I built my PC around 2018 and bought the RTX 2070 Super used in 2022. Since then, I've mainly upgraded the cooling. I mostly play single-player RPGs and MMOs, including newer Unreal Engine 5 games, and I'm trying to improve the system gradually rather than replace everything at once.
My current specs are:
- 16 GB RAM at 2666 MHz
- Intel Core i7-9700K
- RTX 2070 Super
- MSI Z390-A Pro motherboard
Money is tight because of illness, but I can save over time. I'm particularly interested in the best first upgrade for the money. Newer UE5 MMOs have caused noticeable stuttering, lag, and freezing, so I'm wondering whether increasing the RAM would help. I considered buying 32 GB of 3200 MHz memory, but I'm unsure whether mixing it with my current kit would reduce the speed or cause compatibility problems. Should I prioritize more RAM, a graphics card, or something else?
4 Answers
There’s also a reasonable argument for waiting instead of forcing an upgrade. Your current system should still run many games well at 1440p with sensible settings and upscaling. Older-platform parts can be expensive for what they offer, so avoid buying an expensive replacement CPU or old motherboard unless testing shows one of them is actually failing.
Be aware that a newer Intel CPU would require a newer motherboard as well, since the Z390 platform only supports a limited range of older processors. That makes a CPU upgrade much less economical on its own. You can still upgrade piece by piece, but the practical order is usually 32 GB of matched RAM if you’re hitting memory limits, then save for a substantial GPU upgrade. If the motherboard or CPU eventually needs replacing, that becomes a larger platform upgrade rather than a simple drop-in part.
The graphics card is probably the most worthwhile performance upgrade. The i7-9700K is aging, but it can still handle a lot of modern games, especially if you’re playing at 1440p. The RTX 2070 Super remains usable, though, so I’d only replace it when you can afford a clearly faster card rather than making a small side-grade.
If the stuttering is caused by memory pressure, increasing capacity could help more immediately than chasing faster RAM. I’d replace the current kit with a matched 2x16 GB kit instead of adding another pair to the existing memory. Mixing kits can cause instability, and faster memory may simply run at the slower kit’s speed. For gaming, having 32 GB is generally more useful here than moving from 2666 to 3200 MHz.
That makes sense. I’m mainly considering more RAM because of the freezing and stuttering in newer UE5 games, rather than expecting a huge performance increase from the memory speed itself.