How to Upgrade Computer Configuration with the Least Amount of Money?

Hardware Configuration and Budget

This configuration has no room for upgrades.

According to the market price, the total cost of the hardware in this machine is less than 300, barely enough to buy a second-hand 588 mining card.

CPU: X4 860K, 20

Motherboard: ASUS A68HM-K, 65

Memory: Generic??? Let’s estimate it as 2GB, 6.5

Hard Drive: Second-hand Kingston 120G, 43

Power Supply: Don’t know what it is, let’s estimate it as a 60 RMB CHANGCHENG or HANGJIA 500W,

Case: Don’t know, let’s estimate it as 20 RMB, a relatively expensive second-hand one.

CPU Cooler: The original one is worthless, at most 5 RMB each. We’ll estimate it as 8 RMB each based on miscellaneous brands on Taobao:

Graphics Card: GT710, let’s estimate it as 80 RMB, this thing used to be considered expensive at 50 RMB.

So, don’t upgrade, it’s not necessary, it’s a waste of money.

Just save more money, within 5000 RMB.

With a total of 5600+6650xt, paired with a 1080p high refresh rate monitor, you can solve it for a little over 4000 RMB…

Here’s a rough configuration for you, but it’s best to do more research yourself:

• CPU: R5-5600 + ASUS PRIME A520M-K, within 1200 RMB
• Cooler: LiMin AX120R SE, within 80 RMB
• Memory: Changxin DDR4 3200 8G×2, around 200 RMB
• SSD: Kaisa RC20 1T, around 350 RMB
• Power Supply: A legit brand’s 500-600W power supply, around 300 RMB
• Case: Buy one that fits, usually around 100 RMB
• Graphics Card: RX6650XT, HANXUN, HANKAI, or MSI are all fine, around 1600 RMB.

If you want to cut costs further:

• Change the motherboard and CPU to 5500+ ASUS A520M-K, around 800 RMB
• Change the graphics card to 6600, around 1300 RMB
• Change the graphics card to a second-hand mining card 5700xt, around 800 RMB (the power supply needs to be upgraded to 650W)
• Change the graphics card to a mining card 1660s, around 700 RMB (not as good as 5700xt, but the power supply doesn’t need to be changed)

Basically, cut corners on the main components (CPU and graphics card).

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Upgrade Requirements: CS2/CSGO Configuration Recommendations

To be honest, there is no longer any need to upgrade this configuration. The A68H chipset is already a decade-old relic.

On one hand, I don’t understand what kind of memory this is. The A68H chipset can support a maximum of 32GB of memory.

On the other hand, the CPU is indeed lacking.

On paper, the specifications meet the requirements for CS2, but it’s only achieving 1 frame… I think it might be a settings issue, such as having all the graphics settings set to the highest level…

It’s already difficult to find information about the monitor, so it’s probably become a thing of the past. My impression is that it’s a 1080P resolution TN screen with a 60Hz refresh rate, measuring 23.8 inches.

It might be better to get a new one.

I’ve thought about it, and for a stable 150 frames in CS2, CS2 is essentially a port of the CS:GO Source 2 engine. It hasn’t been released yet due to difficulties with the community migration.

So let’s use the benchmark of 150 frames from “Half-Life Alyx” as a reference for the configuration. In other words, the minimum required graphics card performance is a GeForce RTX 3060.

However, “Half-Life Alyx” is a VR game that has higher requirements, so let’s reverse-reference the configuration requirements of “Dota 2.” A GeForce RTX 3060 Ti can handle a stable 144Hz refresh rate with 2K resolution and maximum graphics settings.

If we check the graphics card hierarchy, we can set the target at the level of a Radeon RX 5700 XT. It’s cheaper for mining purposes and there are many in circulation, including official refurbished ones with warranty.

Apart from the RX 5700 XT, we can also consider the RX 6600. Both of them are likely to be mining cards that have been officially refurbished, but they cost less than a thousand yuan.

Another option is the RX 6650 XT budget version. If we wait for a promotion and collect some coupons, we might be able to get it for under 1500 yuan.

For the CPU and motherboard, let’s stick with AMD. After all, it’s affordable. The Ryzen 5 5600 won’t hold back the performance of the RX 5700 XT or RX 6650 at this level, and the B450 motherboard is affordable.

For the memory, we can go with a G.Skill DDR4 3200MHz kit, with 16GB only costing around 200 yuan.

It’s also a good idea to change the power supply. A 600W to 650W power supply from a trusted brand can be bought for a reasonable price of around 200 yuan.

To summarize, let’s put together all the current configurations:

It will cost a bit over 2500 yuan.

This is the cheapest solution I can think of at the moment.

If you have some extra money, you can further enhance other components. For example, you can consider getting a new computer case. There are many decent options available on second-hand platforms for around 60 yuan, including shipping. As for cooling, a Cooler Master Hyper 212, priced at around 100 yuan, should be sufficient. The Fannix S690 SSD is a good choice for a solid-state drive, but don’t buy the one with an MQ suffix, as it uses QLC Flash and it’s only about 10 to 20 yuan cheaper.

You can also consider expanding your options for the monitor. Currently, there are 1K 144Hz monitors available for just over 1000 yuan. Choose one that you like and you’ll be all set.

It’s More Cost-effective to Change Computers

This configuration is basically only good for graphics cards to be used as display cards.

Other configurations are basically sold by weight.

My suggestion is to change computers, there is not much need for upgrading.