Consider what needs improvement and prioritize the upgrades accordingly.
Consider what needs improvement and prioritize the upgrades accordingly.
You have an i7 4770 and a 1060 with 16GB DDR3 RAM. It’s unclear which component needs upgrading since streaming, recording, or editing often causes crashes. If games run smoothly, you might prioritize the processor or memory based on your usage.
The PC should handle basic games without crashing, as long as it has enough resources and stability.
When streaming, recording, or editing video and it crashes, there may be an issue beyond just a software fix. Could you clarify the specific situations that cause the problem? Your upgrade decision should focus on your GPU needs. Are you aiming for improved gaming performance? If yes, what resolution does your monitor support? Which games do you play? At which graphics settings are you operating? What frame rate do you target? With a 4th generation i5, I can handle streaming, recording, and video editing smoothly; I typically use QuickSync or NVENC to reduce CPU strain.
If you're experiencing crashes while streaming and editing, it might point to a CPU issue. My previous i5 4440 system would occasionally stop during video work. It’s possible you’re running low on RAM or facing GPU problems, though the latter seems unlikely given your gaming performance. Based on your budget, consider upgrading to an i5 12600K with Z690 and 32GB DDR4, or an i5 12400 with B660 and 16GB DDR4. If local prices favor AMD, you might want to go for Ryzen 7 5800X or Ryzen 5 5600X. Since your current board is 4770, it’s not worth changing it further. Unfortunately, DDR3 upgrades aren’t viable, so selling the motherboard, CPU, and RAM could be a good option.
Review your streaming or video-editing tools to understand their required hardware specs. This helps you gauge what needs updating or replacing.