I'm planning to upgrade my PC so I can play Wardogs smoothly at 1440p. Right now I'm using a Ryzen 7 3700X, an ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus WiFi motherboard, an RTX 2080 with 8GB of VRAM, and 32GB of DDR4 memory. I believe my power supply is 750W, although I need to confirm the brand and exact model. The system is in a full-size case, so GPU clearance should not be a major issue. My budget is roughly $1,000–$1,500 for a CPU and graphics card upgrade. At 1080p, I could only run the game on very low settings, and 1440p looked poor. What upgrades would offer the best performance while allowing me to keep my current motherboard and memory?
4 Answers
You don’t need to replace the 32GB of DDR4 yet. Put the budget toward an AM4 X3D processor and a stronger graphics card. Just confirm the power supply’s exact model, age, and available connectors before installing a higher-end GPU; 750W may be enough, but quality matters.
A 5700X3D paired with a 9070 XT has performed very well for 1440p users, including high settings and ultrawide resolutions. The game can use a lot of CPU and GPU power, so don’t be surprised if both components run heavily while maintaining a high frame rate.
Another route would be a 5800X3D with an RTX 5070 Ti, or possibly an RTX 5070 if you want to spend less. At 1440p, either NVIDIA card should pair reasonably well with the X3D processor. NVIDIA may also be preferable if you care about DLSS and more consistent day-one support in certain games.
I’m a fan of AMD CPUs, but I also tend to choose NVIDIA GPUs because I prefer the software and upscaling features.
Since you’re already on AM4, a Ryzen 7 5700X3D or 5800X3D is probably the best CPU upgrade without replacing the motherboard or RAM. Pair it with a Radeon 9070 XT and you should have a strong 1440p setup. The 5700X3D is usually the better value, while the 5800X3D offers a little more performance. Check whether your current cooler is adequate before buying.
Thanks, I’ll look into those options and check my cooler as well.
A similar system with a 12700K and 4070 Ti Super also runs well at 4K with high settings and upscaling, so the proposed upgrades should be plenty for 1440p.