I've been out of the loop regarding PC components for a couple of years now. My last full build was in 2019, and I did a graphics card upgrade in 2021. I'm starting to feel that my CPU might need an upgrade, but I'd love to hear from those more knowledgeable about the current landscape.
Here's what I'm currently running:
- Ryzen 7 3700X
- Gigabyte 6700XT 12GB
- 32GB 3600 DDR4
- MSI X570 Gaming with WiFi
- 3TB NVMe for storage and a 1TB NVMe for the operating system
- 750W PSU
I mainly use this setup for gaming across various genres, with a lot of my time spent on simulators and strategy games like Civ, Crusader Kings, and Manor Lords. I also enjoy open-world single-player titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Elden Ring. Lately, I've been experiencing some stutters and frame rate instability in recent games, and I'm unsure if it's due to my PC aging, the new games being poorly optimized, or a bit of both. What upgrades would you suggest for improving overall performance?
1 Answer
I recommend upgrading to a Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which you can find for under $200 on sites like AliExpress. Since the GPU upgrade would cost significantly more, focus on the CPU first to see if your performance improves. After that, if you still want more, then consider the GPU. But don't drop down to anything less than an RTX 5070 when upgrading from the 6700XT.
Thanks for the recommendation! If I'm considering spending a bit more for a motherboard upgrade to AM5 and DDR5, what would you suggest?