Hey everyone! I'm currently working with an Intel i5-8600K CPU paired with a GTX 1080 Ti GPU. My setup includes 32GB of DDR4 RAM, two 1080p 60Hz side monitors, and one main 4K 60Hz monitor. I'm looking to upgrade my GPU but I want to keep my budget around $400 to $600, with a max of $800. Any suggestions or advice on what I should consider? Thanks in advance!
3 Answers
I just upgraded my setup and got an AMD 9800X3D. It cost around $800 for the CPU, motherboard, and RAM. Although I kept my RTX 3080, I'm not hitting 100% CPU usage anymore which helped with the bottlenecks. If you’re open to it, a shift to an AM5 platform would give you much better upgrade potential in the future without having to constantly upgrade everything.
Honestly, you might need to think about a whole system revamp. Your CPU and GPU are kind of limiting each other's performance. Upgrading just the GPU could result in a bottleneck due to your CPU. Plus, your 60Hz monitor really holds back gaming at higher resolutions. It might be better to upgrade your CPU, monitor, and RAM as well even though that'd mean a bigger investment. You could keep your case and power supply if they're decent, though!
If you're primarily looking at a GPU upgrade, consider these options:
- RTX 4070 for around $600-$650, great performance with DLSS 3 and advanced ray tracing.
- RX 7800 XT for about $500-$550, has 16GB of VRAM which is excellent.
- RTX 3080, a solid choice for $500-$600 used, but be aware it could hit CPU limits in some games.
- RTX 4070 Ti at $750-$800 is a powerhouse if you can stretch your budget that far!
Totally agree! Getting into the AM5 platform now is a smart move. You can even go for a 7700X or 7800X3D first to save costs. Your current setup limits upgrades since the last supported CPU for your socket is the 9900K, and it's not worth it. The AM5 will offer you a lot more headroom to upgrade down the road!