I want higher and more consistent FPS in games such as Overwatch and Deadlock. My monitor runs at 165 Hz, but Overwatch drops to around 110 FPS during fights, while Deadlock usually peaks near 110 FPS and can fall below 100 during larger fights. My current system has a Ryzen 5 4500, RTX 2060, 32 GB of 3600 MHz RAM, and an MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX motherboard. I play at 1080p, and moving to AM5 is not practical. I was considering a Ryzen 7 5700X, but I'm unsure whether the CPU or GPU should be upgraded first. My budget is roughly $300, although local prices vary. Neither component appears to reach 100% usage in-game, but the GPU often sits lower than the CPU.
4 Answers
For these games, I’d upgrade the CPU first. The Ryzen 5 4500 is relatively weak, especially for minimum FPS, and Deadlock can be quite CPU-limited. A Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X is a sensible value upgrade on your motherboard, but don’t expect the extra cores of a 5700X alone to transform gaming performance. If you can find a compatible X3D chip at a reasonable price, that would be the stronger end-of-platform option.
The parts are compatible, so you don’t automatically need to replace both. Start with the CPU because your symptoms and lower GPU usage suggest a CPU-side limit. After that, check GPU utilization and frame rates again. If the GPU is then consistently near full usage and you still want higher settings or FPS, save for a graphics-card upgrade later. At 1080p and around a $300 budget, replacing both at once would likely force compromises.
Before buying anything, test with an FPS cap and monitor per-core CPU usage, GPU usage, temperatures, and RAM speed. If reducing graphics settings barely changes FPS, the CPU is limiting you. If lowering settings gives a large FPS increase and the GPU stays near 100%, then the RTX 2060 is the upgrade target. Your 32 GB of 3600 MHz memory is already adequate, assuming XMP/DOCP is enabled.
Check usage while you’re actually in a match, preferably with a performance overlay rather than only looking after tabbing out. Overall CPU usage can look moderate even when one or two CPU cores are maxed out. If the GPU is well below 90–95% while FPS is low, that points toward a CPU or game-engine limit. At 1080p competitive settings, the RTX 2060 is probably not the first thing holding you back.
Make sure the motherboard BIOS supports whichever processor you choose before swapping it in. Also, check prices carefully—sometimes a regular 5600 is much better value than paying a premium for a small clock-speed difference.