I'm looking to upgrade my PC because I want to play some newer games, primarily at 1080p, though I wouldn't mind getting into 4K soon. Right now, I have an RX 480 graphics card, and I'm considering an upgrade in the $500 to $700 range, possibly to something like the RTX 5070 or RX 9070. My main concern is whether my existing setup can handle this upgrade. I currently have a Gigabyte X470 AORUS GAMING 5 WIFI motherboard with a Ryzen 7 2700 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a Corsair HX620 power supply. Is it feasible to keep my motherboard and processor with a new GPU, or do I need to upgrade those as well? Also, is there new CPU architecture coming that might be worth waiting for? I'm used to upgrading my GPU and motherboard on different schedules, but I feel a bit lost this time around. Thanks for any advice!
3 Answers
Your Ryzen 7 is still a solid choice for 1080p gaming but it's getting old. I'd say go for the GPU upgrade first and then save up for a CPU and motherboard overhaul later. Do keep in mind that to upgrade your CPU, you might have to do a BIOS update, and the latest your board supports is the Ryzen 5000 series. It's a good idea to get the GPU working well first; even if there's a bottleneck, it'll still give you a significant performance boost over the RX 480.
If you're looking for an immediate boost, I'd say upgrade the GPU first and see how that goes. Your current setup with the Ryzen 7 2700 is still decent; it might be a slight bottleneck, but it's not going to hold you back too much right away. Just make sure your PSU can handle the new card. A card like the 5070 or 9070 should work just fine without needing to upgrade everything else right away!
Yeah, I did something similar last year! Upgraded my GPU and it made a huge difference without having to go all-in on a new machine.
I'd recommend the RX 9070 if you're looking for something to last a bit longer. It seems to perform better in most games, and while the 5070 might be fine for now, you might hit VRAM limits sooner than you'd like. But do keep in mind, a CPU upgrade will be on the horizon for you, especially if you're aiming for higher performance in future games. Your current Ryzen 2700 is alright, but just know it will start to show its age more as the new games come out.
Totally agree! The 9070 has better future-proofing with more VRAM.
Yeah, don’t stress too much about the CPU until you really feel the need to upgrade it. Get the GPU that fits your budget and see how that does!