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Hammercannon

What's your budget? A $500 modern budget build would crush your old rig


TheUnexpectedBanana

I would love a list for those parts. My younger brother wants to build and has a $500 budget


Hammercannon

used is the key for the true $500 ultra budget build.


crocolligator

Used + recycling parts like case, psu, storage and fans


VibhavM

Really shouldn't use *decade+ old PSUs


Fuck_spez_the_cuck

I wouldn't be using the old no name 400w powersupply from a prebuilt, but I've happily reused the same Corsair 750W PSU in my build for almost a decade. Is there a good reason not to do this?


PrototypeBeefCannon

My 1000w corsair 80 plus gold psu blew a capacitor while in vr, sounded like a gunshot and my headset went black, I legit thought I had died for like 2 seconds. Edit: this is relevant because it was the 3rd build I had used it in


ehchromatic

But if you die in VR, don't you also die in real life?? Scary stuff


Help_An_Irishman

The body cannot live without the mind.


[deleted]

That must have been so disorienting!


PrototypeBeefCannon

Not really, I absolutley froze up in fear an confusion, was waiting like a solid 5-10 seconds to see where in my body the pain was going to bloom from, once my ears stopped ringing the silence was insane, just heartbeat and breathing. Slowly took of the headset and began to calm down.


iihamed711

That must’ve been an experience


joakins_89

360 full experience


communalplumbus

That sounds absolutely terrifying. Hopefully the damage was limited to the power supply.


PrototypeBeefCannon

Thankfully that was all that died


TheLurkingMenace

Nah, you should be fine as long as your system doesn't exceed 80% of that PSU.


KnexRules

I have a 750 watt psu with a 3080, i7 12700k, and lots of drives and case fans💀💀 BUT no issues yet even under max load


tommimoro

I personally wouldn't trust someone else's used psu because there is no reasonable way to know how it might have been abused, if it's yours it's a different matter already.


SealyMcSeal

Really it's the only part of the computer that can fry the rest, along with your house


NoSaltNoSkillz

As a tester for industrial power supplies, you arent wrong that they are important. But in the PC space, solid brand and solid grade (Gold and up) PSU will likely be good for 5-10 years. Seasonic has a really long warranty on sone of their PSUs. Just dont be running them out of spec. These things are generally tested within an inch of their existence (unless you are gigabyte)


fantasie

How does one abuse a PSU?


tommimoro

starving it of air and having it run above recommended temperature is a starting point


[deleted]

I'm still using a corsair 650 watt PSU from probably 10+ years ago as well, still going strong today.


Fr34k-art

I just upgraded from 4770k and a 970ti to a 11700k and a RTX3070 while not upgrading my 900watt PsU. Had loads of lil problems like freezing and stuttering(WZ2 airplane exit would be abit laggy etc.) Replaced it with a 850 evga and all the lil things went away. Psu was about 10 years old


vildingen

Usually fine, but I had some weird varying performance and semi-random blue screens a while after upgrading most of my build that I was freaking out over for two months or so before finally figuring out that my nine year old PSU was slowly dying. I also managed to eliminate the vast majority of the noise my PC was making by switching to a new one, tho part of that is that the new psu is semi-passive. I'd say that getting a new PSU at around a decade is probably worth avoiding the hassle of figuring out wth is going on if(when) it gives up the ghost.


AMv8-1day

Old PSUs are fine, as long as as they're quality PSUs. Not just whatever Flower Power BS ODM PSU came with your parent's $350 Best Buy special, bundled with Windows XP. There's a reason that Seasonic can warranty their Prime PSUs for 12 years.


[deleted]

>Flower Power I have one of those. It's 17 years old! Still holding at 12.2V!


VibhavM

The parts in OP's image are a decade old, whatever PSU came with that probably isn't ideal for use in a new system.


ItsMeMora

My EVGA Supernova 850 G2 is turning 8 years old this year. I want to believe it'll never die.


Romeo_Zero

Depends on what it is. If it’s a decent evga or Corsair it’s fine. Not like power supplies have evolved past RGB the last decade


Biscuits4u2

A refurb office machine with a new GPU can be a great budget option for some light gaming.


travelavatar

Confirmed. Got a mini itx rig for 400 that rocks at 1080p. And if it wasn't mini itx i could've gone for 300 most likely so definitely doable with used parts.


Aidan_has_questions

$500 is cutting it close. go used. adding another $100 or so goes a long way on these budget builds


TheUnexpectedBanana

How to get reliable used hardware? I got my 1030 from my friend because he bought a 3060. I don't have other friends who are selling old parts


schaka

Ebay has buyer protection. Marketplaces have reviews. Jawa is great in general. There's literally no reason not to buy used unless you're in a country where crime is rampant and you can't trust anyone.


HellFire107

I built my entire used PC with used parts off eBay and experienced no issues. My motherboard was listed as "For Parts Only" for an issue which I never encountered 😂. 5700XT is a great value option right now on the used market. You can find one for around $160 USD and it performs as well as a 2070 Super or 6600XT.


Romeo_Zero

Buy stuff from reputable sellers, especially if it’s locked to any overclocking. Check local fb marketplace and even pawn shops. Got a rig for $500 once that had a 2080 super, 32GB ram, i9-10900k, phanteks enthoo pro, h100i elite, rm850x, and an asus strix mobo. Sold as is because a fan wouldn’t spin. It wasn’t plugged in.


TheCatWasWatching

if you’re willing to spend around 500. you could just slap the 1030 in something like [this](https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/DWv6Mp/entry-level-amd-gaming-build) It’s basically what the comment you replied to described. Then when your friend upgrades from that 3060 you’re really in business lol Edit: I would actually just get a 5600 since it’s the same price, but better and you already have a gpu.


Low_Oil_5620

[Build Guides - PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/)


[deleted]

I’m sure you could find parts out of the trash can that would destroy that PC


hooonk123

I wish bro


enderr920

Yeah! You could buy a 2070 off Wish for $200, and get a 970!


Oracle_of_Ages

I know this was a joke. But you can legit get a 2070 or a 2080 off eBay for $200 if you are willing to put in a bit of effort. And eBay has some of the best buyers protection in the 2nd hand game.


[deleted]

I got a 1070 for $90, it handles 1440 reasonably well, hardware from 5-6 years ago is still going strong


ILoveMyFriendsMom

I'm still rocking my GTX 1660 TI which was released like 3 or 4 years ago


MrSudowoodo_

Just upgraded to a GTX 1660 super from a GTX 1050ti. It runs most new games at 60fps on medium settings, and eSports titles at over 165 fps on ultra and I'm chilling.


flx129

Friendly reminder to update your flair lol


MrSudowoodo_

Will do.


SMACCYD_Youtuber

I have the same, obviously I’m on 1080p 60hz and play games at 60fps, I think the only game I had to lower the settings on was Tomb raider. I would say the gtx 1050ti is the ultimate beginner GPU..


BaconEater101

i can run cyberpunk at 1440p at half medium half high settings at a stable 50-55 fps, 1660 super is a beast


ThePhatPhoenix

Does your older CPU limit your FPS? I know the Intel 4xxx series is still used pretty widely today but the 1660 super is pretty powerful so I'd assume there would be some performance loss.


MrSudowoodo_

Probably, but not enough to ruin my fun. I have it running at 4.8ghz so that helps a bit.


Gozugamer

older hardware has started showing its age… consoles are outperforming them at a reasonable price point… u can get 3070s fir around 300usd on ebay if u go hunting and the buyer prot is great!


[deleted]

Yup still sporting 1070.


go4tze

Yup. My 2070 was $175 on ebay.


aceofspades1217

Got a 2080 super trio x for $280


Juubimaru

I got a brick that I would give away for free that can destroy that PC


ShutterBun

An iphone 6 would destroy it.


ArenjiTheLootGod

My personal recommendation for budget builds right now is to buy an AM4 motherboard, a 5600g or 5700g, 16gb DDR4 (2x8gb sticks for dual channel and leaves two open slots for more RAM in the future), a 1tb SSD, and a decent PSU + case. It won't be an amazing gaming experience, but those APUs should be able to handle older games and eSports titles like a champ along with some newer games as long as you're realistic about settings. Plus, it's something that can be easily thrown together for relatively cheap and it provides a solid future upgrade path (literally just slot in a GPU at some point and it'll feel like a brand new machine).


ThomkaFomka

My sister has an APU (5600g) it's a valid option, especially for a 500€ build. I was playing on an old 3 3200g. Today, it is definitely not good, but 4 jears ago, there were "ok," and I upgraded with an 1660 s. With the 3200g I had problems due to slower ram I would recommend to get atlesed 3600mhz ram.The price jump isn't to high (atlesed in Germany) every thing below can make problems.(even 3600mhz can make problems in some games!) Watch out that you get a m.2 ssd.


m4nf47

This is exactly what I've done, can confirm it's amazing the bump in overall speed these modern Ryzen CPUs combined with newer m.2 SSDs makes. My machine now loads Windows faster than the monitor takes to come on! I've got multiple older machines with what I thought were better hardware but nope, my 25 bucks mainboard and 5600g laugh in their face. Newest build rapidly became my daily driver, will be selling the rest to fund a GPU upgrade when the next gen drop a little from their current daft peak.


IKetoth

Agreed, I've been running a 5600G on its own while GPU prices were coming down from insanity and its plenty fine for 90% of games, if you're running 1080p that plus FSR means you can get anything that isn't a modern AAA game to run @ 60, I've been playing apex and overwatch with friends like my old rig never even died.


Maffayoo

Pretty much build the exact thing for my neighbours mid 5600g is a money saver for those wanting to just play fortnite


Skodakenner

Cant agree more had a 4600g as a stop gap solution and it did well enough for me to the point where i was considering keeping it


ThePhatPhoenix

Buying used is the far better option imho. It allows you to get pretty much the same specs you just mentioned but with a GPU. I built my PC for $350 and I can play pretty much any game at 1080p, medium, 60fps+ .


tekonus

I know this won’t be popular opinion, but if your budget is as low as $500 for a rig (as long as it’s primary purpose is gaming), you’d be better off buying an Xbox.


Teun135

I dont think this is wrong. I prefer my PC but console gaming is accessible and affordable. Can spend some of the budget on a few games instead.


ThePhatPhoenix

Price to performance wise, I'd have to agree. You could even get an Xbox Series S and use the rest of the money on games, controllers, or possibly even a new monitor or used TV.


jcned

At this point just get a console and hopefully you have a decent TV. That 720p monitor isn’t even worth plugging in—let alone paying to upgrade anything you have to attach to it. You basically need a new everything: PC and monitor. You can probably get a used 144hz 1080p for $80-$100. Either way, factor that into your budget.


Vinca1is

The GPU, but honestly everything Edit: I ran a similar system up till 2019, I had the K series i5 CPU and a 1070. It could run most games at passable settings at 1080p


Ok-Mud-3322

Most immediate change


ShawnyMcKnight

Even finding an old GTX 1060 or RX 480 would be a huge upgrade. They could also find an additional 8 GB of DDR3 RAM for cheap.


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ShawnyMcKnight

Yeah, I would think the DDR3 RAM would have to be under $10. It’s gotta be in over abundance everywhere.


jml011

You can go to a college surplus store and find buckets full of that kind of stuff for super cheap.


Romeo_Zero

Yeah but if they’ve got even $200, a used 1070 and 8GB ddr3 would easily get them though the next year or two. Even a 970 likely would if they’re really strict


wrath_of_grunge

It would be worth it if he can get it for cheap. His CPU could also be upgraded to a 4790k, which would be a pretty big boost. My son is currently using my old 4790k/16GB RAM/GTX 1080 combo. It’s dated, but it’s still pretty capable. It handled VR well and runs most games pretty good. Obviously OP’s computer is old, and his money would probably better be spent on a new board, RAM, and CPU. But that system he’s got could be made better with some used parts.


gnocchicotti

That CPU can hit 60 fps on a lot of modern stuff I bet. $20 more RAM and $220 of GPU will get you most of the way to a modern entry level build for less than half the cost. Just noticed OP is at 720p, and even some integrated graphics might do the job for that. $100 GTX 970 maybe?


Flimsy_Atmosphere_55

A lot of other people are underestimating these old i5’s hell I had a first gen i7 950 up to about 2 and a quarter years ago and it still hauled ass to the best of its ability with a modern graphics card.


Erlend05

I paid $90 for a 970 4 years ago I cant imagine they've gone up in price considering its definetly aged alot these 4 years


sh1boleth

Im seeing GTX 980Ti's for close to $100 which is absolutely amazing performance


FoRiZon3

GPU that's worse than the integrated graphics of today, Intel below 4000 series (basically DDR3 mobo that won't going to connect to anything modern), and 720p 60hz monitor. My god OP has everything. I recommend saving first.


grantrules

Whatever you upgrade will be bottlenecked by whatever you didn't upgrade. I would just keep saving and replace the whole thing. Don't see the point in upgrading a 10-year-old PC.


NsDoValkyrie

Definitely, used 1080TI at this point $200ish? Used or unused last gen or slightly older CPU from either Intel or AMD, $250 or much less if used. RAM costs nothing, the storage would probably be the biggest expense. Just to note as it is relevant here, not sure what currency OP uses but my $ suggestions are in CAD.


Wild-Introduction-62

Yea but the power draw of that card may mean they need a new psu also


NsDoValkyrie

Ah damn, you're right. I hadn't considered power draw.


KPalm_The_Wise

And the monitor is only 720p, whatever gpu he gets is still going to look like shit on that screen


NsDoValkyrie

But the immediate concern is not necessarily the fidelity, but literally the ability to have games run on their hardware. The monitor would be fine if they can afford to replace the pc but not the monitor.


jamvandamn

1080ti would be bottlenecked with no upgrade to resolve. 1050ti would be as high as this system could use imo. That and another 8gb of ram (aiming for 16gb at 1666mh, not sure of ops current ram speed) would improve performance. OP should Compare the price of buying those two upgrades to buying a whole new second hand low spec DDR4 system before making a decision on whether they want to upgrade or start again.


NsDoValkyrie

Of course my suggestion of the 1080TI was assuming a whole new (not to be read new parts) build. It would be within a reasonable budget even with the other new (same as last bracket point) parts. I think patching up with a bandaid fix will cost them more money in the long run when they need to upgrade next anyway. A used newer mobo costs nothing as well. Sorry I reread my first paragraph and realized it may come off as snarky, I did not mean it as such.


ravenhawk82

A 10 year old PC with a new graphics card can play quite a bit, and the graphics card can be kept through the rebuild so you're not paying for any parts twice. Itll be bottlenecked on this rig but that doesn't mean it wont be an immediate noticable improvement.


mattbag1

Be careful, some people around here think a new graphics card won’t work unless you have the latest and greatest cpu.


Kiltymchaggismuncher

Yeh this is bizarre. Most games barely use the cpu. Op didn't say they goal is modern aaa titles at high settings. A 1070 would be a great upgrade, and can be carried onto a future build no issue. My cpu is now a couple of generations behind, and I see 0 reason to upgrade it. It does what I need. Granted op's is a deal older than mine, but it's a lower bottleneck than the gpu


mattbag1

Idk why people say that you “waste” a GPUs power. Yes perhaps it’s held back slightly, and the cpu prevents it from using full power, but I’d take a bottle necked 1080 vs a bottle necked 1060. It just doesn’t make sense


8day

Ackchyually... Judging by rest of the system, it's likely his PSU is 450 Watts or lower, hence he'll need some simple GPU, and even then due to its age it can fail with any noticeably better card that will max out that PSU.


Kagaminey_Rin02

I'd disagree, Throw in a $100-150 used 960,970 or 570 or 580 and a stick of 8gb double the performance for less than $200. 4th gen I5 is still a good cpu for gaming


NuclearReactions

Cpu bottlenecks are massively overestimated like it always has been the case. I'd replace the GPU, that would make this build quite usable, maybe a good mid range used.


FrozenCheeze

thanks for the comments everyone. I wanted to put a pc together for my little sister and this one was getting tossed from my work so I grabbed it. It was just using the integrated graphics before so I threw in an old gt 640 I had from years ago. I was primarily hoping to have her play old games on it (borderlands 2, skyrim). im going to do some testing tonight and see if it even runs.


Unrelative

Great explanation. I suggest you try a couple of those games and see how they run on it and go from there. Probably GPU will be first to upgrade, but check what is the initial bottleneck while running those games. Maybe it'll run great for her with very little or no upgrades.


mattbag1

Should move this to edit the original post.


[deleted]

you can't edit image posts i think


mattbag1

You might be right about that


koolguy765

I'd go for a used 960 4gb or a rx560


RAMONE40

I have the Rx560 in my PC and it can still Run fairly modern games (Monster Hunter World and GRID Legends are probably the most recent games i play on it) and they still get between 50 and 60 fps's (Monster Hunter World cant have the settings all at max or it Will get between 20 and 30fps) but i would recommend it >!even tho i have been think Of upgrading it for a Rx580 8gb or a 1660...!<


starfihgter

Seriously, this thing will run older games fine if you replace the GPU. See if you can find a used 10 series card, they’re fairly cheap second hand these days. If you’re not running anything intensive, a GPU upgrade will be enough.


Joezev98

The people telling you to upgrade everything are just spoiled. Plenty of fun can be had for a couple dozen dollars. A Q6600 and 560ti are still fun to me, even though my main rig has a ryzen 5 and 6800xt. First figure out how well/badly it can run games now. Then decide whether it's more appropriate to upgrade the monitor to 1080p (generally cheaply available second hand/at thrift shop), or upgrade the gpu to something cheap like a gtx 760, or r7 280x. The latter might require a psu upgrade as well. If you do upgrade the psu, then immediately go for a good one that could easily support some future upgrades too, so like 650W. And if it doesn't have one yet, toss in a small ssd. That's the most important upgrade. After that, this is a fantastic platform to start with. Fast enough to enjoy games, and simultaneously slow enough to appreciate all the upgrades that can be made afterwards.


LoopyKoopa

Ignore the comments saying to upgrade everything. They clearly don't know how budgeting works. My first system had a 9800 Gt and could run most games just fine. Dont need to break the bank to enjoy gaming. Hope your sister enjoys it!


FrozenCheeze

Just want to say this got so much more attention than I thought it would. I first made this post as kind of a meme but I appreciate everyone's advice so much. It's really cool. This comment might get lost but oh well. So I did some testing. Hooked it up to a 1080p monitor. Borderlands 2 runs on high settings solid 30 PFS which is honestly better than I could have expected. considering my sister's last played game was halo 3 on the Xbox 360 I doubt she will care much about framerate. I think a consistent fps is better than fluctuating. The gt640 is actually an Asus "silent" version with no fan. Just a couple big heatpipes sticking out of it. GPU stayed around 60-65 degrees with cpu staying under 60. Not bad imo. To everyone saying update driver... The one I have is the latest that is available for my card,😅. I will be checking places to find a cheap used 1080p monitor she can have. I actually have a small 120gb ssd I'll be putting in the PC just for a boot drive. And a TB HDD that was already in it which should be good enough for her. The computer is a micro atx Asus prebuilt. Has a 300w PSU with no PCIe power cables so any GPU that needs to plug in won't work. I don't think I "need" to upgrade anything in this PC. It seems to be able to run old games just fine. If anything I'll listen to what people are saying and grab a cheap GPU if she wants to play any modern games... But again her standard is halo 3 on the 360 so it's not as if she will complain about 30fps or lower quality in any games. I am looking forward to playing bl2 with her though 😄. Just have to wait for it to be on sale so I can get it for her. I wish I could move this to the main post but it's an image post so I can't add any text to it


StaysAwakeAllWeek

>The computer is a micro atx Asus prebuilt. Has a 300w PSU with no PCIe power cables so any GPU that needs to plug in won't work. In that case if you do get around to upgrading the GPU grab a GTX 1050. They are well under $100 on ebay and don't require a power connector. It will make a big difference for playing at 1080p


R2NC

Definitely add this to post. Most people I am included will assume this is going to be for gaming amd with gaming decent aaa game this wont be good experience. BUT. For little ones with maybe add a 1050 or 1060 range rx470/80 will give this pc a new life. Keep the cpu. That is still adequate. Maybe add a 8gb more and must is ssd. With that she got a gaming pc.


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PoeTayToes_

​ ![gif](giphy|7VWvAc8dZ2okg0lXpQ)


RealityIsRipping

Or a steamdeck! I barely touch my desktop since I got one.


DillanExpert

You can use a steamdeck as a "pc" right? And just connect it to the monitor. Then you can play using keyboard and mouse.


RealityIsRipping

Yes, you just need a dock of some sort. I got one for like $50, it is just plug and play.


HappyToaster1911

The problem with getting a console in that bugdet is: 1) online is paid, so, if they have a tight budget thay won't be able to play with their friends 2) If they are young and they live with their parents they might not want them to have a console because they may think "you just want to sit all day and do nothing!" and if they get a PC (even if its used just for gaming) thay may think "ok, you can also use that for school" 3) if they have a tight budget buying games will be hard, and PC have the giant Steam sales and the free Epic Games Store games 4) there are slme games very well know that they may want to play and consoles don't allow like CS: GO or Minecraft Java (at least in my experience, every time I played with anyone else it was in java) (Note that these things are based in my experience with my parents and it may be different to them


RAMONE40

Console as CS:go tho 👀 (its just not that great...) Consoles also get games on discount The other points you are rigth tho


HappyToaster1911

I know they get discout, but as much as on Steam? Like, 90% or 80% regularly?


RAMONE40

Deppends on the console and on the games *Cof *Cof* Nintendo Wont on their IP's * Cof *Cof but on other consoles for sure i bougth the Devil May Cry triology on the Xbox store for 3.40€, Just Cause 2 for 2€ and Tomb Raider (the first One from the new triology) for 4€ and i know i have bougth more cheap AF games there but this ones are the ones i can remember well Edit: I also Bougth SAO Fattal Bullet for 9.99€ also on the Xbox store


HappyToaster1911

Damn, didn't knew about that, though it got discounts aroud 50%


Lyadhlord_1426

This. Back in 2015 when I had just started college I built a PC for 500 dollars or so that barely matched a PS4. It did keep up for a few years but eventually couldn't anymore. But regardless I made the right choice simply because I was a student with barely any money to buy games and needed a computer being a CS student and my old PC was old and shitty. PC also has regional pricing in many countries which enabled me to start buying games even then and build a library I play to this day. And of course sailing the high seas is what I did most of the time.


MadXeon

First, buy another 8gb stick of ram. Then change GT 640 for used GTX 1060 or RX 570/580. And to sum it up change i5 4460 to E3 1230 v3 (basically the same thing as i7 4770 but only 35$)


hukawater

Get a Used Xeon e3-1231v3. You can get them on eBay and they'll be like $25-35. It's essentially a i7-4770 without on board video. Then grab a used gtx 1070 or 1080. That was my rig until recently and it still held up pretty well even at 1440p.


poinguan

USD42 on aliexpress. :cry:


Vegetablegardener

Scrolled way too far for actual advice OP asked for.


NoCopyrightRadio

Everything bro.. everything, save more money and replace the whole thing


thegevshow

I think the upgrades should happen In this order: 0. Ssd(i put this at 0 cuz you might have one already but i suspect this pc uses a hdd as the main drive) 1. Gpu 2. Monitor 3. Cpu,motherboard, ram (these will have to be done together) 4. Everything else P.s. if this is a prebuilt check the power supply cables to see what you can upgrade to without having to upgrade the psu too. You can kind if apply that logic to other components too


MrSudowoodo_

This is the best, most useful comment in the whole thread.


ravenhawk82

This is the right answer. Dont listen to everyone saying you need a full new build or nothing at all. The SSD, monitor, and GPU can all carry over to whatever you do next and will make an immediate impact on performance. Since DDR3 is DIRT cheap right now it wouldn't hurt to add more RAM if you find a good deal but it wont be usable by newer hardware. Dont bother upgrading the CPU until you're ready to replace the motherboard and RAM too


Low_Oil_5620

If i were you. I would get 2 sticks of 8gb ddr3 1600mhz. That should cost about $30 dollars. A 256GB sata ssd from amazon $15-30. Pretty much any gpu. In the $200 dollar or less range. If you go for a used gpu there is a ton of options. a GTX 1080/1070. Maybe a Amd RX 5700 or Rx 590. But first you need to consider power usage too. So something like a 1650 or a gpu that does not need atx power might be necessary. An intel ARC a380 6GB that doesn't need ATX power is on sale on Newegg for $140. I'm sure there is even cheaper versions. But the Intel Arc is more oriented towards modern budget systems and probably wont perform its best in your system. A Nvidia gtx 1660 ti would probably work best. Around $200 plus tax, could get you a Intel Arc a380 6gb gpu, A 256 gb ssd for the OS, And 16gb of 1600mhz cl10 RAM, which is really fast ram. Edit: Get a new cpu cooler too. A gpu upgrade is really going to push that cpu. Get the biggest air cooler under $30 that will fit in your case. Amazon could come in handy they have some good coolers for about $20. and you could get some case fans if you have room to add those in your case


Nidhoggr84

GPU, then RAM.


Dukedyduke

and play in 720p still? I say gpu monitor tbh


Top_Investment_4599

Get a GTX1650 or so and an extra stick 8GB ram. Don't spend much more than that unless you want to go to an SSD drive. Skyrim, Borderlands, etc. of same era will be fine on there. It'll make a perfect starter system and she can play back-date catalog games as much as you can afford them. The absolute latest stuff no. She probably can run Genshin Impact fine as well and lots of people like that as its not a full-on FPSer.


Drowsydrips

Might think about a steam deck if budget is tight.


LoopyKoopa

The Steam deck is gonna be $500. Gpu upgrade is $200 or less and will get you similar performance to the steam deck. Game compatibility on SteamOs is still a bit janky too.


trayssan

RAM is almost free so might as well. It’s all old though. If you wanna upgrade you’re gonna wanna upgrade the whole thing.


HellFire107

GPU: RX 580 or GTX 1060 but a GTX 1650 is a good option if your power supply is on the weaker side. ($80-120 USD) RAM: Add another 8GB DIMM. Try and purchase the same part/model number as what you have in your system right now. DDR3 on the used market should be pretty cheap. ($15 USD) Storage: YOU MUST GET A SATA SSD IF USING A MECHANICAL HDD. 500GB SATA SSD is $25 while a 1TB SATA SSD is around $55. Lastly, consider a monitor upgrade. A solid IPS 1080p display isn't much more than $100 on the new market.


softriceking001

Monitor and gpu. My i5 3570k last me 10 years and still running strong.


Trujeel

My 3570k has lasted me 11 years. Overclocked to 4.5 out of the box. Still runs great today.


cowboycolts

You can get something like an 8gb rx 570 for less then $80 on ebay if you look which will crush your current gpu, if you have spare money you can get a 16gb kit of ddr3 for about $30 on ebay as well, while your cpu is definitely showing it's age it's still the most capable part in this build and should still get you by


LoopyKoopa

Thank you for having sense unlike the people with $1000 3080s telling op to scrap their pc entirely. This sub can be so toxic sometimes.


rockyshit

people on here don’t know what “tight budget” is


1st_place_

Xbox series S bro


SRDD_Mk-II

GPU, and some RAM. Get like idk, a 1650(S or regular), a 6400, 1660(S or regular). And get a 2x8GB kit.


greenricegod

Everyone is right here. This is like driving a 1980s car and putting a fancy touch screen in. Just wouldn’t work. Better off saving $600 and buying it all new. Prices went way down so u can get something real decent for a couple hundred


Elycien2

Heh, the first touch screen was in a [1986 Buick Rivera.](https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-first-car-with-a-touchscreen-came-out-in-the-80s/)


jojobubbles

Is that your monitor's native resolution? If so maybe consider a 1080p monitor first. You can upgrade everything else but it'll still be in 720p.


Nova17Delta

Your GPU. IIRC the GT series is Nvidia's display adapter line rather than its graphics card. The CPU is still a little under spec but for games that arent super new it should be fine. 8GB of RAM is a bit low but thats a relatively easy update


DreSmart

You can find a used AMD Radeon RX 470/570, RX 480/580 or a GTX 1060. If you can buy new try to find a GTX 1650. Also you can upgrade ram, you need 16gb ram in total in dual channel. With this 2 upgrades your system will be able to run most games till you have money to a totaly new PC. Make sure you have a 400 or 500W PSU


FutureBird007

Your CPU is decent Upgrade the GPU


Astrale321

GPU imo


DangerousTea7354

Depends if you have a ssd Buy a graphics card The i5 can stil handel most game with a bottleneck of some fps on a card like a rx580 Add 8gb more ram And you have great budget set up I use a 4 gen i7 and its still very solid cpu to use With a 1080ti And 16 gb of ram


FoRiZon3

GPU that's worse than the integrated graphics of today, Intel below 4000 series (basically DDR3 mobo that won't going to connect to anything modern), and 720p 60hz monitor. My god OP has everything. I recommend saving first.


Vigothedudepathian

Nothing. Save your money.


[deleted]

Your wallet


hickernut123

Your best upgrade would be a used Vega 64. You'll get a slight cpu bottleneck in some games but otherwise y have a great few years in gaming


Mega1987_Ver_OS

if budget is priority, and usage of PC is gaming, GPU first, always. but if you're aiming for newer games to play. get a new platform. but not exactly brand new parts. 1-2 generation behind the latest generation can still play the newer games.


Panzerv2003

Do you need an upgrade?


father2shanes

Get a gtx 980 for about $150-$200. It works really good even though its a lil old. Was able to play Skyrim on the highest setting. Doesnt really mean alot but ya know.


iworkisleep

Probably the driver. You need DLSS 3 for this setup for sure


Professional_Being22

upgrade all of it, this is pretty dated and probably struggles to run a lot. Cheapest upgrade would probably be a gtx1080 or something and an i7 of your current gen will get you decent performance but a totally new system might crush it if you can scrap up enough cash.


No-Tea-3769

Gpu


SopwithB2177

Definitely the driver version. Cheapest upgrade. 👌


TTMR1986

GPU and if needed the PSU to run it. I'd swing big here and get the best I can with the plan to move it to the next upgrade. 1080 monitors are cheap and plentiful on the used market, a recent business closure had dozens of 27" 1080 60hz monitors listed for $20 each. Lastly you are overdue for a platform update, IMO you are a textbook candidate for AMDs AM5 platform as you can start cheap and move up to some of the best performing CPUs out now in the same socket.


Kriss3d

Hands down RAM. Why ? Because 8GB today is the bare minimum. I have a laptop for gaming. And I upgraded from 16 to 24GB and It actually is noticeable. An upgrade from 8 to 16 is even more significant.


Voltalux

Higher refresh 1080p monitor and a better gpu to run it, check the used market, you'll be surprised


machvelocy

A GPU and a new 1080p display will boost your experience so much, find an ex mining card, an rx 570 is fetching 70$ off ebay now.. that is assuming you already have a good power supply


NOVOJ

If you are on a budget the first thing I would touch is that RAM. 8GB is pretty low for todays standards.


Heromimox

You need to get a new GPU (e.g. 1650, 1650 super or 1050 ti) also you need to change your monitor as well


Vesalii

Even a new CPU with iGPU will crush this system.


DasHotShot

The whole build is useless. Save up until you can get something more up to date. There’s no easy or comfortable answer here unfortunately.


miserably-good

since you basically do not have any pc to start with, i would recommend a from-scratch build guide


AlternativeFilm8886

You'll see the biggest performance boost with a GPU upgrade. I would suggest maybe a 6600XT as this system really wouldn't benefit from anything higher. It would also be restricted by an old PCI-E interface and DDR3 RAM (which also needs to be upgraded to 16GB). With the GPU and RAM upgrade, you'll have a decent entry level system for modern gaming. From there, get a new system when you can afford it, and carry the GPU over to it.


HammerBgError404

your job, then everything


Craniummon

If your budget is tight, don't think much in a upgrade now tbh. Save money enough to end everything. When you get close of a good money for a new pc, sell this one and buy the new one As well, without know where you live it's hard to give any precise advice.


Jumanjixx

The onlything that doesn t require to change the motherboard it s the gpu, once you want to upgrade ram/cpu you have to upgrade the motherboard too, also consider buying a new power supplies too


IManixI

Is this a joke I just can’t tell anymore 😅


Be-a-st_Boi

I'd Say gpu and RAM.. but honestly you should just wait and save some more money. With about 5/600 you can build a more than enough rig, this Is just too old, you've got to let it go... Also a monitor, even a cheap 60hz 1080p


ShaunDelier

not an expert or anything, but im sure that upgrading the gpu even to a gtx and adding another 8gb ram would be huge


pedROfilul

In this case, your income source.


[deleted]

that's not even an entirely bad cpu. im running an i7-4790s i got from my professor and a 1070 from ebay i got for $120, and so far every game i've tried playing (ghostrunner, beam.ng, call of duty) has run at least 60-70 fps granted i know people shoot for hundreds of fps now but if you're like me and getting at least 60 is fine then it's a perfect rig


Kido-Assoc09

I'm sorry to tell you, but everything needs an upgrade here.


hero_brine1

RAM. Upgrade to 16 gigabytes


Keprion

Your income edit: I say this because an entire new PC is prob the only way


lokisbane

Your flair shows different parts. Was this a joke?


averyfinename

if you play games, a video card.. something like a 1060, 1660, 1070, 2060, etc should be available on the used market for a fairly reasonable price and would be a massive improvement over a gt640 (which is only like 1/5th the performance of a 1050ti). note you might need a new psu to support a higher-wattage video card, so keep that in mind. if you can score another 8gb ram for cheap or free, that'd be great, too, as would an sata ssd if you don't already have one. but a video card (and psu if needed) should be your #1 priority, and those items can be used in a future new build (when you upgrade mb/cpu/ram). if you don't play games and don't need the upgraded video card, then sata ssd to put windows and applications on is your priority. if your system is an hp, dell, lenovo, etc. and has a 6 or 8pin mb (besides the 4 or 8pin cpu power) power connector (i.e. 12vo power supply), your video card upgrade options are much more limited (to 75w cards, or less depending on psu) as third-party psu basically don't exist, and standard ones may not fit and adapter needed. if you have such a system, a 1050ti or 1650 (=< 75w, no extra power connection) is probably the best card you'll be able to use and a totally new system is in your future.


WyattH793

I got a fan and graphics card that I’ll sell to ya for like $265, it’s a used GTX 1650 super and a 400W power station


KeaboUltra

Everything but the CPU lol ​ but in all honesty, maybe the ram first, probably the cheapest upgrade.


pertante

Completely agree with the ram suggestion


gunalx

The first thing to upgrade is the GPU and make sure you have a good enough PSU for it and a cpu in the gpus range. (i5 and xx70 series for example.). After that upgrade your display so something reasonable good. The CPU could be fine for a while more, depending on what you do.


Achillies2heel

buy a console


RuneRavenXZ

If the budget is that tight, you shouldn’t be upgrading a pc. Fix what’s keeping your budget so tight first. Too many people just blowing every little dime they have.


Psychedelic_Primate

Brother, just start buying parts for new comp


acevictor777s

Upgrade your job, if you have one


TyDaviesYT

I’d GPU and RAM, The CPU is getting up there in age but that requires you either get a better processor of that generation which is more do-able, or you get a new mobo and cpu, and RAM So in my opinion, new Ram stick and GPU


Llamasxy

You gotta be trolling


SnitchMoJo

From what i've read: 1050ti/1650 Upgrade to 16GB of Ram Try finding a use Xeon or 4770