Most PC builders don’t put together a new system from scratch every few years. They upgrade one component at a time when they feel it has overstayed its welcome. For instance, you’ll often find gamers sticking to their CPUs for up to a decade while going through two or even three GPUs during the same time. Individual upgrades are often tied to resolving a specific bottleneck in the system that you think is holding back everything else. It could be your graphics card, CPU, RAM, storage, or cooler. Knowing exactly what the biggest bottleneck is in your PC is key to making the most of a component upgrade. Otherwise, you’re just acting on instinct, opening the door wide open for buyer’s remorse. I’ll talk about some of the most common single-part upgrades people make to their PCs, and how things don’t always go according to plan.