Swapping out CPU or going for a cheap GPU?

InfiniteNoise · 10 Jan 2022 at 21:21

So, I have enough spare parts lying around to build a 2nd PC without spending too much, all I need to do is to get a PSU, RAM, and maybe a GPU, but the CPU I have is a Ryzen 1600, I'm not sure if I should keep that and get a GPU, or sell the CPU for Ryzen 3400G (3000 series is the latest I can go, motherboard doesn't support 4000/5000 series).

What would you do in this situation? I'm not too concerned about CPU & GPU performance (somewhere around GT 1030 performance would be ideal though), just something that's decent enough.

InfiniteNoise · 10 Jan 2022 at 21:37

Yeah I was thinking that, I had a look at the prices of GPUs, GT 1030 goes for 80-90 quid and GTX 1050 level GPUs seem to go for 2-3x as much, swapping the CPU for 3400G would save me about 70 quid I think, which is a decent saving, and I'd get a better single thread performance and decent enough graphics.

InfiniteNoise · 10 Jan 2022 at 23:34

Asrock AB350 ITX/ac, apparently there's a beta bios somewhere with support for series 5000 CPUs but it's beta, I can't find a reliable source for it and I'd rather not go down that route in case I end up bricking the board.

InfiniteNoise · 11 Jan 2022 at 17:06

Interesting, I'll have to look into this, 5600G is a lot better option and doesn't cost a lot more over 3400G, I'm in no rush though, but if I see 5600G go on sale at some point, I'll be sure to snag it.

InfiniteNoise · 12 Jan 2022 at 00:00

Energize said:
Eh, I just bought a 1050 for £75 off ebay?

Yeah, the prices I mentioned are new, these days I'm wary about buying used GPUs, I've had a bit of a bad experience, sellers not being honest and omitting the fact that they've been flashed with a custom BIOS and used for 24/7 mining left a bad taste in my mouth, maybe I'll look around the MM for something, I'd rather avoid places like eBay.

I think I'll probably end up selling the 1600 and grab the 3400G, the use-case I'll have for the build doesn't really require much, it's just gonna run Linux, some browsing, and a bit of retro gaming, don't really need a dedicated GPU here.