re: Help me upgrade PC. Where do I start or focus?

If PSU prices don't improve, I see a future in which you have a whole host of people testing those 10/12yr warranties on higher end units

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Like I don't even understand the difference

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So, "high refresh rate" is subjective, and situation specific. For competitive gamers, they likely mean 1080p (the screen resolution) at 240hz+ (how many times the screen refreshes every second). A few years ago, that same crew would have considered 120hz+ high refresh.

But if you move away from competitive gaming into more cinematic gaming, 1440p at 120hz+ would be considered high refresh. And 4k... well, people are just happy if they can climb over 60hz

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No desire for competitive gaming

Sounds like I would be content at 1440p at 120hz

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Tentative list for ya:

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PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hV2Pb8

CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K 4.1 GHz 6-Core Processor ($292.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($65.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital SN750 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: SK hynix Gold S31 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $718.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-20 11:34 EDT-0400

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You don't need a Sata or M.2 PCIe SSD for gaming, so depending on what your budget is, you can add/subtract. I just built a pc with the Western Digital SN750 and the SK Hynix Gold S31, and I've had no issues with both.

Assuming you will reuse your CPU cooler, case, and power supply (TBD depending on your GFX card), this build should do your 1440p 120+ Hz goal just fine.

For strictly gaming PCs, Intel still is slightly ahead of AMD, although the gap is closing.

I bought a Ryzen 5 3600 for my SFF PC primarily due to thermal concerns and the overall price/performance of the 3600.

A great value right now is the 3700x at $264 on Walmart/Amazon, which is cheaper than the 10600k, although again slightly slower than the 10600k in gaming.

Your big TBD is the power supply and graphics card, since the 3080 recommends a minimum 750+ W PS, but actually getting a 3080 right now is a royal PITA. For your scenario, an RTX 3070 makes the most sense, but again... if you can get your hands on one when its released in October.

AMD is coming out with its new CPUs in October as well, so it is probably a good idea at this point to wait and see if the new AMD CPUs can close the gaming gap with Intel even further, which is rumored to be the case.

EDIT: Watch this video by OptimumTech on RTX 3080 power consumption: LINK

You're probably fine with your current power supply.

Thanks

Couldn't I also reuse my hard drives?

As Bo said, yes. With that said, a cheap SSD will torch even an expensive HD in your day to day tasks. I could never go back to windows startup taking longer than 15-20s.