Infrequent gamer on an older PC - how much do I need to spend?

haz_pro · 2 Dec 2023 at 10:46

Hey everyone,

I bought my current PC from OC in ~2011, and except for the SSD (I think) and the GPU, haven't upgraded anything during my ownership - it's now struggling with my infrequent gaming sessions on e.g. Red Dead 2, GTA 5 and older COD games.

What I'd like to know is, how much do I need to spend/recommendations on what to buy to get my system back up to a position where I can comfortably play games again? I'm not bothered about playing with top settings, but if I can do one upgrade and use it for another 5/6 years that'd be great.

Also should I be looking at a complete new build or just upgrading some bits?

Current specs:
CPU - Intel i5 3570k
MB - Gigabyte Z77X-D3H
GPU - Radeon RX580 (bought 2018)
RAM - 8gb (I think DDR3, not 100%)
Cooling - Air cooled.
Storage - 120gb SSD of some sort + big HDD for games storage.
Monitor - 1080p - don't plan on upgrading to 4k (or other)

If I've missed any relevant information, let me know.

Tetras · 2 Dec 2023 at 11:51

haz_pro said:
What I'd like to know is, how much do I need to spend/recommendations on what to buy to get my system back up to a position where I can comfortably play games again? I'm not bothered about playing with top settings, but if I can do one upgrade and use it for another 5/6 years that'd be great.

3770K (or Xeon equivalent, if your board supports), 16GB and RX 6600 would get you into decently playable territory with the majority of games, except for the very newest. But, that's not an upgrade that will last you 5-6 years.

Gray2233 · 2 Dec 2023 at 12:01

Ryzen 5700x - £140 or 5500 £80
16gb ddr4 - £30
B450/550 motherboard - £80-90
AMD 6600 GPU £180-200
512gb-1tb SSD - £25-60

That's about the cheapest/best you'll be able to get if going for new parts I suspect.

haz_pro · 4 Dec 2023 at 10:40

Thanks for the responses both. I would certainly prefer to go for new so leaning towards the second option.

Emlyn_Dewar · 5 Dec 2023 at 02:21

Sell the current mobo/ram/cpu/gpu and buy an AM4 setup, maybe a 5600 or an Intel 12400 even. Stock coolers aren't the quietest, but they do the job.
Definitely echo the 6600 recommendations here.
Since DDR4 is so cheap, I'd say buy 32gb now and never have to touch the machine again other than to power it on.

The only new part I'd buy is the SSD. I frequently buy used SSDs, but new ones seem so cheap that it's hardly worth it.