I'm really into PC gaming and usually have Discord and Steam running in the background. My current CPU is the Intel i7-9700, paired with an RTX 4060. I'm considering upgrading my CPU while holding off on a GPU upgrade for now. Can anyone recommend a good CPU that excels in gaming but can also handle running Steam and Discord simultaneously?
3 Answers
Your i7 is still holding up quite well! If your budget allows, maybe look at the AM5 platform with the R5 7600X3D. If you can push it a bit further, the R7 7800X3D could be awesome—very capable for gaming without bottlenecking mid-range GPUs.
It looks like your current motherboard can't support anything better than the i7-9700. If you're open to changing motherboards, consider the AM5 platform with something like the 7500F, 7600, or 9600X for a decent upgrade on a budget.
What about the 7600X? How does that compare to those, and will 6 cores be sufficient for gaming with Discord and Steam?
I recently upgraded from an i7-9700K and a 2070 Super to a 9800X3D with an AM5 system and some fast DDR5 RAM, and it's been a game changer! Even with the old GPU, games felt much smoother. The 9800X3D is currently one of the top CPUs for gaming, so I'd definitely look into it if you can stretch your budget. Just check out some CPU gaming benchmarks to see how it stacks up!
That's great but the price of the 9800X3D is pretty steep when you factor in the motherboard and DDR5 RAM costs.
I'm just worried that my i7 is starting to feel a bit outdated.