I've got a budget of about $700 to upgrade my PC. Here's my current setup:
- CPU: i9 9900k
- GPU: 5070 ti MSI Inspire (just got it, but I've noticed about a 40% bottleneck)
- Motherboard: Asus Hero IX (compatible with i9 9900k)
- RAM: 2x 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1.5 TB
- PSU: 750W (needs an upgrade soon, but it can wait for now)
I create cinematics and videos for YouTube and want to improve my rig to handle 1440 and 4K resolutions. My CPU is often hitting around 70% usage with one game running, which is limiting my performance. I'm planning to reassemble and sell the replaced parts for around $800-1,000, which should leave me with enough cash for additional upgrades and a 4K monitor. I'm particularly looking for recommendations on a new CPU, RAM, and motherboard, especially since there are some sales going on.
2 Answers
I’m curious about where your '40%' bottleneck is coming from. Those calculators can be way off! With your budget, I suggest the 7800X3D paired with a decent B850 motherboard and 32GB of 6000MHz CL30 DDR5 RAM. I'd steer clear of the 9800X3D since it doesn't offer much improvement for the price. And about your used system sale, aiming for $800-1,000 for a setup with the 9900K seems optimistic, even with a newer GPU.
If you're close to a Microcenter, check it out! They usually have great bundle deals for CPUs and motherboards. If not, Newegg has some solid options right now, though I get that it can feel risky buying from there.
Yeah, I’m about 2 hours from Microcenter. I’ve had some issues with Newegg before, so I’m hesitant to buy from them.
Actually, I've noticed a 60% difference between CPU and GPU usage while rendering and gaming. The CPU hits 70% while the GPU barely hits 17%! As for the resale, I'm setting it up with the basic peripherals, and used parts are going for around $650—that's what my friend needs for Siege, and he owes me for meals.