I'm using an Intel Core i9-12900K with an RTX 3090 to play Call of Duty and Warzone at 4K on a 120 Hz monitor. I'm currently averaging around 90 FPS and wondering whether upgrading to a newer RTX 40-series card would be worthwhile. I'd like to reach closer to the monitor's full refresh rate without sacrificing too much image quality.
4 Answers
Before replacing the card, try DLSS or AMD FSR in the game. If you can reach around 120–140 FPS with the upscaling setting while the image still looks good, that’s probably a much better value than upgrading immediately.
I’d only move from a 3090 if you can get a substantial performance increase at a reasonable price. Consider an RTX 4070 Ti Super or faster, though the jump may not feel large enough unless you specifically need higher native-4K frame rates. Otherwise, keeping the 3090 and using DLSS is sensible.
Your current performance is fairly normal for demanding 4K gaming. Competitive players often use 1080p or lower settings to maximize frame rate, but if you want to stay at native 4K, a high-end newer GPU is the upgrade that will make a meaningful difference. The 12900K should be plenty for this resolution.
At 4K, the GPU is almost certainly the limiting factor, not the 12900K. A faster card such as an RTX 4080-class model or better could help, but whether it’s worth the cost depends on how important a consistent 120 FPS is to you and how much you can recover by selling the 3090.
If you switch to 1080p and target well over 120 FPS, then the CPU could eventually become more relevant. At 4K and around 120 FPS, though, the 3090 is the part most likely holding you back.