Is it time to improve, or get an entire new gaming PC? 6 inquiries to ask
Shopping for a brand new gaming PC could be expensive in comparison with merely upgrading just a few parts. However then how have you learnt if it is advisable to go complete hog and begin from scratch, or simply change up just a few items of {hardware}?
Worry not, these six questions will steer you in the fitting route.
How a lot efficiency am I at the moment shedding out on?
If the reply to this query is, “Not a lot, just some FPS right here or there,” then it’s possible you may get away with merely upgrading your GPU, CPU, or RAM.
However, in case your PC isn’t even within the ballpark for the type of efficiency you need, otherwise you’re getting points akin to sport freezes or stuttering, otherwise you discover it’s important to play at a decrease decision than you want to (and also you’ve pinpointed these issues to being the results of bottlenecks), then fairly merely, it’s best to actually purchase or construct a brand new rig.
How far beneath really useful specs is my PC?
One other good option to inform if it is advisable to construct a brand new gaming PC or just improve is that if your PC is kind of a bit beneath the really useful specs for the video games you need to play.
For instance, Starfield developer Bethesda recommends having both an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel Core i5-10600K CPU and both an AMD Radeon RX 6800XT or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 video card and 16GB RAM (or above), for respectable efficiency.
When you’re lagging in these three key parts, ideally it’s best to construct a brand new rig for smoother efficiency — and in addition to future-proof your efficiency for video games with comparable necessities. Then once more, if simply one in all these parts is beneath spec, you may get away with upgrading that part and avoid wasting money within the course of.
Bethesda’s Starfield has greater really useful specs than some video games.
Bethesda
How a lot cash do I’ve?
Your finances could be the deciding consider what motion you’re taking together with your gaming PC. It goes with out saying that purchasing or constructing a brand new rig is usually a lot costlier than upgrading should you’re changing all of the components.
For instance, to construct a brand new mid-range or premium gaming PC in 2025, you will want between $1.5 to $3K, whereas should you simply want to repair your sluggish graphics efficiency, you may get away with spending as little as $300 on a brand new video card. However after all, it’s best to all the time price up every possibility earlier than making a call.
The massive benefit of getting a brand new rig, is that your outdated components like your motherboard, PC case or PCIe slots, gained’t be any type of limitation to what you embrace or the type of efficiency you may obtain; you’ve gotten the chance to beat each ache level you may need together with your present PC. For that motive, and if cash shouldn’t be an impediment it’s best to undoubtedly choose to get a brand new rig.
Having mentioned that, should you can solely afford to improve one or two components, that’s higher than nothing in any respect. You’ll be able to nonetheless increase your efficiency considerably in case you are discerning about which components you improve.
Is my motherboard outdated?
As a result of your motherboard is such a key part in your PC, if it’s outdated and janky with outdated PCIe slots or I/O, likelihood is the {hardware} connecting to it’s outdated and janky too. If that state of affairs rings true for you — then learn no additional — it is advisable to purchase or construct a brand new gaming PC.
After all, one other argument for constructing a brand new rig if in case you have an outdated motherboard is that if the Home windows 10 end-of-life downside impacts you. Despite the fact that there are workarounds for PCs with incompatible motherboards to improve to Home windows 11, Microsoft has identified that customers that take that route could not have a trouble-free expertise with Home windows 11, which you actually need to keep away from.
Is it time to improve to a brand new motherboard?
Colorfire
Is my PC case inadequate or incompatible with new {hardware}?
Similar to most different {hardware} parts, PC instances are regularly evolving and trendy instances are typically higher than outdated instances relating to issues like airflow, cooling, and cable administration. Additionally they come designed to suit newer gaming parts.
So, for instance, should you’re desirous to improve to a bigger GPU or the newest USB ports, you might have no possibility however to purchase a brand new case.
Similar to if in case you have an outdated motherboard, should you discover it’s important to purchase a brand new case, you most likely ought to use it as an excuse to improve your complete rig — except after all your present parts are top-of- the-line. Other than upgrading your efficiency, you’ll additionally discover you’ve gotten a better expertise placing the whole lot collectively.
Do I now need to sport on a mini PC?
Mini gaming PCs have come a good distance lately. The truth is, it’s now potential to get efficiency on par with some gaming desktop PCs, particularly should you use an eGPU to spice up up the graphics.
That’s nice information for avid gamers wanting to avoid wasting a ton of area at residence. However as a result of mini gaming PCs have specialised parts to suit their smaller instances, shopping for a mini gaming PC or constructing a brand new mini gaming PC from a equipment is the best choice in case you are coming from utilizing a big desktop gaming PC.
Additional studying: Easy methods to purchase a good CPU that’ll final you no less than 5 years
