Upgrading my motherboard and processor
Posted by Doubl_e@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 17 comments
Current processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Current motherboard: A320m-k
Current GPU: RTX 2060 Super
I'm looking to upgrade to a
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI Motherboard,
AMD Ryzensets 7 5800x,
And a higher power supply as the current one is 450 watts, upgrading to a 650 watt one.
The current issues with my pre built pc is that the motherboard is dying and my usb slots keep randomly disconnecting and the CPU is bottlenecking my system, just wondering if there are any better alternatives and I'm pretty sure these components all are compatible with each other. The current total for these is 390, I'd prefer to spend less but Id rather not have to upgrade my pc for a while other than GPU in the near future.
Thank you.
tpablazed@reddit
The 5600 is basically the best budget AM4 chip when trying to stick to a low budget imo.. and it runs really cool so you can go basic on your cooling.. the 5800x needs robust cooling.. dual tower air cooler or 240mm aio at least.. 360 is really recommended for it. Going 5800x (or more likely XT) would put you over budget.
This 5600 upgrade actually keeps you under your budget.. and it's a strong upgrade over the 2600.
I would probably take the $50 savings and get a different case with it tho.. assuming you're using the pre built case.. unless it's some mesh case I would probably swap it out.
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7VRV7w
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($148.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE RGB V2 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($17.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B550M-VC WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $355.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-04-15 12:04 EDT-0400
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
If I were to go with the 5600 and tomohawk motherboard, would you recommend any pc cases? And what about the 5000X/G, are they worth the price increase? I can go over the budget a bit that’s fine
tpablazed@reddit
Any modern mesh case will do.. I usually recommend the Montech Air 903 Max because it comes with 140mm fans. But it's like $75.. If you want to keep it around $50 the Phanteks XT Pro is nice.. also the Sama Mesh cases are good as well.
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
This is really helpful thank you
Nagol567@reddit
If you are going to get a dead end CPU socket and go AM4 id recomend something like this instead. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xWC8MF The 12600kf is better at gaming and production. You'll probably have less frame drops too with the e cores handling most OS operations in the background.
Medical_Score_3441@reddit
About the USB Issue, it might be a power deliver issue, try a different PSU, at least 600 w
HankHippoppopalous@reddit
I probably wouldn't go AMD for this upgrade path.
i'd be snagging a cheap i5 12600K and a Gigabyte B760M GAMING PLUS WIFI DDR4. Then grab a Thermalright Assassin 120SE
Your cost will be about 300 bucks total, it'll give the same performance as a 5800x, and you'll have an actual upgrade path later to a 14th Gen i7/i9
Separate_Shake_3681@reddit
I just upgraded my 2600 to the 5600 on Monday. The board just needs a BIOS update. And I'd probably invest in a cooler.
Saltybacon27@reddit
The 5800x doesn't run hot so whatever your current cooling setup is should work fine. Definitely a good idea to grab a power supply if you plan on upgrading your GPU. Keep in mind though, if you get a less power hungry GPU like an RTX 5050 or 5060, the 450W power supply should be enough. Once you get up to something like an RTX 5070 or RX 9060XT, you'll need a better power supply.
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
That's great, thank you
NuclearNick007@reddit
Before you go replacing the motherboard, is there a bios update for it? Perhaps those USB issues were addressed in an update.
Would save you some money if you didnt have to buy a new board.
psimwork@reddit
So ordinarily I would agree. But the problem here is that the micro-ATX boards by Asus that end in "K" have the absolute worst VRM setups out there. While it probably has the power delivery to get a 2600 up to its max turbo speed, whether or not it can do much more than that is... dubious.
The 5800X would RUN but it's likely that it would be running at a lower speed than its max boost speed (4.7GHz). If it's as bad as I'm fearing, it could be stuck at its base clockspeed (3.8Ghz).
The 5800X would still be an improvement over their 2600, even at base clockspeed (having 2x the L3 cache), but not nearly as much as it could be.
A better option, honestly, would be something like a 5600/5600X/5600XT if they want to keep their existing board.
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
I want to upgrade the motherboard either way because of the USB issues
psimwork@reddit
What USB issues are you referring?
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
When running any game that uses a lot of resources, mainly my mouse, and sometimes keyboard and headset will disconnect and reconnect constantly, but the weird thing about is it that its only really initially and then after a while, maybe an hour. The amount of reconnections significantly stops. I've tried looking on the internet for solutions but nothings worked.
Nagol567@reddit
I Agree. Try BIOS update first and a fresh install of windows. If this fixes it then you could justify get a 5600 or 5600x and not have to spend nearly as much and it would be a huge upgrade for gaming.
Doubl_e@reddit (OP)
The BIOS is fully up to date, I've looked on the internet and all I could find is that its a common problem with am4 motherboard and there's no fixes on those posts and it could potentially be a power saving option enabled in the PC which I don't have any enabled