Should I upgrade?

Stevenfred · November 28, 2023

Budget (including currency): $500-600

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: games

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc):

long time viewer first time posting on the forum. Current build is 9900k 32gb ram and 3060ti. With all the deals on 7800x3d, should I splurge on an upgrade? I can probably sell my current mobo, cpu and ram for about $300. Set up has been struggling at 1440 and 4k. Any thoughts?

filpo · November 28, 2023

Just now, Stevenfred said:

Set up has been struggling at 1440 and 4k

it's not the 9900k. it's the 3060 ti. And for $600 you could get a 4070

But if you save up more you could get a 4070 and a decent cpu (like the 7600)

1 minute ago, Stevenfred said:

all the deals on 7800x3d

also, the 7800X3D is way overkill for the 3060 ti even at 1080p. A 7600 will do great. I'm not saying get a 7600 without a new gpu tho since that 9900k should be doing just fine rn

Bismut · November 28, 2023

1 minute ago, Stevenfred said:

Set up has been struggling at 1440 and 4k. Any thoughts?

Sounds like a reason to upgrade. If your system is not performing the way you want it to any more, upgrade and sell or pass on your old parts, especially so if you can get a good deal on your new components.

FloRolf · November 28, 2023

The 3060ti is your bigger problem, not the CPU (at least for gaming).

So I'd say get a new GPU first.

TylerD321 · November 28, 2023

29 minutes ago, FloRolf said:

The 3060ti is your bigger problem, not the CPU (at least for gaming).

So I'd say get a new GPU first.

Yup, the 9900k is actually the only CPU from that generation worth using as well IMO. At higher than 1080p the solution is almost always get a better GPU if you don't like your performance.

dizmo · November 28, 2023

I wouldn't get an X3D chip at all. They aren't as memory friendly (IIRC).

But, to parrot everyone else, your GPU is holding you back more than the CPU at higher resolutions.

Welcome to the forum.

Stevenfred · November 30, 2023

On 11/28/2023 at 12:17 PM, filpo said:

And for $600 you could get a 4070

Any suggestions on what partner card design to get, should I just get whatever 4070 is the cheapest? Also, should I be worried about a cpu bottleneck?

Queen Chrysalis · November 30, 2023

2 hours ago, Stevenfred said:

Any suggestions on what partner card design to get, should I just get whatever 4070 is the cheapest? Also, should I be worried about a cpu bottleneck?

I wouldn’t worry about a bottleneck, but I would not get a 4070. I’d get a new 6800xt or, depending on how much you wanna spend, you might be able to win a 3090 in an auction for under $600. If you wanna go over on budget a 7900xt should be good with a 9900k for most games at 4k, and that’d be $730 new.