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!
1 Answer
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?