Hey everyone! I'm looking to give my PC a solid upgrade, ideally either on Prime Day or during Black Friday. Just a bit of context: I'm a 22-year-old PhD student with minimal expenses. Here's what I've got: an RTX 2080, an i7-9700k, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a Z390 motherboard. Lately, I've been noticing that my CPU is bottlenecking and consistently running at 100% while my GPU barely hits 5%. I primarily play Fortnite, and I feel like if I upgrade my CPU but go for a 14th gen, I'll need to get a new motherboard and RAM too, which adds up. I'd rather avoid extra costs if possible. Would it be worth it to aim for a 12th gen CPU instead? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Switching to an AM5 setup could be worth considering. Right now, Intel isn't the best option since their newer chips often draw more power and don’t provide much improvement over AMD options. Do you have a budget in mind?
Honestly, you're already running the best CPU your motherboard can support. The only slight upgrade is going for the 9900K, but that’s barely noticeable. If you choose a 12th or 14th gen Intel CPU, you'll keep your DDR4, but remember, slower RAM can be a bottleneck too. Best bet is to set a budget and aim for the most powerful system within that.
Should I just wait for Black Friday deals instead of Prime Day? And if I go for a motherboard that supports DDR5, is it wiser to stick with DDR4 for now and use the extra cash towards a better CPU?
Yeah, I'd like to keep it under $500, but that includes possibly getting a new motherboard and RAM. Ideally, I want to get my setup optimized for 165 Hz refresh rate with Fortnite.