I'm helping my friend upgrade his PC setup with a budget of $1000. Currently, he has a Ryzen 3700x, 32GB of RAM, and a GTX 1660 Super GPU. He primarily uses Blender for his work and plays Marvel Rivals for gaming. I'm considering upgrading his GPU to something like a 5070 and possibly enhancing his CPU to a 5800XT. I'd love to hear what others would suggest or any thoughts on my plan!
5 Answers
Your upgrade plan sounds solid! Just make sure to check what power supply unit (PSU) he has, as the 5070 will need more juice compared to the 1660 Super. Also, don't forget to update the BIOS while the 3700X is still installed!
I made that mistake when switching from a 3000 series to a 5000 series! Had to flash the BIOS from the back of my motherboard. What a hassle!
If you're in the US, check out Microcenter for some great deals on AM5 upgrades! Just keep in mind that you'll likely need a bigger PSU if you go that route.
Exactly! It seems wiser to max out the existing AM4 setup and wait for AM6 to become more established.
But going AM5 would also require new DDR5 RAM and a new motherboard, right? I upgraded my AM4 setup (3600 to 5950X) and GPU (2080Ti to 9070 XT), but the cost of DDR5 is ridiculous right now. Plus, with AM6 around the corner, investing in AM5 seems risky!
Definitely go for a 5070 Ti or at least a 5060 Ti with 16GB. The VRAM is crucial for performance!
If he's primarily using Blender, I recommend going for Nvidia cards. They dominate with Optix rendering, while AMD still lags behind a bit since they mainly use OpenCL. Upgrading to a 5070 or even a 5070 Ti should be prioritized. For the CPU, consider aiming for at least a 5700X3D if you can find one, but the 5800XT is also great for production work. Just remember to update the BIOS if he's on an older motherboard!
Honestly, just grab a used 3080 and call it a day. The market is pretty wild right now, so it's a good time to make that jump.
I haven't checked the PSU yet, but I think we can fit a new one into the budget. Updating the BIOS is definitely on our to-do list before we start upgrading!