be a reasonable investment only if you’re looking to make a noticeable difference, but not enough to justify spending $750. Instead, consider the RTX 5070 or Radeon 9070 as minimum upgrades to see a real improvement over your current GPU. The alternative would be moving to an AM5 platform and upgrading later—this won’t immediately enhance graphics but will free up your old AM4 system. (A 9600MHz processor, B850 motherboard, and two 16GB DDR5 modules should fit within an $800 budget.)
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($359.00 @ Computer Alliance)
Motherboard: ASRock B850 Pro-A WiFi ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 ($144.00 @ MSY Technology)
Total: $802.00 (includes shipping, taxes, and discounts)
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-05-15 23:27 AEST+1000
You can decide the rest later. This CPU comes with a cooler; if you need better cooling for PBO, think about upgrading to something quieter and more powerful (or keep your current cooler).
(If you prefer staying within budget, a $35 Deepcool AK400 cooler would be a good choice.)
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM ($35.00 @ Scorptec)
Total: $35.00 (includes shipping, taxes, and discounts)
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-05-15 23:29 AEST+1000