I'm considering an upgrade from my Intel build to an AMD AM5 setup and I'm mulling over whether the 9800X3D would pair well with my RX 6600. The 9070 XT is way overpriced right now, so I plan to use the RX 6600 temporarily until prices return to more reasonable levels. My current rig has two 1080p monitors (one 180Hz and one 60Hz), an MSI H510M-A Pro motherboard, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, an RX 6600, an i5-11400f CPU, and 2TB of storage. I'm aiming for 1080p gaming on high settings, without heavy ray tracing, while hitting at least 60 fps. With the RAM and PSU upgrades already decided, I'm curious: will switching to the 9800X3D provide any noticeable performance boost over my current i5 in combination with the RX 6600?
4 Answers
Honestly, I don't think upgrading to a better CPU will massively change your gaming experience at 1080p, especially given your expectations are pretty low. Your current setup seems fine for what you want to achieve.
I get that, but I also feel like some newer titles may need a more powerful CPU, like Cyberpunk. I'm concerned that upcoming games might actually need something beefier.
I think the RX 6600 will work fine short-term until you can snag the 9070 XT or 5070 Ti at a fair price. After that, consider upgrading to a 1440p monitor as well; you can find those in the $150-170 range.
> You're aiming for 1080p with high settings?
Yeah, the RX 6600 might hold the 9800X3D back a bit. You'd probably see better performance at lower settings. But if this is just a temporary setup, it could still be worth it for now.
Have you thought about investing in better monitors instead? That's often a worthwhile upgrade.
But at which resolution do you think the 9800X3D would really shine then? 720p?