$450 upgrade help please

[miffyzs]

I wanna upgrade from my current pc:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9sKz4p

Budget (including currency): 450 usd

Country: usa

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: pro valorant, content creation

Other details: i have a 1440p 240hz monitor 

 

[Dedayog]

1 hour ago, miffyzs said:

I wanna upgrade from my current pc:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9sKz4p

Budget (including currency): 450 usd

Country: usa

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: pro valorant, content creation

Other details: i have a 1440p 240hz monitor 

 

Something like this would be a good all-around solution.  Otherwise do $450 now for CPU setup and save for GPU later.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($116.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus B760M-AYW WIFI D4 II Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 7600 8 GB Video Card  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $455.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-09-30 13:58 EDT-0400

[191x7]

How much are used 8700K in your area?

 

[OddOod]

29 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

How much are used 8700K in your area?

 

At first I was like "yeah!", then I looked it up. 
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-coffee-lake-core-i5-8600k-cpu,5264-4.html
It kinda seems like the 8600k meets or beats the 8700k in most games (of the era)? 

Honestly, I'd go for a used 3080Ti. It might need a touch of undervolting depending on how old that PSU is, but should be fine

[Dedayog]

15 minutes ago, OddOod said:

At first I was like "yeah!", then I looked it up. 
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-coffee-lake-core-i5-8600k-cpu,5264-4.html
It kinda seems like the 8600k meets or beats the 8700k in most games (of the era)? 

Honestly, I'd go for a used 3080Ti. It might need a touch of undervolting depending on how old that PSU is, but should be fine

But a 8600K for content creation and Valorant?

 

No idea what Pro Valorant is, assuming typo.

 

Edit:  You know, it may work.  I use the 9900K and a 6900XT for 1440p gaming pretty well.  The 8600K "may" hold up well enough?

[Somerandomtechyboi]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cGQX8Q

Maybe smth like this when you consider resale value of the leftover parts

 

Microcenter has a 450$ 265k bundle or the 430$ 265kf bundle depending on wether you want the igpu or not, if microcenter unavailable look for a 7500f or that 150$ 14600k on woot if thats still available

 

Gpu wise 9060xt 8gb pretty good value for new though you may see better value with a used 6800 or 7700xt

 

As for resale value of current parts id expect that cpu mobo and ram to fetch around 150$, may want to sell the ram seperately or atleast make it optional to buy with the cpu and board

 

Gpu wise the 1660s somewhere around 100$ far as i can tell so itll just about cover the upgrade

[forss]

There are definitely a variety of options you could go with, I would recommend splitting the budget between a new CPU/GPU/MB upgrade, as for Pro Valorant from my knowledge you don't need anything crazy to get good fps at low settings. You could go with something like this, though it does go slightly over your $450 budget, but that may not be a problem if you intend on reselling the parts you will be getting rid of.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gvVJKq

[191x7]

12 hours ago, OddOod said:

At first I was like "yeah!", then I looked it up. 
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-coffee-lake-core-i5-8600k-cpu,5264-4.html
It kinda seems like the 8600k meets or beats the 8700k in most games (of the era)? 

Honestly, I'd go for a used 3080Ti. It might need a touch of undervolting depending on how old that PSU is, but should be fine

The 8600K could boost (and overclock) a little higher, but it's still a 6-core 6-thread like a Ryzen 3500X, while the 8700K has 6-cores 12-threads like the 3600X, and that makes it better for modern games. A 9700K might also be a decent option since it's a 8600K with 2 more cores.

The i9 9900K would be the best, since it has 8 cores 16 threads and performs between a Ryzen 3800X and a Ryzen 5700X. That is still good for a high resolution.

 

But, for high refresh, 180Hz+, any X3D CPU is recommended.