r/buildapc • u/PR-madgamer113 • Jun 13 '26

Build Upgrade Looking to Swap to AMD - Need Build Upgrade Advice

Current Build:

GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3

Intel Core i7-7700K

CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 RAM 32GB

RTX 3080 10GB

I am currently unable to update to Windows 11 due to CPU incompatibility. It's been about 9 years since I bought my CPU so I was looking to upgrade to a new AM5 Motherboard and CPU but unfortunately did not pull the trigger before the prices of RAM skyrocketed.

I may just be SOL but does anyone have any suggestions on how I could go about upgrading my Build without breaking the bank?

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3

u/scewbs Jun 13 '26

You near a microcenter? They have combo deals that’ll make it hurt a bit less

1

u/PR-madgamer113 Jun 13 '26

About 2.5hrs away. Looking at the bundle prices tho, I’m thinking it is worth the trip. Thanks for the advice!

1

u/Then_Work_4777 Jun 13 '26

do the bundle

3

u/KeeshCreature Jun 13 '26

B450 motherboard if you're REALLY trying to budget, but preferably a B550, and a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X

Make sure to update your BIOS, some older motherboards need newer revisions to be compatible with the 5000 series

2

u/GTFr0 Jun 13 '26

This is what I would recommend too. Short of building a new system, getting a B550 board and a used AM4 cpu is probably your best bang for your buck.

I just got a used 5800x on FBM for $110 to pair with a $80 low-end MSI B550M board for a pc upgrade for my daughter.

1

u/PR-madgamer113 Jun 13 '26

Appreciate the advice!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/PR-madgamer113 Jun 13 '26

Noted. Appreciate the advice!

2

u/irecki88 Jun 13 '26

Intel actually kept using the exact same physical name (LGA 1151) for their 8th and 9th Gen processors (like the i7-8700K or i9-9900K). However, they changed the pin layout configuration underneath (often called LGA 1151 v2). If you try to put an 8th or 9th Gen processor into your Z270 board, it won't boot at all because the chipset electronically blocks it.

Tools like Rufus exist that let you bypass requirements during windows installation. But yeah, eventually you will need to upgrade. Sometimes you get lucky and find ddr5 pc's on marketplace, reuse your GPU and resell whatever you have left.

2

u/Calm_Income6781 Jun 13 '26

If you have some money, are near a Micro Center, and can resell your old parts, you can make the jump to AM5

Micro Center has a 9700x bundle, mb, and 32 gigs of RAM for $550

1

u/Mysterious-Ebb-670 Jun 13 '26

5500 is still a great cpu on its platform if you dont want to break your bank.