Hey everyone! I've been using an AM4 build and gradually upgraded components over time. Now, I've got an old Ryzen 5 3600x CPU lying around, which could really benefit a friend who's stuck with an older Intel LGA 1151 setup. We're thinking of picking up an AM4 motherboard for him, but I'm also curious if upgrading my own motherboard would provide any performance benefits. Here are my current specs:
- GPU: 9070xt
- CPU: AMD 7 5800X3D
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 Aorus PRO-CF
- RAM: 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200
- PSU: Corsair RM850e
Since I game at 1440p, I'm wondering if switching to a better AM4 board would actually improve my performance, or would it be more trouble than it's worth?
5 Answers
Honestly, upgrading to a B550 or even the overkill X570 won’t bring a significant uplift—just better I/O options. If your friend can benefit from the B450, that might be the way to go.
Good point! A B550 would give you Wi-Fi 6, which is nice.
I'd say stick with your current setup. The 5800X3D is great! I also have it and probably won’t upgrade until AM6. There's just not much to gain from switching motherboards at this stage.
Yeah, I’m leaning towards that. Just weighing the motherboard thing in case I upgrade my friend’s setup.
If you decide to upgrade, a B550 board would give you PCIe Gen 4 support, which can be an upgrade in terms of future-proofing, but performance gains are still quite small for your current setup.
Overall, an upgraded board could allow for better RAM speeds and potentially improved SSD options, but unless you're looking to push your system harder, your current setup should serve you well for a while longer.
Honestly, if you're looking for a boost, upgrading from PCIe 3.0 to 4.0 might give you a tiny performance gain, but it’s pretty minimal—around 1-3% at best. Because your 9070 XT is already so powerful, you probably won’t notice it unless you're pushing your VRAM to its limits.
So I should keep my current setup then?
What about the features? I need Wi-Fi, for example.