I'm looking for suggestions on a good upgrade option from my Intel i7-11700 without breaking the bank. I have an RTX 5070 for a GPU, and since RAM prices are pretty high, I'd prefer to stick with DDR4 if possible. I'd appreciate any thoughts or recommendations!
3 Answers
Honestly, if you’re on a budget, you might not need to upgrade at all. Your current i7-11700 is still solid! My daughter has a 10700, and she plays everything on her 6750xt at 1080p without any issues. What exactly is your setup struggling with?
Maybe consider upgrading to an Intel 13th or 14th gen processor? That way you can keep using your existing RAM. I’ve heard that AMD's AM4 processors, aside from the Zen 3 x3d models, are more like a sidegrade rather than a substantial upgrade. Just a heads-up, those newer chips tend to run hot, so you might want to improve your cooling system too!
I have a 5800x3d paired with a 5070 in my second rig, and I still noticed CPU bottlenecking in some demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077. Just something to keep in mind!
What is your motherboard, power supply, and monitor like? It might help to know in what situations your setup isn’t performing as expected with the i7-11700 and RTX 5070.
I have a Z590 motherboard, an 850W PSU, and a 240Hz OLED monitor.
I just want to tackle some CPU bottlenecks in a few more CPU-heavy games I play.