I'm currently running a Ryzen 5 1600 and considering whether it's worth upgrading to the $125 5800XT I found on Amazon. However, I also need to buy a new PSU, and they seem pretty expensive. Right now, I've got a Corsair 450W which feels like it's getting pushed to its limits with my 6650XT, six fans, three HDDs, and two SSDs.
My plan is to use the Wraith Prism cooler that comes with the 5800XT. My case has decent airflow with four 120mm fans and two 80mm fans. I mostly do 1440p gaming (sometimes upscaled from 1080p) and I keep about 20 tabs open while browsing. Some games like Rust and Once Human have been a bit stuttery, so I thought the CPU upgrade could help.
I have an Asus ROG Strix B350F motherboard with the compatible BIOS, so that shouldn't be an issue. If I could just swap the GPU without needing a new PSU, it would be an easy yes. Given that my PSU is seven years old and can't handle more than a certain load (PCPP estimates around 460W), I'm unsure if I can proceed without upgrading it first. I've also been considering undervolting the GPU since I've read it can reduce heat and improve performance, but I still might not be able to rely on a 450W PSU anymore. I do foresee that this upgrade should allow me to set my RAM back to 3200MHz instead of the current 3000MHz as well, and it would make upgrading to Windows 11 easier.
3 Answers
Definitely go for the 5800XT at that price! You're looking at significant gains in both average and minimum FPS. You actually might not need a new PSU; the combined draw from a 5800XT and 6650XT should still be around 400 watts. If heat becomes an issue, you can dial back the power limit on the 5800XT. Even at 90 watts, you'd still keep about 85-90% of its performance.
Yeah, exactly! Those estimates are worst-case scenarios. In most cases, you won’t have everything running at full load.
I run a setup with a 5700X and RTX 3080 that pulls about 450W. Based on that, your current setup with the 6650XT should be pulling less, but the efficiency of your PSU could be a concern.
I’m not too familiar with PSU efficiency curves. The 5800XT has a slightly higher TDP than the 6650XT, but I'm guessing my total should be more around 330W with everything, which is about 73% load, right?
That's likely a good estimation, but you'll need to keep an eye on it to avoid any issues.
I decided to take the plunge! I grabbed it for about $109.99 after some discounts and discovered points. Just wondering, what should I watch out for to know if my power isn't enough? Will the system just not boot, or could there be other signs?
So, is that 450W estimate from PCPP for when everything is running at full blast? That rarely happens in real life, right? Plus, most of my HDDs are just backups.