I've saved up to upgrade my first PC build and am considering replacing my RTX 3070 with an RTX 5070 Ti because I want more VRAM. My current processor is a Ryzen 5 5600X, installed on an Asus ROG STRIX B550-F motherboard. I'm mainly deciding between moving to an AM5 motherboard and CPU, upgrading to a stronger AM4 processor, or keeping my current CPU and motherboard until prices improve. I mostly play at 1440p on high settings and would be happy with around 80–100 FPS. I also have 32 GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3200 memory. What upgrade path makes the most sense?
3 Answers
A less expensive route is staying on AM4 and upgrading to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, or a similar X3D chip if you can find one at a good price. Someone with a comparable 5600X-based system reported a noticeable improvement after moving to a 5800X3D and RX 9070 XT, especially in demanding games at 1440p. This avoids buying a motherboard and DDR5 immediately, though AM5 gives you a longer upgrade path.
If you’re already considering a new motherboard, moving to AM5 could make sense. A Ryzen 5 7600X3D paired with the new graphics card should be a strong match for 1440p gaming, but remember that you’ll also need DDR5 memory. I wouldn’t replace 32 GB of DDR4 with only 16 GB of DDR5 just to save money; 32 GB is the better target.
Be careful about paying a large premium for the RTX 5070 Ti. Depending on current prices, the extra cost may provide relatively modest gains, particularly for ray tracing, and that money could instead cover a new CPU platform or memory. It may be worth comparing it with the RX 9070 XT before deciding.
I’ve considered the RX 9070 XT, but a couple of friends have had repeated driver and system problems with Radeon cards, including one with an RX 7900 XTX. I realize that may be anecdotal, but those experiences have made me hesitant to switch from Nvidia.
That does seem like a solid option. I was wondering whether temporarily going from 32 GB of DDR4 to 16 GB of DDR5 would be acceptable, but I’ll probably try to budget for 32 GB instead.