I currently have a Ryzen 5 3400G and an older A320M motherboard. I'm considering a used RTX 3070 for around ₱15,000 (about $250) because it would be a huge upgrade over the 3400G's Vega graphics. However, the 3400G may bottleneck the card, and upgrading to something like a Ryzen 7 5700X would also require checking motherboard compatibility or replacing the board. Would it make sense to buy the RTX 3070 now and upgrade the CPU and motherboard later, or should I save until I can afford the whole platform upgrade?
3 Answers
If the card is in good condition and the price is fair, I’d buy the RTX 3070 first. Even with the 3400G, it should be a major improvement, and you’ll get closer to its full performance after upgrading the CPU. Just make sure your power supply is reliable and has enough wattage and the correct PCIe cables.
The 3400G will bottleneck the 3070 in some CPU-heavy or high-refresh-rate games, but that doesn’t make the GPU purchase useless. In GPU-limited games, especially at higher settings or resolutions, you should still see a big improvement. You can upgrade the processor later, possibly with a BIOS update if your A320 board supports newer Ryzen chips.
Another option is to buy a cheap used Ryzen 5 3600 as a temporary upgrade. It should be relatively easy on the motherboard and cooler, while offering a noticeable improvement over the 3400G. Then you can save for a stronger AM4 chip such as a 5700X3D, assuming your board’s BIOS and power delivery support it.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload