Low end (ish) CPU and GPU upgrade :: Hardware and Operating Systems

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x 18 Aug @ 4:54am

Low end (ish) CPU and GPU upgrade

Hi,

I've got:

MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX (MS-7B84)
Ryzen 5 3400G
No dedicated GPU
16GB RAM at 3200
SSD

I don't need a major specs PC, but it's getting kind of slow. Still rund Fallout 4 just fine though :D
Although Rimworld with lots of mods is another thing.
I think the MB is still pretty decent so I would get another Ryzen 5 processor up to 100 euros. The 5500 looks nice for the money, but might be something else depending on (hopefully) a price drop.
For the GPU it gets complicated. I've look around and best bet would be to get a used GPU. I can get a 1070ti, a 1080 or something in that area used for quite a cheap price. Thing is, I'm not sure I want to gamble on a used GPU. I would buy from reputable sellers online, still no warranty.
But going for a new GPU it's almost 3x the price. Still, a 1070ti for 100 euros I think is a good price, but with some risk, obviously.
The ones that come in decent braket of price are the 3050 2X OC 8GB but I struggle to find decent benchmarks. I mostly only find for the "regular" 3050 6GB.
Would the 3050 2X OC be a good bet or something else? Around 200 euros would be perfect, that is the price I have for a new 3050 2X (on sale), but they might be a little "poorer" compared to others.
The RAM, I think I will test it and if needed upgrade later.
The PSU I still need to check if it needs upgrading or not. Need to take appart the PC as the labels are hidden. It might be 450W, but it's been a while.

Thanks

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Showing 1-15 of 35 comments

_I_ 18 Aug @ 5:20am

a dedicated gpu would help the most

nvidia xx60 is entry level for gaming

but anything bigger than xx50 will need a bigger psu, 450w is not enough

BurakZG 18 Aug @ 5:50am

I was running Ryzen 3400G with Radeon 6600 XT on Corsair CV 450. Works perfectly fine. Radeon 6600 (XT or not) gives much better value for price than Nvidia 3050.

Currently I'm still on the same PSU (8 years old) with Ryzen 5600 and Radeon 6600 XT.
(450W is enough for this combination)

Last edited by BurakZG; 18 Aug @ 5:51am

Rumpelcrutchskin 18 Aug @ 6:15am

I would say forget upgrading CPU for now and get RTX 3060 12 GB.

Wolfgang 18 Aug @ 7:12am

Really not recommend the 3050. The 1070Ti and 1080 will be solid GPUs if you don't need any raytracing. They will also be good enough for your 450W PSU as this is the suggestion for those GPUs.

Though if you are willing to spend a bit more money on the GPU, you might be able to get a B580 at MSRP (250$). Though you should check first if your Mobo supports ReBar as this is kind of a requirement for the dedicated Intel GPUs.

x 18 Aug @ 8:03am

If I'm spending 250+ on a GPU, might as well thrown in another 100 for CPU + PSU. The original plan was to spend less, but fortunately I can afford it. It's more a case of "should I buy it..."
Already went for a new monitor today. Got a pretty sweet deal at a local store and I'm finally replacing that old 22" VGA monitor. It's actually a pretty good monitor and still great but VGA is old tech.
A new CPU under 100 euros will work fine on my current MB and give me a lot faster specs. And I do need for (my addiction) Rimworld. A PSU, if needed, for under 50 and a few bucks for some thermal paste. I already have a good heat sink since the one that came with the processor was way too noisy.
So that part is not the "huge" deal. Mostly the GPU needs an upgrade.

Originally posted by Rumpelcrutchskin:
I would say forget upgrading CPU for now and get RTX 3060 12 GB.

I think the 3060ti will be a better GPU than the 3060 12GB. I don't think the 3060 has enought power to use alll that RAM (in most practical cases).

Originally posted by Wolfgang:
Really not recommend the 3050. The 1070Ti and 1080 will be solid GPUs if you don't need any raytracing. They will also be good enough for your 450W PSU as this is the suggestion for those GPUs.

Though if you are willing to spend a bit more money on the GPU, you might be able to get a B580 at MSRP (250$). Though you should check first if your Mobo supports ReBar as this is kind of a requirement for the dedicated Intel GPUs.

Not sure I want to go for intel. Their GPUs can be kind of hit and miss. Plus, price isn't amazing over here. Over 300 euros.

Just had a little time to look at prices:

AMD RX 7600
AMD RX 6650-XT

230/240 euros

BurakZG 18 Aug @ 9:03am

I went similar path.
First I used Ryzen 3400G with internal GPU.
Then I bought Radeon 6600XT, which gave enormous boost to all games.
Then I switched processor to Ryzen 5600, which other than some small numbers in some benchmarks, did nothing, or close to nothing for gaming experience.
My advice: don't change processor now. It will be waste of money.
If your PSU is of decent quality, don't change it now. You don't need more than 450W.

wing0zero 18 Aug @ 9:10am

If you get a new CPU remember to update BIOS first as the older BIOS might not support the CPU, if the BIOS is older than 2021-02-09 (7B84vAC) it won't work out of the box.

Originally posted by x:
I think the MB is still pretty decent

It's a terrible MB, if you upgrade don't go much above a 5500, keep at that 65W TDP.

x 18 Aug @ 9:28am

Originally posted by BurakZG:
I went similar path.
First I used Ryzen 3400G with internal GPU.
Then I bought Radeon 6600XT, which gave enormous boost to all games.
Then I switched processor to Ryzen 5600, which other than some small numbers in some benchmarks, did nothing, or close to nothing for gaming experience.
My advice: don't change processor now. It will be waste of money.
If your PSU is of decent quality, don't change it now. You don't need more than 450W.

The thing is, I already "need" a better CPU mostly because of Rimworld (5 DLCs plus a bunch of mods). The fact that I always load my colony with way too many pawns doesn't help either :D
Of all the games I play, that is my go to. The game is a bit CPU heavy and (some say) not very multicore friendly, so I'm hoping a CPU with better single thread will help out.

x 18 Aug @ 9:34am

Ryzen 5 5500 only has 16MB cache while other "equivalent" have 32MB. Then again, mine only has 4MB.

Rumpelcrutchskin 18 Aug @ 9:48am

Originally posted by x:
Originally posted by Rumpelcrutchskin:
I would say forget upgrading CPU for now and get RTX 3060 12 GB.

I think the 3060ti will be a better GPU than the 3060 12GB. I don't think the 3060 has enought power to use alll that RAM (in most practical cases).

3060 12 GB is lot cheaper and easier to get since it got manufactured quite recently while 3060 Ti has not been. Should easily get 3060 12 GB for about 260-270 euros.

#10

BurakZG 18 Aug @ 11:17am

If you want better processor, then fine. I wouldn't even consider Ryzen 5500. It does not give any upgrade to your 3400G.
Ryzen 5600, 5700 and 5800 are all fine, but stick to 65W TDP.
To be honest, I would first upgrade RAM to 32GB.

#11

x 18 Aug @ 11:41am

PSU is Kolink Core 500w 80plus.
Should be enough.

Originally posted by BurakZG:
If you want better processor, then fine. I wouldn't even consider Ryzen 5500. It does not give any upgrade to your 3400G.
Ryzen 5600, 5700 and 5800 are all fine, but stick to 65W TDP.
To be honest, I would first upgrade RAM to 32GB.

In theory, the 5500 gives me about twice the benchmarking power for multithread and about 30% in single thread over the 3400G. Plus has more threads and more cache. And should (also in theory) take better advantage of the 3200 RAM I have and the 3400G only goes just under 3000. But benchmarking is always only "theory"

https://www.topcpu.net/pt/cpu-c/amd-ryzen-5-3400g-vs-amd-ryzen-5-5500

I might also be able to use the CPU on another computer I have with a 2200G. But that will need to be tested as it's one of those SFF HPs that I bought used for cheapo.

I did look at the 5600. Maybe.... :D

#12

Alice Liddell 18 Aug @ 12:02pm

I would rather get a brand new Radeon than a refurbished Nvidia because you can still get older Radeon GPU's brand spanking new at affordable prices compared to Nvidia but many are refurbs at high prices, except maybe you can find an MSI brand new for Nvidia 30/40 series, for a note, MSI Nvidia 4070Ti was retailing for $600 last year.

Now, many people say $600 for a GPU is high but to me this is a standard price because my GTX 1080Ti cost the same amount in 2017. When you get into a $2,400 price range, now we have major issues with corporate greed.

There is one reason I have been waiting for Nvidia's next Titan GPU is because it will be souped up, although highly expensive, but will last over 8 years so it is worth the wait.

I mean, that RTX 4070Ti was at least 100% more powerful than GTX 1080Ti at the same exact price ($600) so that particular GPU to me was a steal for those that went for it.

Last edited by Alice Liddell; 18 Aug @ 12:08pm

#13

ChickenBalls 19 Aug @ 12:22am

as the others have mentioned
avoid the really low end crap like 3050 and rx 6400/6500
unless you can get those for under 50euros, maybe
cant believe they still want 100 euros for 1070Ti maybe you should look around for a 3060 12GB

#14

Arbiter of mediocrity 19 Aug @ 1:10am

Opt for the 5600. It should be as cheap.
For a GPU you could opt for the b570 or maybe 7600? Anything below 300 quid is dead unless you are willing to look at the used market. 2080ti is great value and can be found for 200-300€.

#15

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All Discussions > Steam Forums > Hardware and Operating Systems > Topic Details

Date Posted: 18 Aug @ 4:54am

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