I'm looking to improve my low to mid-tier gaming rig for competitive play, specifically in Team Fortress 2 (TF2). I've noticed that while I can get around 300 FPS, it drops significantly during busy scenes. I haven't tested it with a more reliable benchmarking tool yet. My goal is to maximize my frame rate; ideally, doubling my current performance would be fantastic. I'm already using minimal graphics settings, and I don't overclock my GPU due to stability issues. Overclocking my CPU seems complicated and risky, so I'm trying to avoid that. Here are my specs:
- 165hz 1440p monitor
- Radeon 6650 XT 8GB
- Ryzen 3600
- MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
- Western Digital Blue 500GB M.2 SATA SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Thanks in advance for any advice on potential upgrades!
3 Answers
Do consider that your 8GB of VRAM could start to limit you at 1440p, even in older games. If you're having issues with overclocking, your power supply might not be strong enough. That could also explain why your system crashes during attempts. Keep an eye on that!
First things first, have you enabled DOCP in your BIOS? This setting helps with RAM performance, which can impact FPS. As for your CPU, a Ryzen 5800X or similar could be a good upgrade if you're open to it—especially with talks of new models coming out soon. I'd suggest holding off until those come out, as they might offer great value.
Yeah, I think I set the XMP profile for my RAM. Is that the same as DOCP?
If you're thinking about overclocking your GPU, you might want to maximize its boost clock speed and adjust the power limits in MSI Afterburner to keep it stable. This can help increase your FPS without too much extra heat. Check out some YouTube guides for more detailed steps—it can really improve performance if done right!
Wow, I hadn't thought about the PSU affecting overclocking! Would those new CPUs use more power than the Ryzen 3600?