Hey everyone! I've got a pretty old computer that's starting to show its age, and I'm looking to upgrade. I found a used 5700XT at a great price, but I'm realizing my i5 7600 is becoming a bottleneck. I'm on the hunt for a new motherboard and CPU combo and I'm weighing my options. I could grab a used AM4 setup fairly cheap, but I'm also tempted by a Z790 with an i5 14600KF, which I think would be a better value since I can keep my DDR4 RAM. However, I'm curious whether it might be smarter to invest in an AM5 path with DDR5 for future-proofing, even though it seems a bit excessive for my current graphics card. I'm based in Canada and gaming at 1080p, though I'm considering a move to 1440p eventually, but not just yet. Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
AM5 bundles are actually pretty affordable these days, which makes them a solid choice for future-proofing your setup. Even if it feels like overkill with the 5700XT, you'll benefit in the long run when you decide to upgrade your GPU later on!
Before you make a decision, what’s your total budget for the upgrade? Also, how fast is your current RAM? If it’s below 3200MHz, upgrading to AM5 could be better since you’ll likely need new RAM anyway.
My RAM is 3600MHz; I upgraded that not too long ago from 8GB to 16GB. For budget, I'm thinking around $500-$600 max. I even considered just getting a cheap LGA1700 motherboard with an i3 14100F since it's a great upgrade for the price!
That's good to know! I’ll definitely keep an eye on those bundles. My goal is to make sure I don't get stuck with outdated tech!