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I'm planning on upgrading my old home computer and wanted advice on what should be best. Current specs below:

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-3330
  • GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti
  • HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 500GB
  • RAM: A81A 2808-1333 04CB 6GB
  • Mobo: Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2H

Hardware is not cheap in my country (South America) so my aim is to spent max $300. The objective is just to be able to run current gen games and softwares with average/high settings at 1080p/60fps. Thanks for the attention in advance.

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  • With your budget, I'd try to upgrade the CPU to something the motherboard can use. Maybe try used if you can and then get an SSD for main drive and use your HDD for storage. Otherwise, just upgrade the CPU, something like a 3570k or along those lines.
    – user1691
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 16:38
  • Thanks for answering @SiXandSeven8ths. I was actually looking forward to swap almost every part for better ones. I saw some current sales for a newer gen i5, ram and such but I am unsure about compatibility and what's really enough since I dont care about overclocking and buying new hardware frequently.
    – Cesar A.
    Commented May 7, 2019 at 0:31
  • So, its possible that with those points about, some hardware could be filtered out, for having too many features that would not be used (like virtualization, overclock, etc), just full compatibility and security features would be enough.
    – Cesar A.
    Commented May 7, 2019 at 0:40
  • I'm not familiar enough with Intel enough, but generally speaking, you have to make sure the CPU you buy is the right socket for the MB you own, otherwise you have to buy a new MB. For example, you aren't going to be able to put an 8th gen CPU into that MB. You could look at a Ryzen CPU and MB combo and your budget would be enough but, $300 just isn't going to buy a lot.
    – user1691
    Commented May 7, 2019 at 13:16
  • @SiXandSeven8ths Gotcha. I was indeed wanting to change my current mobo too because from what I've searched, this model can run only dd3 ram. Someone else sugested me to go for a Ryzen cpu, care to elaborate why would it be better than keeping with Intel? I've read that they gets hotter easier and not everything runs well.
    – Cesar A.
    Commented May 7, 2019 at 22:42

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You most definitely need at least 8 gigs of RAM on a gaming computer; ideally you should have 16 gigs, and more than 16 will be overkill and a waste of money.

It is also highly recommended to use an SSD for your operating system and HDD for general storage, including games. Many modern games come with Denuvo DRM, which, in short, kills your HDD if the game is on it. Having your OS on a HDD that is getting murdered constantly is dangerous. If the game is on an SSD, there will be no harm done to it, due to the nature of SSDs.

GTX 1050 Ti is kinda outdated. It can run indie games like DoS2, but mainstream AAA titles like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint will run at medium settings with 25-40 fps in 1080p (personal experience). I suggest swapping it for a Radeon graphics card since they offer literally the same level of performance as Nvidia but much cheaper. I bought Radeon Rx550 and sold the old 1050ti.

Honestly no idea about whether you should upgrade your CPU. I have almost the same CPU and I have never encountered any cases where it caused bottlenecking due to its poor perfomance. I would say your CPU is fine.

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  • "Many modern games come with Denuovo DRM" -- Give us some examples, and please provide evidence that it "kills your HDD if the game is on it". I am wondering why mentioning Denuvo DRM is even relevant to answering this question, even if your claim is true.
    – Romen
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 22:26
  • denuvo.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Denuvo_games
    – selamba
    Commented Dec 26, 2019 at 4:07

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