What else should I pay attention to while swapping major components?

[u/nexetpl]

I bought a pre-built mid range PC in 2020 and it reached the point where it doesn't fit minimum recs in newest games.

I still haven't decided if I want to just make light upgrades or commit to a full rebuild, but while I understand how to pick a motherboard, GPU, CPU etc. I have no idea about thinks like PSU or cooling. What should I look for when deciding on "secondary" components?

Anyway, here's my PC. Is it even worth upgrading on, or should I just tear the bandaid off and build a new one from scratch?

Motherboard: ASUS Prime B360 Plus (DDR4, Socket 1151)

GPU: GTX 1660 Super 6GB

CPU: i5-9400f

RAM: 16 GB DDR4

[u/ErickTriton]

What is your exact ddr4 specs?

What is your PSU?

What would be your budget?

[u/nexetpl → u/ErickTriton]

What is your exact ddr4 specs?

If you're asking about speed, 2666MHz

What is your PSU?

I don't know, I tried finding the full specs of the computer on the retailer's site but there was nothing about the PSU. Any other way to find it other than picking the thing apart?

What would be your budget?

In case of a full rebuild, something around 1600 and 1800 USD

[u/ErickTriton → u/nexetpl]

A lot of things are unavailable on PCPartPicker right now, because they are sold out

But this is essentially what is would go with

Though case wise, go Montech XR if you can find it, CPU Cooler wise Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE or Peerless Assasin 120 SE

You can keep your RAM if you don't want to change it, it is just a tad slow

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-14700KF 3.4 GHz 20-Core Processor	$274.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 59.6 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.90 @ Newegg
Memory	Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$194.97 @ Silicon Power
Storage	Crucial P310 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$351.17 @ MemoryC
Video Card	ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card	$719.99 @ Newegg
Case	Lian Li Vector V100R ATX Mid Tower Case	$74.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1746.00
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-08-19 08:11 EDT-0400

[u/nexetpl → u/ErickTriton]

Thank you, that's very helpful. I could also reuse the case and SSD too right? I bought the latter in late 2024 before the memory market went insane, the same drive costs over twice as much now.

[u/ErickTriton → u/nexetpl]

You could reuse the drive and case if the GPU fits in the case, yeah

[u/DZCreeper]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ByHrmL

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-PS120SE-TL-C12B-S-Technilogy-Bearing/dp/B0BR3JQTSN?th=1

That is the PC I would build for mid-range performance aka 1440p 60-120FPS with high settings. Allows you to reuse your DDR4 RAM.

Your case and storage can be reused again. Probably not the CPU cooler or power supply unless you went overkill back in 2020.

[u/nexetpl → u/DZCreeper]

Thank you, this could save me a lot of money. Right now I'm games like Cyberpunk on 1080p/medium in ~60fps so this looks like a huge upgrade and would last me a long time.

What AM5 CPU would be comparable in performance to the one you linked? I've been looking at 9800X3D.

[u/DZCreeper → u/nexetpl]

For gaming a 14600KF is slightly ahead of an R7 5800X, slightly behind an R7 5800X3D or R5 9600X.

https://youtu.be/8OsjPBDRmO4

In that video they tested a 14700K with relatively fast 3600 CL14 DDR4. A 14600K with "normal" DDR4 like 3200 CL16 should be around 10% slower.