I'm looking to upgrade my setup and am considering moving to an AM5 platform with an R7 7800X3D, a B650 motherboard, and 16GB of DDR5 RAM (planning to get a second stick after the GPU upgrade). However, I've seen some opinions suggesting it's better to upgrade the GPU first. My current setup includes an RTX 3060 and an i5-10400F, which some say isn't as strong as the newer CPUs. What upgrade would give me better performance: going for the AM5 setup or upgrading the GPU first? If I go the GPU route, which one would you recommend?
3 Answers
It depends on your current RAM and its speed. If you’re rocking the i5-10400F, your motherboard likely supports 11th gen CPUs, so you might want to consider the 11600K or 11700K instead. They're solid for today's games and would save you some cash if you're planning to get a GPU too!
I have 16GB of RAM at 2600MHz, but I want to go AM5 for future upgrade paths.
Your decision should really depend on the games you play and your desired resolution and FPS. If you're mainly into competitive games like CS2, then going for the motherboard, CPU, and RAM upgrade makes sense. But if you're into AAA titles like Cyberpunk, I'd say prioritize the GPU upgrade.
I’d definitely recommend upgrading the GPU first. You’ll get a noticeable performance boost in gaming with a new graphics card. Thinking about something like the RTX 4060 or 4070 could be a good move, especially if you’re playing newer titles at higher settings.
What do you think is the best price-performance choice that won’t bottleneck with the 7800X3D?
Problem is, the 11600K and 11700K are pretty pricey on eBay. I’m sticking with my 11400F for that reason.