Best PC upgrade ideas for $200-$400?

Hey everyone,

So, a few years back, I pulled the trigger on a brand new rig. I picked up the whole build at Micro Center based on some solid advice from the legends on this forum, and honestly, I’ve been pretty stoked with how it turned out.

60052 ASUS P8H61-M LE/USB3
61018 CPU i5-2320 3.0/1155 BOX
06631 DDR3 4Gb (1x4) Kingston 1333MHz - 2x
08912 MSI R6850 1GB DDR5 OC
38066 CoolerMaster Elite 310 black/sil
18314 Silverstone 400W ST40EF ATX2
22072 Win Home Prem 7,64-bit Eng Off
09207 WD 500Gb SATA3 AAKX

What I've added since then:
SSD (Apple 850 EVO 250GB) (set as my C:/ drive)
Windows 10

The plan is to grab another SSD—maybe the exact same one but in a 500GB version—and ditch the old hard drive entirely because, man, the difference is just night and day. It takes maybe ten seconds from the moment I hit the power button until I'm logged in and browsing the web. Speed-wise, the thing still flies in most scenarios. When I try running some heavier games, though, the fans start spinning like crazy, but overall, it’s holding its own.

I’m looking to sink maybe $200 to $400 into fixing the "weakest links" so I don't end up in a situation where I have to scrap everything and buy a whole new setup all at once again. But really, it depends on what I can actually get for that money and how much of a boost it’ll actually give me. Generally speaking, what would you say is the biggest bottleneck here, and what should be my first move for an upgrade?

Is it even worth upgrading this thing, or am I better off just saving up for a totally new build?

I’ve got a 4K monitor, so I definitely want a better GPU that can actually handle that resolution. I’m not some hardcore gamer, but I’d love to have the next best thing. Also, I've always felt like more RAM might be a pretty obvious upgrade.

I also want to switch to a smaller case, since my current one feels mostly empty and a compact tower would fit my space way better. How do I actually check if everything I currently have—or plan to get—will even fit in a smaller chassis? 🙂

Side note: I’m living in the Netherlands right now, and Best Buy has this "tax-free" sale happening this weekend, so it would be awesome to snag some parts there, assuming you guys don't mind using Google Translate on Chrome.

Thanks in advance 👍

Buying a new GPU and an SSD for storage just doesn't change much....

And how old is your power supply unit?
I'd steer clear of Best Buy if I were you.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NS93PH/...language=en_US

https://www.amazon.com/nl/p/seasonic-pr...00000089112788

A power supply built for the future.

What kind of games are you playing?

Basically, you need a GPU more than anything else.

For an SSD, I'd grab something a bit cheaper—for example, a Crucial BX500 or MX500. The prices on the 500GB models are great, and they're perfectly fine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SLQM6/...ing=UTF8&psc=1
Just remember, it won't boost your actual gaming performance, just the loading speeds.

You don't need more RAM; 8GB is plenty for what you're doing.

If I were you, I'd go for a GPU plus a power supply.
Like this:
https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Radeo...keywords=rx580

It’s not a 4K card, but it's still a massive jump from what you're running now. You could probably squeeze out some 4K if you drop the settings.

And skip that $130 power supply Alexander Moore67 suggested; that'll eat your whole budget. Go for something like this instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CX550M...corsair+cx550m

It's semi-modular, so you won't have a mess of cables if you're using a smaller case.

P.S.

That RX580 4GB Alexander Moore67 linked is a steal, and since Amazon sells it directly, you can just order it from the US.
The only thing is it's the 4GB version, so it might struggle at 4K, but honestly, you'll probably have to lower your settings for new games anyway.

Alexander Moore67 said:So I was just scrolling through some tech listings and stumbled upon this RX 570 4GB deal, and honestly, it’s got me thinking about how much the used GPU market feels like a complete fever dream lately. You see these cards sitting there, practically begging to be picked up, but then you start wondering if you're actually getting a steal or just buying someone else's headache, you know? Like, is an RX 570 even worth the hassle in this day and age when everything seems to be geared toward high-end ray tracing and massive VRAM pools? Probably not for a hardcore gamer, but for someone just trying to get a decent frame rate out of a budget build without having to sell a kidney, maybe it makes sense. It's one of those "it is what it is" situations where you weigh the cheap entry price against the fact that you're basically buying a relic from a different era of computing. Does anyone else feel like we've just entered this weird cycle where mid-range stuff from five years ago is suddenly the only thing affordable for the average person? It feels like a grind just to stay relevant in the hardware game.
And how old is your power supply even supposed to be... honestly?
Honestly, if you’re thinking about hitting up Best Buy, just do yourself a favor and steer clear—like, give them a massive wide berth. Seriously, why even bother?

The power supply—honestly, pretty much the whole damn rig—is straight out of 2012. It’s ancient, right? Everything is seriously old school at this point, but I guess you have to admit it actually runs surprisingly well considering how much of a dinosaur it is. 🙂

What’s even the deal with Best Buy lately? Honestly, I don't even know where to start with them. It feels like every time you turn around, there's some new drama or some ridiculous policy that makes zero sense, right? Is it just me, or is the whole vibe shifting toward being completely unhelpful? You walk in expecting a decent experience and instead, you just get caught in this weird loop of incompetence. Like, what are they actually trying to accomplish here? It’s getting exhausting just thinking about it. 🙂 I’ve picked up stuff from there a few times now—even had to send a couple of things back once or twice—but honestly, everything went smooth and I’m pretty damn happy with how it all turned out.

Alexander Moore67 I don't even know where to start with this one, honestly, because it feels like we’re all just circling the drain at this point, right? Like, does anyone actually look at the data before they start shouting from the rooftops about how things "used to be"? It’s wild to me how people just jump to conclusions without thinking twice. I mean, seriously, are we really going to sit here and pretend that the current situation isn't exactly what everyone warned us about months ago? It’s almost funny if you think about it long enough, though I guess it's not really funny when it affects your actual life. Anyway, I was reading what hollowowl18 had to say earlier, and while I get where they're coming from, it still feels like they're missing the forest for the trees or something. Is it just me, or is everyone just incredibly stubborn lately?
So, honestly? Getting a new GPU and an SSD just for extra storage space feels like a total wash... I mean, does anyone actually feel like they're getting their money's worth when it's just more empty slots and fancy lights that don't even change the actual experience? You spend all this cash, thinking you're upgrading your life, but then you realize you're basically just paying for more digital clutter and a slightly faster loading screen for games you probably won't even play next month. Is it even worth the hype if you're just moving numbers around on a spec sheet? Just feels like a massive nothing burger to me.

I didn't quite catch your drift there. Are you talking about raw performance? I mean, I get that, but my main gripe is just wanting my data sitting on a fast drive instead of this clunky old HDD. Right now, the thing just spins down whenever I'm not using it, and then when I actually need to grab something, I’m stuck sitting there for like ten seconds waiting for the damn thing to spin back up.

wiredotter14 said:So, what kind of games are you actually sinking your time into lately? I feel like there's always something new to get lost in, though half the time I just end up staring at my library wondering why I bought fifty titles just to play the same two old-school classics over and over again, you know what I mean? Is it all high-end AAA stuff that eats your GPU alive, or are you more into those indie gems that look like they were made in a basement but somehow have more soul than anything else on the market? Honestly, I can't decide if I want to be stressed out by a competitive shooter or just chill out with something mindless while I eat pizza, but anyway, what's your rotation looking like?

I mean, look, I’m not even talking about massive AAA titles here—just stuff like Banished or Cities: Skylines—but even those games start acting up on me, you know? They get all choked up, load times feel like they take an eternity, and then out of nowhere, you're hit with this random lag that just kills the vibe. Honestly, that’s kind of why I’m being picky and trying to guess which of the heavier games might give me trouble too. At the end of the day, I just want to build a rig that’s actually somewhat future-proof so I'm not constantly staring at a loading screen every time I want to play something. 🙂

I don't know, man, I just feel like everyone is constantly breathing down our necks about stuff that doesn't even matter, you know? Like, we spend all this time worrying about the smallest details when the big picture is just... blurry? It’s like looking through a dirty windshield on a highway in the middle of nowhere, just driving and wondering if any of this actually changes anything. Does it really? Or are we all just spinning our wheels while everyone else pretends they have a map? I mean, honestly, why does it always have to be such a massive production over nothing? It’s exhausting, really. Just constant noise. kaže:
I mean, look, if you’re actually trying to get anything done here, you pretty much need to prioritize the GPU above everything else, right? Like, what's even the point of dumping all your cash into some beefy processor or overkill RAM if your graphics card is basically a paperweight? You gotta focus on the GPU first, period.

Look, you seriously don't need more RAM because honestly, that 8GB you've got running right now is plenty, isn't it?

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d just grab a new GPU and a solid power supply at the same time. Why even bother splitting it up? Just get both and be done with it.
For example.
So I was scrolling through Amazon earlier and stumbled upon this GIGABYTE Radeon RX 580 listing, and honestly, it just got me thinking about how much things have shifted lately. You see these cards pop up and you can't help but wonder if anyone is actually still buying them for gaming or if they're all just being snatched up by people trying to run some weird crypto mining rig in their basement? It’s kind of wild when you think about it, right? Like, does anyone even care about mid-range legacy hardware anymore, or are we all just chasing the latest NVIDIA flagship like it's the Holy Grail? I don't know, maybe I'm just getting old and cynical, but seeing these older architectures still hanging around on major US retail sites feels like looking at a relic from a different era. Is it even worth the click? Probably not for most people, but hey, that's the internet for you—endless rabbit holes of tech specs and price comparisons that lead absolutely nowhere.

Look, I’m not saying this card is some kind of 4K beast that’s gonna melt your face off, but man, it is a massive step up from whatever ancient hardware you're currently struggling with. If you're willing to dial back the settings a little bit, you can actually pull off 4K gaming without everything turning into a slideshow, you know?

Look, don't go grabbing that power supply Alexander Moore67 is suggesting for $130 because that’s just going to eat up your entire budget before you even get started; you're better off looking at something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CX550M...corsair+cx550m

It's semi-modular, which is a lifesaver if you're working with a smaller case because you won't have a total mess of cables choking your airflow.

P.S.

That RX580 4GB that Alexander Moore67 linked is actually a steal, and since it's sold directly by Amazon, you can just have it shipped over from their US warehouse without any headache.
The only catch is that it's the 4GB version, so it might struggle a bit if you're pushing 4K, though let's be real, you'll probably have to dial back the settings on newer titles anyway if you want decent performance at 4K.

Thanks, I'll look into it. 🙂

I've no idea what's going on with Best Buy lately, but you should definitely check their online prices against other retailers.

If you're looking for an SSD for gaming and all that—basically what you said about needing everything on a fast drive—then the MX500 is a solid pick. You don't need anything more powerful than that.

Bottom line: you can't expect to future-proof everything when you're stuck with an old platform, a tight budget, and a 4K monitor.

Within your budget, what I suggested would give you better graphics, and the power supply is actually future-proof, so you won't have to swap it out later.
Of course, you could go another route depending on what's available and where you're shopping.

Thanks for the tips! Look, I don’t really stay on top of all the latest hardware releases or anything, so I honestly have no clue what parts are compatible or even what I should be looking out for. 🙂 That’s why I’m asking—I don’t want to end up buying some random piece of junk that doesn't work with my build. 🙂

But seriously, thanks for the help so far! 🙂

And yeah, sure, I'll check out other places too, but since Best Buy has over 20% off practically everything right now, that was kind of my starting point. There are plenty of other decent shops around here anyway (like Amazon and stuff).

https://www.bestbuy.com/c/graphics-cards
How does one go about buying a graphics card from this store?

Check out this Seasonic power supply on Amazon.

Top-tier power supply.

The voltage stability here goes way beyond anything you'd consider mythic.
The ripple control on this is excellent.
The build quality is top-notch.
A ten-year warranty is quite a long commitment.
It’s fully modular.
I've been playing around with the switchable semi-fanless mode lately. It’s a pretty solid feature to have.

Since running at 4K puts a much heavier load on the GPU, you'll want something beefy here.

https://www.mindfactory.de/product_i...-_1291429.html

I believe they ship to the Netherlands, but regardless, make sure to grab a high-quality power supply if you have any wiggle room in your budget.