I'm in a bit of a dilemma about what to focus on this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I'm considering either upgrading my CPU or purchasing a new motherboard that can support newer generation CPUs and RAM. My budget is around $450 if the deal is right. I'm wondering if I should stick with my current motherboard for a while longer, or if upgrading my CPU would be a good investment that will last a few years. Here's what I currently have:
- **CPU**: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- **CPU Cooler**: 240mm AIO (water cooling)
- **Motherboard**: Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WIFI
- **RAM**: 32 GB DDR4 (2x8 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 CL16, plus a bit of Ripjaws; is mixing them okay?)
- **GPU**: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (previously had an RTX 2070 SUPER; what should I do with the old GPU?)
- **Storage**: 1TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe SSD, 256 GB SATA SSD, 1 TB HDD, 2 TB NVMe SSD
- **PSU**: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 — 850W Gold, fully modular
- **Monitors**: 27" 1440p 300Hz main (new MSI), HP Omen 27i 1440p 165Hz secondary, Acer KG271 1080p 60Hz tertiary.
Any advice on what to prioritize?
1 Answer
Honestly, it really depends on what you're looking to achieve. If your CPU is still performing well for your needs, you might get more out of investing in a new motherboard first to open up future upgrade options. Plus, that would allow you to maximize the potential of newer CPUs down the line. Just keep an eye on compatibility with the RAM and the new CPUs.
Also, with the RTX 4080 SUPER, your current setup should handle most games comfortably, so a CPU upgrade right now might not be as critical. What are your specific performance needs?
I'm mostly gaming and doing some content creation, so I'd like to have something decent for the next few years.