Upgrade without a GPU?

Hey everyone,
I need a little help here.
I'm looking to upgrade my rig so I can actually play modern titles like Battlefield V and stuff like that without everything lagging out.
Right now, I've got an AMD Radeon RX 480 with 8GB, and honestly, I think I can hang onto that until the prices on newer cards finally drop.
My current Intel Core i5-3570K is just way too weak for what today's games demand.
I'm using an ASUS VG248QE, which is a 144hz monitor.
So, the plan is to swap out everything except the GPU and the monitor. Any recommendations for a solid 1080p gaming build?
Budget isn't really a huge issue, though obviously, I'd prefer to find the best deals possible. I don't care which retailer I use as long as they're based in the States; I'm more than capable of putting the whole thing together myself.

Thanks,

Ryan Allen32 said:I have an AMD Radeon RX 480, 8GB, and I think I'll hold onto it until new card prices drop on the market.
My Intel Core i5-3570K is just too weak for modern games.

I see this logic all the time, and it's fundamentally flawed. Your CPU isn't "too weak" for an AMD Radeon RX 480. Sure, some titles are heavy on the CPU—usually real-time strategy games where you have massive amounts of moving units on screen at once. But most games demand more from the GPU, while the processor barely breaks a sweat. If you slap a high-end card on an old CPU, sure, you might hit a bottleneck where the processor can't keep up. But even then, it’s not a constant struggle. It depends entirely on the game. Only when you push that CPU to 100% does it start dragging down the rest of the system. My point is, if you upgrade the CPU but keep that same graphics card, you won't notice a damn thing in 99% of games. Upgrading the CPU only makes sense when you're also moving to a new GPU, though you shouldn't overdo it there either. If gaming is what you do, put your money into the GPU and maybe some RAM first. Those top-tier processors only really show their worth when paired with flagship cards like an RTX 3080 or 2080 series. With mid-range stuff like a 3060 or 2060, a beefy CPU will just sit there idling because the GPU is the actual limit.
Bottom line: don't go buying a whole new rig until you've decided on a GPU, especially if gaming is your main focus. You won't see any real gains without a new card, and honestly, everything is overpriced right now—not just GPUs. Wait until things settle and you know which card you want. Then it'll be much easier to pick balanced components for a cohesive build.

Which specific games are we talking about?

urbanheron4 said:I see this mistake all the time, and honestly, the logic is flawed. Your CPU isn't "too weak" for an AMD Radeon RX 480. Look, sure, some games are heavy on the CPU—usually real-time strategy titles where you have massive amounts of units moving on screen at once. But most modern games lean heavily on the GPU, while the processor isn't even breaking a sweat. If you slap a monster graphics card on an old CPU, you might run into a bottleneck where the chip can't keep up with the card, but even then, it doesn't happen constantly. It depends entirely on the game; CPU usage fluctuates, and it only starts dragging down other components when it hits that 100% ceiling. What I'm saying is, if you swap in a beefier CPU but keep the same GPU, I'm certain you won't notice a difference in 99% of your games. Upgrading the CPU only makes sense when you're also planning to grab a new GPU, though you shouldn't overdo it there either. If gaming is your main focus, put your money into the GPU and RAM rather than the CPU. Those top-tier processors only really shine when they're paired with high-end cards like an RTX 3080 or 2080 series. With mid-range stuff like a 3060 or 2060, a powerful CPU will just sit there underutilized because the GPU is what's actually capping your FPS, not the processor.
Bottom line: I wouldn't go out and buy a whole new rig until you've decided on a GPU, especially if gaming is why you're building it. You won't see any real gains without a new graphics card, and right now, prices are absolutely ridiculous across the board, not just for GPUs. Once you settle on a card, it’ll be much easier to pick balanced components for a cohesive build.

I get what you're saying and I appreciate the advice, but the bottleneck is very real for me right now in something like Battlefield V. I'm stuck hovering around 55-60 FPS, and the CPU hits its limit and causes stuttering, which is exactly why I was thinking about just rebuilding the whole thing. I figured I'd try running things on my current GPU for now and wait for prices to stabilize—though I'm skeptical that'll actually happen. My GPU is relatively recent, but this CPU is practically a decade old. I know I could probably crawl through games on minimum settings, but that's not ideal when I'm trying to play Battlefield, Project CARS 2, Forza, and stuff like that.

wiredotter14 said:Which games specifically?

Battlefield 2042 is the main one, maybe some WRC, Dirt, Forza, or FIFA—basically whatever holds up well over the next few years.
And obviously the big titles like RDR, Witcher, Cyberpunk, Metro...

1 * Intel Core i5-10400F (2.9GHz, 12MB, LGA1200) box
1 * ASRock B560M Pro4
1 * Kingston Fury Beast 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 CL16 DIMM (Kit of 2)

Total: $894 - Micro Center

I might grab a decent cooler too, since those Intel stock ones are pretty garbage 😬

https://www.microcenter.com/product/zalman-cpu-cooler

Is Intel actually the better move right now? I haven't really kept up with the reviews over the last five years.
Tnx.

Ryan Allen32 said:Is Intel the better move? I haven't kept up with reviews for the last 5 years.
Thanks.

That processor is a steal for the price—definitely worth it. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is better, sure, but it's nearly twice the cost.
If you aren't in a rush, just wait for the next generation from both Intel and AMD. They'll be moving to new platforms and DDR5, so you could just pull the trigger on an upgrade in about 6 months.
Plus, prices might drop on the current high-end stuff like the 5600X.

Didn't catch what your budget is?

wiredotter14 said:That processor is an absolute steal and definitely worth it. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is better, but it’s nearly twice the price.
If you aren't in a rush, you could just wait for the next generation from both Intel and AMD—they'll be moving to new platforms and DDR5, so you could just pull the trigger on an upgrade in about six months.
Plus, prices might drop on the current high-end stuff like the 5600X.

I didn't catch what your budget is looking like?

I don't really have a strict limit; I just want to grab a best buy so I can play games at 1080p. I don't need ultra settings—speaking of which, I was actually totally happy with my old AMD Radeon RX 480. I'm not planning on jumping all the way up to something like a 3080.
Going with a new socket would definitely be the smarter move, so maybe it's better to just hang tight for a few more months. I've got nothing but time.

What Elon Musk posted there is a total steal; you’ll be set for quite a while. It pairs perfectly with an NVIDIA RTX 4080, though you could always step up to a beefier card down the road.

But hey, if you want something faster, newer, or just plain better, you can always wait.