Looking to build/buy a PC for my mom

Posted by Interesting-Neat1174@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 22 comments

My mom has some bad health and cannot do a whole lot of things, but one thing she does enjoy is gaming, and she has played World of Warcraft for years. I found out that she only can play old versions of the game, not the new expansions due to her computer being very old. I am looking to either try to build her something or buy something that would at least be able to play new expansions of World of Warcraft. I could probably afford about $500, but not sure if that is enough for one? Any help would be nice. Thank you.

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mutualdisagreement@reddit

Figure out what hardware she has to check what upgrade would be beneficial to her rig would be the best way to make most of your budget.

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Interesting-Neat1174@reddit (OP)

Is there a way to check and see what she has so i can know what is best?

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mutualdisagreement@reddit

Cpu-z, gpu-z are two small, fast, free and easy tools which provide all necessary hardware info

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Interesting-Neat1174@reddit (OP)

It wouldn't let me to post the screenshot so here is what i found on that dxdiag screen:

System:

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit (Build 19045)
DirectX Version: DirectX 12
Motherboard: Gigabyte B460M DS3H AC-Y1
BIOS Version: F1
CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F @ 2.90GHz
RAM: 8 GB

Graphics:

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM: 3935 MB (\~4 GB)
Total Graphics Memory: 7996 MB
Shared Memory: 4061 MB
Driver Version: 32.0.15.9186
Driver Date: 1/19/2026
Driver Model: WDDM 2.7

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Urdnot_Flexx@reddit

Jesus Christ, no wonder her performance was low. Looking at the specs, there’s nothing to salvage from that PC except the storage. With $500, the most efficient upgrade would be getting a Newegg Ryzen 5 5500 bundle that comes with a mobo and 16gb of RAM for about \~$255 and use the remaining budget for a used GPU or a New Intel Arc A770. I actually looked on Jawa.gg and they have a used Intel Arc B570 for $225 which would blow the GTX 1650 out of the water. Only possible concern is the PSU.

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GonstroCZ@reddit

With $500, the most efficient upgrade would be getting a Newegg Ryzen 5 5500

I am not sure whether upgrading to Ryzen 5 5500 from i5 10400f is worth the money. (imho a waste of money, at very least I would aim for Ryzen 5 5600, or for Intel i5 12th-14th gen).

AM4 is a dead platform, really hard to say whether OP will ever consider upgrading to an X3D CPU, which should bring a bigger performance jump in WoW. Most likely, it will not be in the upcoming weeks (if rumors about 5800x3D are true), and after some years, the prices of x3D might be just sky high, and the performance upgrade might not be that interesting anymore.

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Interesting-Neat1174@reddit (OP)

I'm not sure about anything x3d and etc. She really doesn't need anything brand new. She has played WoW for over 20 years and is over 70 years old. I really just want her to be able to do the new stuff and not be limited to older content? Is there any advice on finding these in some type of bundle to try and cut costs?

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GonstroCZ@reddit

I'm not sure about anything x3d and etc. She really doesn't need anything brand new.

I only mentioned it since x3D CPUs from AMD (these CPUs have a really big L3 cache memory, games really like it) are great for gaming, and WoW is a really CPU-heavy game. AMD is rumored to bring back Ryzen 5800x3D, which was the very first x3D CPU released in 2022, so while not a brand new, it is still a great gaming CPU and can still trade blows with modern non-x3D CPUs. But for sure it will not fit into $500 budget, just mentioned it for your information.

I really just want her to be able to do the new stuff and not be limited to older content?

Is it possible to save up a bit more to reach at least Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel i5 12400f for a CPU?

As others mentioned, definitely go for 16GB of RAM. For GPU, Intel ARC B570/580, used RTX 3060/4060, these could work well, for example.

Is there any advice on finding these in some type of bundle to try and cut costs?

Are you from the US by any chance? MicroCenter usually has great bundles. Other than that, you could probably check Newegg or BestBuy, maybe Amazon.

In case you want to check the compatibility of some components, feel free to throw them in the PCPP building list (also allows you to choose specific countries in the top right corner):

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

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Urdnot_Flexx@reddit

None of what you’re saying means jack shit in the face of a $500 budget. Please read the room, lol. The only reason I’m recommending a 5500 is because it comes as a bundle with 16gb of DDR4 RAM and a mobo. That combo plus a GPU is the most efficient upgrade because it gives you the most components for the money required.

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GonstroCZ@reddit

None of what you’re saying means jack shit in the face of a $500 budget. Please read the room, lol.

I know the budget is tight, but by saving money for a bit longer (is possible) / looking for different bundles, OP could get a bit better components that could last longer. 32MB cache of Ryzen 5600 vs 16MB cache of Ryzen 5500 could make a big difference.

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Interesting-Neat1174@reddit (OP)

Yes, i think the computer is like 10 years old. Thats why I wondered if we either needed to build a completely new one or buy some pre-made (which from what I read is often not as good for more money)

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kyansan1@reddit

This could be upgraded quite nicely for around $250.

You'll benefit the most from more ram and a new graphics card.
Try and find another 8gb of the same ddr4 ram that is currently in the pc.
Also, you could upgrade the gpu to a used rx 5700 xt or rtx 3060, but only if your power supply can provide enough power for it, and if the power supply has the right connectors for them. (Should have 2 PCIe power connectors, and should be at least a 500W power supply.)

Could you check and let me know about the power supply? You'll have to open up the pc to check.

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Interesting-Neat1174@reddit (OP)

it says 500W on the power at the bottom

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aircoft@reddit

I'm being completely honest here: if you aren't that familiar with PCs and their components and stuff, you either definitely shouldn't be messing with it, or you'd better do a sufficient amount of research first, as it'd be a shame for the idea to backfire and leave her without a computer for a period of time while you mees with it and try to fix it and whatnot... (I keep spares around just in case the main one goes down or something, so I never have to be without one.)

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