Hey everyone! I'm currently facing issues with my setup and I'm planning to upgrade and switch from Intel to AMD at the same time. Right now, I've got an Intel Core i5-11600KF, paired with a Gigabyte Z590I AORUS ULTRA motherboard, 1x16GB DDR4 RAM, and an EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB graphics card. I'm looking to make a solid upgrade, so I'm thinking about going for a Ryzen 5 7600X along with 2 sticks of 8GB DDR5 RAM. However, I'm stuck on the motherboard choice. I initially looked into the B650 MSI Tomahawk WiFi, but I noticed it only supports PCIe Gen 4. If I eventually want to get a Gen 5 GPU, will that affect my performance? I read somewhere that it might only impact it by about 1%, but I'd like some input on whether I should stick with that option or look for a motherboard that supports Gen 5 instead. I'm hoping to stay around €220 to €250 for the motherboard, while the Tomahawk is about €180. What do you all think?
1 Answer
Hey! First off, I'd say that having single channel RAM isn't doing you any favors, especially for gaming. Before you spend a ton on switching to AM5, consider just grabbing a used 2x16GB DDR4 kit. Your current Intel setup, especially with a tuned 11600K, is still pretty competitive—almost on par with the R5 5600. As for PCIe, unless you're running out of VRAM, PCIe Gen 3 or 4 won't really be a bottleneck. So, think about your priorities!
I totally get the upgrade itch! But if your CPU is struggling—like high usage even at idle—you might indeed want to upgrade sooner rather than later. If you’re set on moving to AMD, go for it! Just be prepared to optimize your RAM setup for the best results.