Hey everyone! I'm considering an upgrade from my Intel i9 13th Gen CPU to an AMD Ryzen 9950X 3D because I'm hoping to enhance my 4K gaming experience. I've heard that I might also need to replace my motherboard—can someone explain why? I currently have an ASRock Taichi. I've got an RTX 4090 and plan to upgrade to the 5090 eventually. I'm just looking for advice on what else I might need to change or any suggestions for optimizing my setup!
3 Answers
You'll definitely need a new motherboard because AMD and Intel CPUs use different socket types. Your ASRock Taichi is set up for Intel, while the Ryzen 9950X 3D needs an AM5 socket. Just a heads up, if you want a full parts list for your upgrade, sites like pcpartpicker.com can help you organize everything you might need.
What issues are you having with your Intel CPU? Honestly, upgrading might not yield significant benefits at 4K gaming since the GPU usually becomes the bottleneck instead. If you’re experiencing crashes and memory errors, that might point to other problems rather than just needing a new CPU. If you've been gaming hard and hitting max settings, maybe it's just time for a good cleanup or troubleshooting, rather than a full upgrade.
Given that you’re mainly gaming, consider the 9800X3D rather than the 9950X3D. They perform similarly in games, and the 9800X3D is often better value. If you're set on good performance at 4K, the 7800X3D is another great option since it has minimal performance differences with the Zen 5 generation. Also, I'd recommend sticking with your RTX 4090 for now; the 5090 is pricey for marginal gains.
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