RIGWISE
160 real product profiles8 hardware categoriescompatibility engine onlineretailer feeds onboardingranking independent of commission160 real product profiles8 hardware categoriescompatibility engine onlineretailer feeds onboardingranking independent of commission

PC Upgrade Advisor

Sample dataGross checkout + verified net costSequential Upgrade Roadmap

Find the strongest upgrade path, not merely a newer part. The advisor compares direct component swaps with atomic CPU, motherboard and memory migrations, rejects compatibility failures, measures the impact and separates checkout price from evidence-backed recovery on the second-hand market. It then rebuilds the PC after each decision to produce a causal NOW, NEXT and WATCH roadmap.

Analyze your saved PC

Paste the ID or full URL of any public build. The bare page uses a computed demonstration PC.

Saved build

Balanced Value · 1440p · 1600 USD

1440p (2560 × 1440) · 165 Hz · Balanced Value

Open full build
Current parts total
$861
Upgrade budget
$1,000
Average selected games
No data
Estimated load
362 W
Compatibility
Buildable

13 rules evaluated

Counterfactuals tested
244

152 direct · 92 bundles

A direct gpu upgrade is the stronger first move

This graphics card change adds 52.6 decision-quality points for $844 at checkout and about $725 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap. The strongest complete platform migration requires $892 at checkout and ranks lower for this use case after cost and multi-part complexity are included.

Upgrade Roadmap

A sequenced decision plan, not a static top-three list. NOW is the strongest current move; NEXT is recalculated on the PC produced by NOW; WATCH is recalculated again and given a timing or price trigger.

NOW · NEXT · WATCH
Phases found
3 independent moves
Planning checkout total
$1,141

Sum of separate future checkouts

Estimated net total
$993

Only when every phase has verified recovery

Counterfactuals rerun
583

3 complete-build passes

Final modeled state
Buildable

13 rules in the last phase

The upgrade budget is applied to each phase separately. The planning total is not a promise that all phases fit one checkout or should be bought together.

  1. NOWPhase 1

    Upgrade the graphics card

    One-part change · Graphics card

    Modeled replacement

    Checkout
    $844

    Per-phase cash gate

    Estimated net
    $725

    Verified completed-sale recovery

    Modeled impact

    +52.6 decision-quality points

    This graphics card change adds 52.6 decision-quality points for $844 at checkout and about $725 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap. The strongest complete platform migration requires $892 at checkout and ranks lower for this use case after cost and multi-part complexity are included.

    Decision trigger

    Strongest compatible value at the current delivered price.

    A private updated-PC revision will replace the old baseline in My PCs. Future watches move forward one phase and are reranked from the confirmed hardware.

    Installed a different part?

    Record what is physically installed, even when it differs from the plan. The server will find every product in the canonical catalog and rebuild the complete PC before saving anything.

    An already-installed part is not forced through the old purchase budget, but it must pass the complete compatibility engine. The revision is labelled as a verified alternative to the roadmap.

  2. NEXTPhase 2

    Upgrade the memory

    One-part change · Memory

    Modeled replacement

    Checkout
    $69

    Per-phase cash gate

    Estimated net
    $65

    Verified completed-sale recovery

    Modeled impact

    +27.8 decision-quality points

    The complete PC was rebuilt after phase 1, then every remaining category was ranked again. This memory change adds 27.8 decision-quality points for $69 at checkout and about $65 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap. The strongest complete platform migration requires $644 at checkout and ranks lower for this use case after cost and multi-part complexity are included.

    Decision trigger

    Recheck after the NOW phase; this result assumes that first change is installed.

    Future candidate — rerun price, stock and compatibility before buying.

  3. WATCHPhase 3

    Upgrade the power supply

    One-part change · Power supply

    Modeled replacement

    Checkout
    $228

    Per-phase cash gate

    Estimated net
    $203

    Verified completed-sale recovery

    Modeled impact

    +31.8 decision-quality points

    The complete PC was rebuilt after phases 1 and 2. This is the strongest remaining independent path, but it should be monitored rather than bought as part of one checkout. Reassess after the prior phases; sequence, not a current price premium, is the reason to wait.

    Decision trigger

    Reassess after the prior phases; sequence, not a current price premium, is the reason to wait.

    Future candidate — rerun price, stock and compatibility before buying.

Every phase is recomputed against the complete hypothetical PC produced by the previous phase.

A category already changed in this roadmap cannot be recommended again.

The cash budget is applied independently to the full checkout price of every phase.

Future phases must be rechecked against live price, availability and compatibility evidence before purchase.

Roadmap model 2026.08.1. Affiliate commission is not an input to phase selection or sequence.

Verified net upgrade economics

Cash affordability is checked before resale. Completed-sale evidence then estimates seller proceeds for parts in good condition; fees and seller-paid shipping are already deducted.

Completed sales only

Budget rule

Full checkout price first

Expected resale never makes a path pass the cash-outlay gate.

Evidence threshold

4+ sales · 2+ marketplaces

Exact product, selected condition and a 45-day freshness window.

Ranking cost

Conservative verified net

The lower recovery quartile is used; incomplete coverage falls back to gross.

Current component signals

A normalized diagnostic view used to find where a compatible replacement can create real decision value.

  • Graphics card

    38.6/100

  • CPU

    57.5/100

  • Memory

    46.3/100

  • Storage

    39/100

  • Power supply

    87.8/100

Direct swap or platform migration?

The two paths use the same budget, full-build compatibility engine and evidence policy. Multi-part work receives an explicit installation-complexity penalty.

Best direct change

1 component

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB

This graphics card change adds 52.6 decision-quality points for $844 at checkout and about $725 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap.

$844 checkout≈$725 netInspect direct changes ↓

Best complete platform path

3 components

AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5

This AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5 migration adds 41.1 platform-quality points for $892 at checkout and about $832 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked as one atomic change.

$892 checkout≈$832 netInspect platform bundles ↓

Best compatible next moves

59 meaningful changes remained after budget and compatibility filtering. The best option from each category is shown.

#1 · Upgrade the graphics card

This graphics card change adds 52.6 decision-quality points for $844 at checkout and about $725 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap.

Priority 92/100

Current

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7600 8GB

$278

Recommended replacement

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB

$844 delivered sample

Checkout price
$844

Cash required before resale

Verified recovery
$119

After fees and seller-paid shipping · good condition

Estimated net cost
$725

$723–$727 central range

Build value delta
+$566

Not assumed resale

Decision gain
+52.6 pts

38.6 → 91.1

Average FPS
No material change
System load
+226 W

Why it ranks

  • ✓ Graphics card decision quality rises 52.6 points, from 38.6 to 91.1.
  • ✓ 13 compatibility rules were recomputed and no blocking error remains.

Trade-offs

  • △ Requires $844 at checkout before resale.
  • △ 6 completed sales across 2 marketplaces support $119 expected seller proceeds for the removed part in good condition.
  • △ Estimated system load increases by 225 W.

#2 · Upgrade the memory

This memory change adds 27.8 decision-quality points for $69 at checkout and about $65 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap.

Priority 41.6/100

Current

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

$40

Recommended replacement

Kingston Fury Beast 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

$69 delivered sample

Checkout price
$69

Cash required before resale

Verified recovery
$4

After fees and seller-paid shipping · good condition

Estimated net cost
$65

$64–$66 central range

Build value delta
+$29

Not assumed resale

Decision gain
+27.8 pts

46.3 → 74

Average FPS
No material change
System load
0 W

Why it ranks

  • ✓ Memory decision quality rises 27.8 points, from 46.3 to 74.
  • ✓ 13 compatibility rules were recomputed and no blocking error remains.

Trade-offs

  • △ Requires $69 at checkout before resale.
  • △ 6 completed sales across 2 marketplaces support $4 expected seller proceeds for the removed part in good condition.

#3 · Upgrade the cpu cooler

This cpu cooler change adds 29.4 decision-quality points for $103 at checkout and about $99 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked again after the swap.

Priority 40/100

Current

Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE

$18

Recommended replacement

be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5

$103 delivered sample

Checkout price
$103

Cash required before resale

Verified recovery
$4

After fees and seller-paid shipping · good condition

Estimated net cost
$99

$98–$100 central range

Build value delta
+$85

Not assumed resale

Decision gain
+29.4 pts

57.8 → 87.2

Average FPS
No material change
System load
0 W

Why it ranks

  • ✓ CPU cooler decision quality rises 29.4 points, from 57.8 to 87.2.
  • ✓ 13 compatibility rules were recomputed and no blocking error remains.

Trade-offs

  • △ Requires $103 at checkout before resale.
  • △ 6 completed sales across 2 marketplaces support $4 expected seller proceeds for the removed part in good condition.

Atomic platform migration bundles

67 meaningful bundles remained after complete-build compatibility, budget and decision-value filtering. CPU, motherboard and memory are priced and checked together.

#1 · AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5

This AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5 migration adds 41.1 platform-quality points for $892 at checkout and about $832 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked as one atomic change.

Bundle 92/100

CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 5600

$119

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

$455 delivered sample

Motherboard

MSI B550-A Pro

$116

ASRock X870 Steel Legend WiFi

$252 delivered sample

Memory

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

$40

Crucial Pro 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-6400 CL38

$185 delivered sample

Checkout price
$892

Cash required before resale

Verified recovery
$60

After fees and seller-paid shipping · good condition

Estimated net cost
$832

$828–$835 central range

Build value delta
+$617

Not assumed resale

Platform gain
+41.1 pts

47.4 → 88.5

Average FPS
No material change
Longevity
35 → 88

Why it ranks

  • ✓ Combined CPU, motherboard and memory quality rises 41.1 points, from 47.4 to 88.5.
  • ✓ Platform longevity changes from 35 to 88 on the current evidence scale.
  • ✓ 13 compatibility rules were recomputed for all three replacements together.

Migration costs

  • △ Checkout requires $892 before the removed parts are sold.
  • △ 18 completed sales across 2 marketplaces support $60 expected combined seller proceeds in good condition.
  • △ Installation requires a CPU, motherboard and memory swap; operating-system reactivation or firmware setup may be required.
  • △ Estimated system load increases by 93 W.

#2 · AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5

This AM4 / DDR4 → AM5 / DDR5 migration adds 41.1 platform-quality points for $981 at checkout and about $921 after verified expected recovery, with the complete build checked as one atomic change.

Bundle 88/100

CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 5600

$119

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

$455 delivered sample

Motherboard

MSI B550-A Pro

$116

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro Ice

$341 delivered sample

Memory

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

$40

Crucial Pro 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-6400 CL38

$185 delivered sample

Checkout price
$981

Cash required before resale

Verified recovery
$60

After fees and seller-paid shipping · good condition

Estimated net cost
$921

$917–$924 central range

Build value delta
+$706

Not assumed resale

Platform gain
+41.1 pts

47.4 → 88.5

Average FPS
No material change
Longevity
35 → 88

Why it ranks

  • ✓ Combined CPU, motherboard and memory quality rises 41.1 points, from 47.4 to 88.5.
  • ✓ Platform longevity changes from 35 to 88 on the current evidence scale.
  • ✓ 13 compatibility rules were recomputed for all three replacements together.

Migration costs

  • △ Checkout requires $981 before the removed parts are sold.
  • △ 18 completed sales across 2 marketplaces support $60 expected combined seller proceeds in good condition.
  • △ Installation requires a CPU, motherboard and memory swap; operating-system reactivation or firmware setup may be required.
  • △ Estimated system load increases by 93 W.

What the model does

  1. Rehydrates the saved parts against the current canonical catalog.
  2. Tests one-part substitutions and genuine CPU, motherboard and memory migrations.
  3. Recomputes checkout price, verified recovery, expected performance, load and all compatibility rules for every path.
  4. Rejects blocked, over-budget, immaterial or wasteful same-platform bundles and explains the remaining counterfactuals.

Model version 2026.08.3. Affiliate metadata is not an input.

Net-cost boundary

Recovery is an evidence-backed estimate, not a guaranteed sale. Installation labor, operating-system licensing and local taxes beyond the retailer feed remain excluded. If any removed part lacks sufficient completed-sale evidence, the entire path falls back to gross checkout cost. Product identities are real; all resale observations, retailer listings and prices shown here are demonstration data.

Upgrade Advisor FAQ

How does the PC Upgrade Advisor choose what to replace?

It tests purchasable same-category replacements one at a time, rebuilds the complete PC, reruns compatibility, performance and power models, then ranks only meaningful changes inside the stated upgrade budget.

Does affiliate commission affect the recommendation?

No. Affiliate status and commission are excluded from the upgrade score and tie-breaking. The lowest suitable retailer offer is attached only after the product decision.

Will it recommend an incompatible component?

No blocking compatibility error is allowed. Every proposed single-part replacement is checked in the complete build against the same 13-rule engine used by the PC Builder.

How are platform migration bundles evaluated?

CPU, motherboard and memory are substituted together and checked as one atomic decision. A bundle must actually change the processor platform or memory generation; replacing three parts inside the same viable platform is rejected as wasteful.

How is the estimated resale recovery verified?

Only completed sales matched to the exact canonical product and selected condition are eligible. At least four fresh observations across two marketplaces must remain after fees and seller-paid shipping; active listings and asking prices are excluded.

Can resale value make an unaffordable upgrade look affordable?

No. The cash budget is always checked against the full delivered checkout price. Verified recovery can improve ranking only after that gross budget gate, and the conservative end of the recovery range is used rather than the optimistic estimate.

How does the Upgrade Roadmap decide what comes later?

It does not reuse the original top-three list. After each phase it rebuilds the hypothetical PC, reruns every remaining counterfactual and prevents an already changed category from appearing again. Future phases must still be rechecked before purchase.