My Ryzen 7 5800X is limiting performance with my Radeon 9070 XT, especially in Darktide, where the frame rate can drop below 60 FPS during large hordes. I play at 1440p using mostly high settings, though lowering the graphics settings barely changes performance, which makes me think the CPU is the limiting factor. Moving to a newer platform would also mean replacing the motherboard and DDR4 memory, so an AM5 upgrade is currently too expensive. My memory is 32GB of DDR4-3200 CL16. Would moving to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D provide a noticeable improvement, or is the upgrade unlikely to help?
4 Answers
Darktide may be a particularly bad example for judging an upgrade. The game can remain heavily limited by its engine or by specific workloads, meaning even faster AM4 or AM5 processors may not transform performance. Before buying anything, compare performance in several other CPU-heavy games and monitor whether the GPU is sitting below full utilization during the drops.
The 5800X3D can improve CPU-limited games thanks to its extra 3D V-Cache, and it is probably the most sensible drop-in upgrade for an AM4 system. That said, Darktide is unusually demanding and poorly optimized, so the improvement may not be as dramatic as it is in other games. Check GPU utilization, per-core CPU usage, frametimes, and temperatures first so you can confirm the bottleneck rather than relying only on how the game feels.
I’m seeing the worst drops during large hordes, and lowering settings barely changes the frame rate. I’d be happy with a meaningful improvement at 1440p, even if it doesn’t completely solve the problem.
Your 32GB of DDR4-3200 CL16 is perfectly reasonable for a 5800X3D and should not require replacement. If you can find the 5800X3D at a good used or discounted price, it offers a relatively inexpensive way to extend the life of the system. If it costs close to a complete platform upgrade, though, saving for AM5 is the better long-term choice.
The main advantage here is avoiding the cost of a new motherboard and DDR5. Paying around a few hundred dollars for a final AM4 upgrade can make sense if it buys you another couple of years, but make sure the price reflects that it is an older processor. Don’t expect the upgrade alone to guarantee 60 FPS in every Darktide scenario.
At 1440p, the game’s performance seems almost unchanged between lower and higher settings in the problem areas, which does point toward a CPU or game-engine limitation.