I'm relatively new to building PCs and could use some guidance. I upgraded to an Nvidia 4070 about a year ago and paired it with a Prime H570M-Plus and an i5-10400. While it's been fine for most games, I've noticed performance issues with Monster Hunter Wilds, and I'm wondering if I should just upgrade to a newer Intel CPU or get both a new CPU and motherboard. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
I’d recommend going for both a newer motherboard and a better CPU. The i5-12600KF is a fantastic choice; it even outperforms some i9s! You can usually grab it for around $125, and there are solid motherboards available for a similar price. If your budget allows, consider going up to around $400 for a 9600X paired with a B650/850 motherboard and some DDR5 RAM.
Totally agree! Figuring out motherboard compatibility is a headache though, right?
If you're looking for a straightforward upgrade, the i7 11700k or i9 11900k would work well. Your current i5 is bottlenecking your performance, especially under load. Most CPUs above 100W should improve things. If you go the full upgrade route with Intel, aim for at least an i5 13600k or i7 13700k to avoid issues. Just make sure to invest in a good CPU cooler and thermal paste too!
That's a great suggestion! The price on that 9600X is quite appealing, too.