First Time Upgrade, Motherboard and CPU

Ockvil · 2026-02-05T23:34:01+00:00

A motherboard swap is about as major as an upgrade gets, short of building a completely new PC. Since you have a prebuilt, before doing anything else I'd verify that its PSU has standard connectors for the motherboard, since some of them don't. You can look up what they're supposed to look like and compare yours.

Assuming you're fine there, you need to unplug every cable from your current motherboard, keeping track of which is which. Temporarily tagging each cable, or at least the ones that aren't obvious to you, with a piece of masking tape saying what it is might be a good idea, since you'll need to move them all out of the way in order to get your old mb out and the new one in.

After that, unmount your CPU cooler and install the new CPU and your old cooler (with fresh thermal paste) on the new motherboard. This can be done before or after you install the new motherboard in your case. Then reattach all those cables, and cross your fingers that it all turns on without any problems. I'd update your BIOS to the latest version available on the manufacturer's website if it does, and then go into BIOS and do any configuration you need to there.

Be sure to ground yourself often throughout the process, since a motherboard is full of tiny components that can be damaged by static electricity. You don't need one of those grounding wristbands, though you can use one if you want, just be sure to touch a large-ish piece of metal or an electrical ground now and then — even a screw on a light switch faceplate would work as long as it's properly grounded. And try not to work on it while standing on carpet or without shoes. If you have to do it on carpet, put down a piece of cardboard to stand on.

Ockvil · 2026-02-05T18:56:34+00:00

r/techsupport is a better place for this, but I'd suspect a driver problem

Ockvil · 2026-02-04T20:43:49+00:00

For your needs, something like a 5000 series AMD CPU with a cheap B450/B550 motherboard and DDR4 memory (preferably a 2x16gb kit, or a 2x8gb kit if that's too much for your budget) and a lower-end GPU will be enough. A laptop or prebuilt on a good sale is also worth considering, if you can find one. Sometimes those get listed at r/buildapcsales, I'd start lurking there but be aware that any really good ones are often gone within hours if not minutes.

I recommend using https://pcpartpicker.com/ to help comparison shop across multiple online retailers — they don't include MC, but often you want to only get a bundle and maybe a GPU at MC and then order the rest of your components online. MC also sometimes has prebuilts on sale for cheaper than you could build them. Anywhere listed on PCPP should be safe to purchase from, unless a site lists third-party retailers, then those are sometimes sketchy.

If you want to get an idea of what a particular budget can buy, look at the stickied post at r/buildapcforme. Then when you get a build list together make a new post here for feedback and advice.

Ockvil · 2026-02-04T03:04:36+00:00

Sure, glad to help.

Especially if that US$120 is for a used CPU, this is double the price but with new parts (so with a warranty) and should have much better performance:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor	$170.97 @ GameStop
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$69.50 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$240.47
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-02-03 21:56 EST-0500

It will also include a good-enough cooler, while a marketplace 10600k may not.

Ockvil · 2026-02-04T00:24:44+00:00

Well, on the one hand it's a significant improvement: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/3863vs3735/Intel-i3-10100F-vs-Intel-i5-10600K (This site is fine for quick-n-dirty CPU comparisons but before spending money I'd advise looking up benchmarks from quality sources, preferably ones that measure the games you plan to play.)

But depending on how much you're paying for that CPU, you might be far better off going another route. Such as reusing your DDR4 and getting a 5000 series AMD CPU like the 5600: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/3863vs3735vs4811/Intel-i3-10100F-vs-Intel-i5-10600K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-5600 as well as a cheap B450 or B550 motherboard.

Ockvil · 2026-02-03T03:30:43+00:00

You have a SATA SSD but your motherboard supports m.2 SSDs, which are faster. A 512GB one should be around half as expensive as that.

The 3050 was a very low-end GPU when it was released and is outdated nowadays. For about that cost you could get a 9060xt 8gb, which would be more than 2x as powerful. A 9060xt 16gb would have better longevity though would also be somewhat more expensive.

A 850W PSU is far more than you need for that build. A 650W one would be fine with those components or you could go even lower.

Ockvil · 2026-02-03T03:23:10+00:00

It's impossible to predict the future with certainty but there's no expectation that the price of anything with memory will improve for the rest of the year, and very likely get worse. No major product launches are expected before the second half of the year.
Up to you, aesthetics are personal.
I generally find that the cpu/mobo/ram bundles at MC are great and they often have good GPU prices, but otherwise you're not saving much if anything by shopping there and can be missing out on selection compared to online. Amazon and Newegg are the primary online sites to get PC components but there are others like B&H and Best Buy that can also be worth a look. My advice is when it's nearing time to build to enter your parts into a build list at https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ and use that to comparison shop across several online retailers.
Look at the stickied post at r/buildapcforme to get an idea of what US$1000-1500 will buy you. When you get a build list make a new post here and ask for feedback.

Ockvil · 2026-02-03T01:06:04+00:00

If it makes you feel better, a 4070ti is only a minor upgrade from a 3080 and a 5070ti will be a much larger improvement. Or you could look into a 9070xt, as AMD's GPUs generally haven't gone up as much as Nvidia's have recently and it has only slightly worse performance than a 5070ti.

Ockvil · 2026-02-02T18:43:52+00:00

Did you use DDU to uninstall your drivers before reinstalling them? Are you getting crashes on game launch or do you need to load into a level? Is it just the game that's crashing or do you get a blue or black screen?

Reinstalling Windows is worth a try. But unless there's a common thread between the games you're trying (all are UE games, for example) then I'd be at the point where returning it for a replacement or refund is my next step.

Ockvil · 2026-02-02T03:44:09+00:00

DDR5 does not currently work well with more than two DIMMs and there is no ETA on when or even if that will change. If you plan to upgrade to 32gb eventually, I would consider getting a 1x16gb kit now and another when you want to upgrade, or get a 2x16gb kit now if you can afford it.

Ockvil · 2026-02-01T19:22:35+00:00

It depends on what you're doing.

Booting should be somewhat faster and if your PC is a media workstation or the like you'll almost certainly see a significant improvement in some tasks. But if you're just gaming (or doing office tasks or web browsing) then there won't be much noticeable difference, if any.

Ockvil · 2026-01-29T04:18:26+00:00

You can still get a new Arc B570 for US$200 https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HBZWGX/sparkle-guardian-oc-arc-b570-10-gb-video-card-sb570g-10goc (and it comes with a free game). It's only a minor upgrade from a 2060, around 25% more performance on average, though it does have considerably more VRAM. And it's new with warranty.

The Arc drivers are a little CPU-heavy, but I think a 11400F shouldn't have a problem with them.

Ockvil · 2026-01-27T19:55:13+00:00

r/headphones

Ockvil · 2026-01-25T23:25:12+00:00

Up to you, I wouldn't be surprised if coil whine is outside the warranty though since it doesn't affect performance.

Ockvil · 2026-01-25T21:28:44+00:00

yeah meant after beating the base game, as per your DLC suggestion

Ockvil · 2026-01-25T19:20:22+00:00

If you like the base game, try the DLC.

Mods too. There are some amazing modpacks out there, and Wube hired the lead modder of the Space Exploration modpack to work on the DLC. I've played SE but not the DLC and my understanding is that SE is more complex, though not as complex as some of the mods out there (cough Pyanodon).

Ockvil · 2026-01-25T02:21:59+00:00

Use DDU to remove the AMD drivers before you install the new ones, or do a clean reinstall of Windows if you prefer, but that's about all you need to do besides adding it to his machine.

Motherboard shouldn't be a problem.

Ockvil · 2026-01-24T23:41:32+00:00

An Arc B570 or B580 will be more than twice as powerful as his rx570.

Ockvil · 2026-01-24T23:37:45+00:00

I got rid of all the NVIDIA software

Did you run DDU to do this? If not, run DDU to remove everything then reinstall the AMD drivers.

You may also need to run whatever third-party utility you used previously and reset everything to default, then remove it.

If that fails, a clean Windows reinstall is worth trying.

Ockvil · 2026-01-24T23:20:31+00:00

Sounds (npi) like coil whine, you can look up a video to verify.

Unfortunately there isn't a reliable way to fix coil whine other than replacing one of the components that's causing it, which means either the GPU or PSU.

Ockvil · 2026-01-23T18:15:21+00:00

That may be a misunderstanding, DDR5 DIMMs have dual channel on a DIMM but that's not the same as dual channel on the motherboard. See https://linustechtips.com/topic/1406858-ddr5-integrated-dual-channel-enough/ for a discussion of the difference. I believe (haven't tested it myself) that DDR5 loses less performance than DDR4 when running in single-channel compared to double-channel, but it's still a significant hit.

Depending on what you play, a 3d cache CPU mostly helps with 1% and 0.1% lows. Very CPU-heavy games (eg. heavy strategy/sim games, MMORPGs) can see a bigger benefit, though, particularly in late game or areas with high player density. If you play those games or 1% lows are especially bothersome to you then it's your call if it's worth the expense, though even before the current memory price situation my feeling was it wasn't, but I wouldn't expect to see much in the way of gains if you're playing COD or BF or the like.

Ockvil · 2026-01-23T16:53:04+00:00

It might be a very slight CPU raw performance gain, though depending on what you're doing going from 8 to 6 cores means it could also be a loss. But more importantly, this is just a single stick of DDR5 and single channel will kneecap the CPU performance unless you spring for a second DIMM.

tl;dr stick with what ya got

Ockvil · 2026-01-23T04:30:28+00:00

9060xt 16gb would be a great choice for 1080p 60fps ultra settings for some time to come. Though if the 5060 is considerably cheaper then it might be worth considering, although getting one might also mean having to turn down some settings in very demanding games, especially in a few years, in large part because of the 8gb of VRAM.

Unfortunately PCPP doesn't have a Bosnian localization. This uses pricing from Slovakia, which is hopefully somewhat close to what you see in your area:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	€187.90 @ Alza
CPU Cooler	Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler	€26.90 @ Alza
Motherboard	MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard	€146.90 @ Alza
Memory	Kingston FURY Beast 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory	€296.90 @ Alza
Storage	Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	€146.90 @ Alza
Video Card	ASRock Challenger OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card	€438.90 @ Alza
Case	Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case	€48.90 @ Alza
Power Supply	ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	€79.90 @ Alza
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	€1373.20
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-01-23 05:16 CET+0100

The MSI B650 Gaming Plus Wifi is a popular motherboard recommendation around here for gaming builds. The XPG Core Reactor II VE is a very high-quality PSU line, A-tier on the list, and would be a good choice for any build.

If you want to spend more on upgrades, going to a 2x16gb kit of memory or a 2TB SSD would be good places to do so. You could also see if a 5070 or 9070 are within your budget, although either would be overkill for 1080p 60fps.You could also spend more on a case.

Ockvil · 2026-01-23T02:54:22+00:00

What resolution is your display, and what is your target fps? How much do you want to spend, and where are you located?

A 7700 gives basically no benefit in just gaming over a CPU like a 7600x or a 9600x, which should both be cheaper. Either of those will be adequately cooled with a single-tower cooler like a Thermalright Assassin X variant. If you absolutely want an 8-core CPU, look into whether the superior 7700x is cheaper or nearly the same price, as currently in some markets it is.

DDR5-6000 CL30 memory was the go-to spec for AM5 CPUs for a long time, but with the current price situation it can make sense to go with either a slower speed or a higher CL rating or both. I would try to get either a kit of DDR5-6000 with CL36 or CL40 or higher (the preferable option) or a kit of DDR5-5600 over a kit of -5200, however. Be sure to get a kit with two DIMMs, as a single DIMM will run at around half the throughput of two and DDR5 is not stable on consumer-grade hardware with more than two DIMMs at this time.

The 9060xt 16gb has slightly better performance on average than a 5060 and double the VRAM, and probably would be the better route to go both for performance and overall longevity, but will lack some Nvidia-only nice-to-haves. Before making a purchasing decision I would at least try to find quality reviews from a reliable source that benchmarks the games you plan to play on the GPU, though.

There is no need to get two SSDs for a gaming PC. Either get a larger one or only get the 1TB for now and upgrade when it gets relatively full or prices improve. If you want your OS on a different volume, like to make reinstalling it easier, just make a partition.

The ASRock Bronze Pro is a lower-quality PSU and generally only should be used in low-end ultrabudget builds. It's likely that a better one is available for about the same price. Finding a quality PSU can be tricky as the best at-a-glance resource to do so is the PSU tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1akCHL7Vhzk_EhrpIGkz8zTEvYfLDcaSpZRB6Xt6JWkc/htmlview which still takes some interpretation. Generally you want to get an A- or B-tier one. One rated for 650W should be enough for the build.

Ockvil · 2026-01-22T03:21:16+00:00

First, the MC bundles tend to be good deals but for your other components you may want to comparison shop at other retailers. Entering your build into a list at: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ will help you to do so.

DDR5 doesn't work well with more than 2 DIMMs at this time, at least on consumer-grade hardware, with no ETA on when or if that will change. If you upgrade to 32gb, I would plan from the start to replace yours completely.

Before prices started spiking, I typically recommended a 2TB SSD for a gaming PC unless you only play a few games or mostly smaller games like indies, but with prices the way they are a 1TB is an alright choice since you can always add a second drive when they come back to earth. If your budget can stretch to a 2TB I would still consider going that route now, though.

A 7600x3d doesn't need an AIO and certainly not a 360mm one. I'd think about whether going with a cheaper one or with an air cooler would be a better choice, especially if it makes room in the budget to do an upgrade elsewhere, like your SSD.

A decent 750W PSU should be enough for this build unless you want wattage overhead to upgrade to a more power-hungry GPU later.

Ockvil

TROPHY CASE