I'm considering an upgrade for my gaming PC. Currently, I have an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 paired with an Intel i7 11700KF, 32GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM, and a 4TB storage solution, all cooled by a DARK ROCK 4 Black CPU Cooler. I'm thinking about switching to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D along with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 with GDDR7 memory and increasing my RAM to 64GB DDR5-6000. Given that I primarily game at 4K, will the performance boost be significant enough to justify this upgrade?
6 Answers
In this economy, I'd say it's not really worth the upgrade right now. The 5090 does perform better at 4K with DLSS 4, but RAM prices are through the roof. I was lucky to grab some before the price hike.
Honestly, I don't see the point. The 5090 isn't all that different from the 4090, unless you're just looking to spend money for the sake of it. Instead, consider a CPU upgrade like the 7800X3D or 9800X3D. Also, you probably don't need 64GB RAM for gaming; that's overkill.
Yes, it's already getting outdated! The 5090 has been around for a year now, and DDR4 is pretty old-school. You might struggle with launching some of the newest games if you stick with a lower-end setup.
Yes, you will notice a difference! Those upgrades are pretty substantial, especially the CPU and GPU. Just keep in mind that the RAM upgrade might not contribute much for gaming at this point. Ultimately, it really depends on your budget and what you're expecting from the upgrade.
Got it! I'll have to weigh the benefits versus the costs.
Nope, not worth it! At 4K resolution, your CPU isn't likely to bottleneck the 4090 or even the 5090 much. The upgrade would grant you some performance, perhaps around a 30% increase with the 5090, but if you can, you might want to hold off until the prices normalize and upgrade everything at once instead.
Why do you want to increase your RAM? Are you running out? If gaming is your main focus, maybe look at a 9800X3D instead; it should serve you well without overextending your budget.

Exactly! Unless you really need the very latest, I would hold off.