We give you lots of tips for upgrading, focusing on packages consisting of CPU, motherboard and RAM. But graphics cards are also included.
If existing games don't run smoothly even in low details in Full HD despite bug-free Windows, or if your computer no longer offers enough FPS at the resolution and settings you want for current games, it's time for new hardware urgently. Buying a new PC may be the best decision. However, it is usually sufficient to upgrade one or the other component. So our special section is about general tips on what you can upgrade and what signs give you an indication of this and which component(s) are useful – does the CPU or rather the graphics card need to be replaced?
In addition to an up-to-date overview of recommended graphics cards, we also provide an extensive calculation of the cost of certain motherboard RAM combinations along with the 12 currently recommended CPUs. From the Core i3 to the top-of-the-line CPU Ryzen 9 7950X3D, there are a total of 220 combinations between 1100 and 72 Euros. We also explain all over the page how best to remove an old motherboard and install a new motherboard including CPU and RAM.
Replace CPU or graphics card?
In most cases, it's not easy to tell whether the weak spot in a computer is the processor or the graphics card. But in principle, the demands of modern games and gamers who want to play at resolutions higher than Full HD tend to demand the graphics card.
As the advancements in games over the last 10 years have been predominantly in terms of graphics, CPU requirements have only increased slowly because games had to run at the core for last generation consoles. If your graphics card is more than 3-4 years old and it wasn't an absolute high-end graphics card when you bought it, there's a good chance a graphics card replacement will make your PC fit for current games again.
However, on CPUs older than about five years or with less than 6 cores, it's quite possible that the CPU is the cause of the low FPS values. As a general rule, a CPU these days should have 6 cores with SMT. SMT means the CPU can manage 2 threads per core. However, an existing Core i4 with only 3 cores and SMT may still suffice.
Clear CPU limits are hard to pinpoint – but unless you have a more powerful CPU than the Ryzen 5 1600X or Intel Core i5-8600, it's okay to upgrade to at least a modern Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5. . However, a new graphics card for the same price may be more advantageous, or a new graphics card may be necessary despite the CPU upgrade.
In extreme cases, your CPU and graphics card can be a bottleneck right now. Here's an example: your CPU is a Ryzen 5 1600X, and in a brand new multiplayer shooter - no matter what graphics card you're using - the upper limit is around 40 FPS.
On the other hand, you have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 as the graphics card, and in this shooter its natural limit is 40 FPS - here you have to change both: CPU and graphics card.
When it comes to the processor, a change almost always means a platform change, especially if your CPU is indeed a clear weak spot, namely: a new motherboard and often new RAM.
There are only a few exceptions, for example if you already have a Socket 1200 CPU but only in the form of a dual core Celeron or if your current Socket 1200 Core i3 is too weak for your needs. Likewise, with an old socket AM4 CPU from AMD, the motherboard can run the price-to-performance 5000 series Ryzen. In these cases you just need a new CPU, but not a new motherboard and RAM.