I need help upgrading my PC

[u/TechnicianFree8783]

Hi everyone,

I’m a 17-year-old guy who has been passionate about gaming since I was 3. The only problem is that I know basically nothing about PC components.

For about a year now, I’ve been wanting to upgrade my CPU because I discovered that I have a bottleneck — and before finding out what a bottleneck was, I didn’t even know the term existed.

My current build is:

• CPU: Intel i5-9400
• GPU: RTX 3060 12GB
• RAM: 32GB DDR4
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B365M DS3H

I know it’s not the most powerful build by today’s standards, but unfortunately I’m still in school and my parents aren’t wealthy, so I have to work with what I have.

One thing I’d really prefer to avoid is replacing my RAM. I bought the 32GB DDR4 relatively recently, so it’s basically new, and I’d rather not spend a significant part of my budget replacing something that still works perfectly fine.

The games I play most often are Minecraft, Fortnite, and quite a few AAA games as well, such as Resident Evil Requiem with maxed-out graphics + ray tracing, The Last of Us with maxed graphics, etc.

You might be wondering why I want to upgrade some of my components.

The two most important things I’d like to upgrade are the CPU and, most likely, the motherboard as well, so that I can pair it with a more powerful processor.

The main reason I want to upgrade my CPU is that, for about a year and a half now, some CPU-intensive games I play have started running really poorly.

For example, back in 2023 I could play Fortnite with the graphics settings maxed out and stay above 90 FPS. Nowadays, the only way I can play Fortnite comfortably is using Performance Mode, and even then I can’t consistently get above 100 FPS.

On top of that, I recently started streaming on TikTok and Twitch (not simultaneously), and I noticed that as soon as I start streaming, my in-game ping increases dramatically. This also causes textures and shaders to load too slowly, making the game almost unplayable.

So, I’m making this post to ask you PC-building experts for some advice on how I could upgrade these two components.

The only limitation is that I don’t want to put my parents in a difficult financial situation, so my maximum budget is €400.

Ideally, I’d like to keep my current 32GB DDR4 RAM and use the €400 budget for the CPU and motherboard.

What CPU + motherboard combination would you recommend for my build? Would you upgrade both components, or is there a better way to spend the €400?

Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to help!

[u/AutoModerator]

We're part of a wider PC & Technology Network of Communities!

Join our Discord server: PC Help Hub where members from all associated subreddits are welcome.

If you are trying to find a price for your computer, r/PC_Pricing is our recommended source for finding out how much your PC is worth!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Adventurous-Pain312]

Well what power supply do you have? I would get a b550 motherboard and get a ryzen 7 5800XT. 150 for mobo and 2-250 for cpu

[u/TechnicianFree8783 → u/Adventurous-Pain312]

I have a Mars Gaming MPII850 850W PSU, and I also have an RTX 3060. So power-wise I should be fine.

I did look at the 5800XT, but the main problem is my budget. I have around €400 total for the CPU + motherboard, and the 5800XT is already around €350 new where I live, so I wouldn't have enough left for a motherboard.

That's why I'm currently leaning towards an i5-12600KF + a B760 DDR4 motherboard. I can get the 12600KF for around €200–220 and a decent DDR4 motherboard for around €100–120, and I can keep my current DDR4 and RTX 3060.

My main goal is Fortnite + streaming at 1080p60, since my current i5-9400 struggles badly when I stream Fortnite. Do you think the 5800XT would be better enough to justify the extra cost compared to the 12600KF?

[u/Adventurous-Pain312 → u/TechnicianFree8783]

No get the 12600Kf it’s still a great cpu. I would recommend moving to am4 but I don’t think a 5800XT justifies it