Upgrading my first PC

Hey, I recently started college and have made 3d animations on a pc my sister gave me. I've had to learn to optimize alot but the hardware is still pretty dated, plus I always wanted to break into pc gaming anyway. So I've got $900 budget and am looking to upgrade My Cpu, GPU, ​and get more ram. I already kind figure ill need to upgrade the motherboard too. Though I might not be able to upgrade everything right now, I want to start.

Im not looking for a super computer right now​. Just something to significantly increase my reander times and allow me to make denser scenes. While being able to run things like red dead or Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p smoothly.

If you guys could suggest some solid reliable parts around that price range id be super appreciative 🙏 or just tell me im a bit too poor and need a bigger buget. Either way any help would be appreciated.

Current Parts:

Intel i5-6400 2.70 ghz

Nvidia GeForce GTX 970

1TB SSD

1x8 GB Ram