PC Upgrade Ideas

Fantastic.

Now, I am simply sitting here, counting down the minutes until it finally arrives at my doorstep.

Greetings.

As I promised, I'm checking back in now that we have everything finally dialed in.

Honestly, looking back, making this investment was absolutely worth it because the whole system is running phenomenally.
It is genuinely jarring—almost difficult to wrap your head around—just how lightning-fast software uninstalls and installs these days.

When it comes to the actual gaming experience, my son's initial reactions were basically: "Oh my god!"
And then just: "I can't believe this."

The bottom line is that he says everything feels significantly smoother and much more responsive.
In those titles where he used to sit there staring at loading screens—think Sid Meier's Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, or even Neuromancer—they practically launch instantly now.
Well, except for that very first initial load, of course.
And regarding Counter-Strike, he claims his FPS has essentially tripled.
The next step on our roadmap is tracking down a decent monitor, which might happen by summer, and eventually upgrading to a beefier graphics card.

So, thank you once again for all the advice.

👍👍👍

Sid Meier's Civilization is an incredible game

Absolutely!

Just like those little nuggets of wisdom you're always tossing around!

It turns out that patience, though often a virtue we dismiss in this frantic, hyper-accelerated age, was actually worth the wait.

I suspect we’re about to find ourselves biting off a significantly larger chunk than we originally anticipated.
While I suspect that tracking down a decent Samsung Odyssey Monitor will eventually become a relatively trivial errand, the sheer, unmitigated audacity of current graphics card pricing is frankly exhausting. It feels like every time I turn around, the cost of a GPU has climbed another steep mountain, making the whole endeavor feel less like a hobby and more like a slow drain on one's life savings.

rapidpuma59 said:Exactly!

Just like your advice!

It was worth listening and waiting.

But I think we’re facing an even bigger bite now.
Buying a monitor will be easy enough, but GPUs? They’re just absurdly overpriced.

🙂

As far as graphics cards go, things are going to stay in a complete coma for another six months. Save your cash. Aim for a new GPU and monitor sometime this summer—maybe grab the monitor sooner if you spot a decent deal.
If I recall correctly, you've got a Nvidia GTX 1070. That card actually handles 1440p fine in plenty of games, and for anything else, you can just dial back the settings. If you want a new monitor, take your time and hunt for something worth the money.
Games like Sid Meier's Civilization especially feel great on a larger screen without being massive resource hogs. Electronic Arts titles usually eat up more RAM and CPU than anything else.
I’m running an Nvidia GTX 1060—which is pretty weak—on a 31.5" 1440p setup. Not playing Sid Meier's Civilization, just other strategy stuff, but regardless, screen real estate is king. 😁.

I suspect things won't resolve quite as swiftly regarding the graphics card situation.

It’s most likely the monitor.
The rest of the budget was mostly tied up in parts, and a buddy of mine who specializes in custom PC builds actually threw a bit of a tantrum over the whole ultra-wide monitor trend.
In our experience, though, the sweet spot for most people seems to be around 27 inches. We were looking at this one:

Those larger displays end up being significantly more expensive, which is always a headache.

Speaking of which, since you're clearly in the loop, do you happen to have any personal recommendations for a solid monitor?

I don't really know much about monitors. Ideally, you'd want a 32" 1440p 144Hz IPS panel, but from what I can see, almost everything in those specs uses a VA panel. Basically, IPS wins on high refresh rates while VA is better for contrast, but you’re better off asking in a dedicated buying guide thread—who knows, some new models might drop soon anyway.

Don't mention it.
Honestly, you've already been more than helpful enough.

Much appreciated.

I have just one more question left, though I suppose I'm really just looking for some perspective here.
We were recently eyeing those new Nvidia RTX 3070 cards, but frankly, after seeing the price tags, I've come to the conclusion that they are simply out of our reach right now.
Now, I am fully aware that every new generation brings its own set of technological leaps, but I find it hard to believe that older hardware, like a 2070 or a 2080, suddenly became obsolete overnight.

I am genuinely curious about what kind of performance jump I would actually experience if I jumped from a GTX 1070 up to a 2070—which I’ve seen popping up on eBay for somewhat reasonable amounts lately.
In your estimation, what would constitute a "fair" price for such an upgrade?

Take this specific listing, for instance:
EVGA RTX 2070 [still under warranty for 2 years] for $1200.

It’s not worth it. The GTX 1070 is still a solid card, and honestly, there aren't enough games out there where you'd actually see a massive difference between it and a 2070 to justify spending that much cash. A fair price would be closer to $667.

Alright.
I get where you're coming from.

Hey everyone, looking for some CPU advice. I'm planning to pick up a new processor with a budget of roughly $250-$$1000. I've been eyeing the Intel Core i5-12600K lately. What do you guys think?
My current rig--

Intel Core i3-8100
B450m ds3h-cf
Adata DDR4 8GB 2666MHz—actually, I have 16GB total
Kingston SSD 480GB A400 SATA3 2.5
MSI GTX 1060 GDDR5 6GB/192bit, ARMOR 2X
Corsair VS550 PSU, 550W, VS Series

I don't know much about components—not an expert by any means—but I probably need faster RAM MHz too

Yeah, the Intel Core i5-12600K fits the budget perfectly. It’s the obvious call—don't overthink it. Right now, the price is decent enough if you can snag it for under $833. Check Best Buy
.
Regarding the RAM, higher clock speeds will squeeze out more performance, but it really depends on what you're doing. Honestly, I don't think it's a dealbreaker here. The Intel Core i5-12600K is such a beast that your GPU is going to be the bottleneck in games anyway.

Thanks. I was planning on upgrading my RAM and GPU too, but I’ll probably wait until the market settles down a bit. I am also wondering if the bottleneck will be noticeable in games—my current Intel Core i3-8100 is already struggling to keep up with the Nvidia GTX 1060.

Nathan Price21 said:Thanks. I was planning on upgrading my RAM and GPU once the market stops being such a disaster. One more thing—will I actually feel a bottleneck in games? My current Ryzen 3 1200 is already choking my GTX 1060.

Are we talking about a RAM bottleneck or a CPU one?

The 5600X is basically a beast. In most scenarios, it performs right up there with high-end chips. It won't bottleneck that GPU; you’d need something absolutely insane and be playing at 1080p to even notice a limit.
That 2667 RAM isn't going to bottleneck a GTX 1060. Honestly, don't bother upgrading the RAM until you're ready for a new card.

Bottom line: depends on what you're playing. Your GPU is definitely the bottleneck here—or maybe just your monitor if you're stuck at 1080p 60Hz playing light titles.

Alright, I get it now—thanks again