I use this PC almost exclusively for World of Warcraft. In the WoW Forever beta, performance drops to roughly 30 FPS in crowded cities and group content, while solo questing stays locked at 60 FPS on maximum settings. I assumed the i5-9400F is the bottleneck because WoW tends to be CPU-heavy, although there may also be a current beta issue involving memory or VRAM usage.
My current system is an Intel i5-9400F on an ASUS ROG Strix B360-F Gaming motherboard, 16GB DDR4-2666, an RTX 3070, Corsair TX650M 650W PSU, NVMe storage, and a Corsair Carbide SPEC-DELTA case. I play at 3440×1440 ultrawide.
I am considering a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, ASUS TUF Gaming B650E-PLUS WIFI, 32GB DDR5-6000 CL38, and an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. I would keep the RTX 3070, PSU, case, and storage. The CPU, motherboard, memory, and cooler would cost about €1,146.
Does this look well matched for a CPU-limited MMO setup, or is anything unnecessarily expensive or mismatched while I am still using an RTX 3070? Since I mainly care about WoW, would a Ryzen 7 9700X, 7800X3D, or another processor offer better value than the 9800X3D?
5 Answers
If the goal is simply to improve WoW while maximizing value, I would compare the price of a 7800X3D system against the 9800X3D build. The 9800X3D is faster and more efficient than the 7800X3D, but the difference may not be obvious unless you are chasing high minimum FPS in busy areas. A 9700X is also a reasonable choice, though the X3D models are generally the safer pick for MMO frame times.
Before spending €1,146, verify that the beta is actually showing a CPU limitation. Several players have reported a memory or VRAM leak that gradually causes performance to collapse in cities. Relogging, returning to character selection, or reloading can temporarily restore performance. Low GPU usage during the slowdown does not automatically prove the CPU is the problem; overflowing VRAM or a client bug can also cause the GPU to sit idle.
The 9800X3D is an excellent gaming CPU, and WoW generally benefits from the extra 3D V-Cache. It should be a strong long-term choice, but the premium is difficult to justify if WoW is the only game you play and the price difference is substantial. A 7800X3D would still be very strong, while a 9700X or even a 9600X may already provide plenty of performance depending on your target frame rate.
For MMO workloads, I would prioritize an X3D chip over a similarly priced non-X3D model if the budget allows. The 7800X3D is probably the value option, while the 9800X3D makes more sense if you want the fastest AM5 gaming CPU and plan to keep it for years.
The 360mm liquid cooler is unnecessary for these processors. A quality dual-tower air cooler should handle a 9700X, 7800X3D, or 9800X3D easily and will usually cost less, be simpler to install, and avoid pump failure. Keep the AIO only if you specifically want its appearance or already have a reason to use it.
The platform change itself is sensible: AM5, 32GB of DDR5-6000, and your existing RTX 3070 should work well together at 3440×1440. You do not need an X870E board or PCIe 5.0 upgrades for WoW, and the B650E board is already more than adequate. Check that the case supports a 360mm radiator if you keep the AIO, and consider replacing the TX650M only if it is very old or showing signs of wear; 650W is enough for a 3070 and one of these CPUs.
Monitoring VRAM usage while the slowdown happens would be useful. If VRAM fills over time and performance returns after reloading, the new CPU may not fix this particular beta issue.