I'm planning to upgrade my desktop, which I use to stream games to a laptop through Sunshine and Moonlight. Since I have two young children, playing from the living room lets me stay nearby, and I don't have space for a full gaming setup there. The laptop has a 1920×1200 60Hz display, so I'm limited to that resolution and refresh rate. My desktop currently has a Ryzen 5 3600X, an RTX 2070 Super, and 16GB of RAM. I'm already planning to move to 32GB, but I'm unsure whether I should stay on AM4 and upgrade the CPU or replace the motherboard and move to AM5. AM5 seems potentially excessive for a 60Hz 1920×1200 setup, but I'd like the system to remain useful for several years. I mainly play Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2, though I'd also like some room for future games. What upgrade path would make the most sense?
3 Answers
Staying on AM4 is probably the best value here. A Ryzen 5500X3D or 5800X3D would be a substantial CPU upgrade without requiring a new motherboard and DDR5 memory. Adding another 16GB of RAM to reach 32GB should also help. Depending on the games and settings you choose, a GPU upgrade could be worthwhile later, but you don’t necessarily need to replace the RTX 2070 Super immediately.
Since the laptop is only acting as the streaming client, its internal CPU and GPU aren’t relevant to the desktop upgrade. Laptop components are usually soldered and difficult or impossible to replace anyway. Your desktop is the system that matters, and a RAM upgrade plus an AM4 X3D processor should give you a strong improvement without the expense of rebuilding around AM5. If you ever need more space or faster loading, an NVMe SSD could also be considered.
The laptop is just being used to access the desktop remotely—I was listing the desktop’s specifications, not suggesting the laptop itself could be upgraded.
Because you’re streaming the desktop to the laptop, the laptop’s display resolution is the main target. Path of Exile 2 can be fairly CPU-limited, while the RTX 2070 Super should still manage 1920×1200 at 60 FPS if you’re willing to lower a few demanding settings. I’d stay on AM4, upgrade to 32GB, and look at a Ryzen 5500X3D or 5600X3D. The 5600X3D makes especially good sense if it’s available near you at a reasonable price.
If I went with one of those X3D processors, what kind of graphics card would be a sensible match?