After having a Stream Deck and then installing Linux on an old laptop for my wife, I decided to try and resurrect an old desktop I built in 2016. Wondering if it worth upgrading the graphics card, or is the whole thing too old to be of much use.
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| | CPU | AMD FX-8350 4 GHz 8-Core Processor | - | | CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | - | | Motherboard | Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard | - | | Memory | Corsair Vengeance Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-2133 CL9 Memory | - | | Video Card | Sapphire 100292L Radeon HD 5450 1 GB Video Card | - | | Case | Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case | - | | Power Supply | EVGA 700 B1 700 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | - | | Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-12-31 21:26 EST-0500 | | |
In case the above is not viewable
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BVTxh7
CPU: AMD FX-8350 4 GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-2133 CL9 Memory
Video Card: Sapphire 100292L Radeon HD 5450 1 GB Video Card
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case
Power Supply: EVGA 700 B1 700 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-12-31 21:33 EST-0500
Edit to add: No Man's Sky is my most played game. And I was looking at an 8gb Radeon card as an update, if that upgrade would make the system usable, then I will do that. Otherwise I will save for a Steam Machine.
Edit 2: I knew I had a better graphics card, when I got home from work I found it. It is a [ASUS GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Graphics Card STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5](https://www.newegg.com/asus-strix-gtx970-dc2oc-4gd5-geforce-gtx-970-4gb-graphics-card-double-fans/p/N82E16814121899?item=N82E16814121899)
I just upgraded a Linux box I build in 2018. It had a Ryzen 5 1600 and 16gb DDR4. Previously I'd replaced the video card with a Radeon 580. But with that config it sucked at video games, pretty much unplayable. Replaced the CPU with a Ryzen 9 5900 and slightly faster 32GB DDR4 and now all of a sudden it plays older games great. Probably the most challenging game I've tried is Doom from 2016 or whenever which isn't much to brag about but the CPU upgrade made a huge difference. The video card and CPU was about $450. Definitely worth the money. It feels like a totally different computer.
As a side note, I'm generally not a big fan of generative AI but it was helpful in deciding the upgrades. In particular it pointed out that to upgrade the CPU I needed to update my motherboard BIOS. Double check everything for sure but it provided solid suggestions.