Upgrading from ~2014 CPU, GPU, MOBO, and RAM for next gen and VR

[tick tock tech]

1. Budget & Location

Location: US. I do not have access to Microcenter. The best retailers for me are Amazon, BestBuy, Newegg. 

 

Budget: ~$800 USD. 

 

2. Aim

1. VR. I have an Oculus CV1 and performance is fine most of the time. In the future I would like to upgrade to HP Reverb G2. With my current setup I think I'm limited by my CPU. 
2. 1080 @ 120 hz gaming @ higher settings for modern games like Cyberpunk with ray tracing on.

3. Monitors

1080p @ 120hz

 

4. Why are you upgrading?

My current setup is a bit outdated for some VR games. Current setup:

• Intel 4690k @ 4.4Ghz
• 980 Ti
• 16 Gb DDR3

5. What research I've already done:

• GPU wise I want ray tracing so I feel like a 3060 Ti around MSRP at $400 is the best option.
• This leaves $400 left for CPU, new motherboard, DDR4 RAM.
• CPU wise I think this leaves me locked into something like last gen Ryzen such as the R5 3600x. I am out of the loop regarding intel. Are there any good intel CPU's that would fit my budget and performance goals?

Does anyone have suggestions for CPU, motherboard, and DDR4 RAM at a budget of $400? Let me know if I will need to buy used to hit this price point. My 980 Ti was bought used on r/hardware swap and it has served me well. I'm comfortable buying CPU and RAM used. 

[Grabhanem]

You can get a combo of R5 3600, motherboard, memory for under $400, and even include a basic aftermarket cooler if you care about noise... in a non-insane world where 3600s don't go for $300+. Once prices settle back down to the usual $170-200, I'd go with something like that.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$199.99 @ Best Buy
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC Freezer 34 CPU Cooler	$34.08 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$89.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$74.99 @ B&H
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$399.05
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-05 12:15 EST-0500

 

[tick tock tech]

2 hours ago, Grabhanem said:

You can get a combo of R5 3600, motherboard, memory for under $400, and even include a basic aftermarket cooler if you care about noise... in a non-insane world where 3600s don't go for $300+. Once prices settle back down to the usual $170-200, I'd go with something like that.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$199.99 @ Best Buy
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC Freezer 34 CPU Cooler	$34.08 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$89.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$74.99 @ B&H
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$399.05
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-05 12:15 EST-0500

 

What are your thoughts on Intel 9600k vs AMD R5 3600x? I already have a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and I'm down to overclock. 

 

I can buy a Intel 9600k on Amazon today for $200. 

[Grabhanem]

4 minutes ago, tick tock tech said:

What are your thoughts on Intel 9600k vs AMD R5 3600x? I already have a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and I'm down to overclock. 

 

I can buy a Intel 9600k on Amazon today for $200. 

The 9600K and 3600 were pretty similar at launch, but as more games have started to take advantage of more threads you'll likely see better results from the 3600. You're also not stuck on a dead-end platform, so you could upgrade to 5000 series down the line if the 3600 starts to struggle without a motherboard change.

 

A note-- there's basically no point getting the 3600X over the 3600 if it's not cheaper, as the two have essentially the same performance.

[tick tock tech]

19 hours ago, Grabhanem said:

The 9600K and 3600 were pretty similar at launch, but as more games have started to take advantage of more threads you'll likely see better results from the 3600. You're also not stuck on a dead-end platform, so you could upgrade to 5000 series down the line if the 3600 starts to struggle without a motherboard change.

 

A note-- there's basically no point getting the 3600X over the 3600 if it's not cheaper, as the two have essentially the same performance.

Ok, thank you. I'm going to try and find a 3600 for sale @ $200.