Right now is the time of year when AMD, Nvidia, and Intel release their shiny new processor and graphics cards, so you may be thinking about upgrading your PC. Scouring PC parts used to be a nightmare with the semiconductor shortages, but these days retailers are more than happy to get rid of their overstock. That means it’s the best time to grab some parts for cheap.

Still, putting together a PC parts list can be daunting, especially if you have to factor in a tight budget. It can be tempting to put your money toward a shiny new graphics card, but you need to prioritize the components that matter most to your PC and can grant you a good upgradeability path going forward.

Also, remember the PC itself is not all you need to factor in—you still need to acquire a monitor, mouse, keyboard, software licenses, and other accessories.

Processor and motherboard

The central processing unit (CPU) and motherboard are the core of your system. A good CPU can carry you across multiple graphics card generations before it starts to bottleneck a system. However, that doesn’t mean you need to get an expensive CPU—there are plenty of awesome choices under $200. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU is one of the best deals out there. This six-core processor comes in at about $135, and you…