I'm looking to upgrade my processor because my Intel Core i5-9400F is starting to bottleneck my AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT in some games. My motherboard is an ASUS Prime B360M-A. I'd prefer to spend under $200, ideally closer to $100, but I'm wondering whether a compatible CPU upgrade would be worthwhile or if I should replace the motherboard and CPU together. The system generally runs fine, though I recently noticed a bottleneck in Battlefield 6 and I'm concerned about newer games.
2 Answers
Your upgrade options on that motherboard are pretty limited. A Core i7-9700K or i9-9900K would be somewhat faster, but they’re usually too expensive for the performance you’d gain. There isn’t really another significantly faster compatible processor, so check used prices carefully before buying one.
If you can’t find a reasonably priced 9700K or 9900K, putting the money toward a newer motherboard and CPU platform is probably the better long-term move. A replacement combo may cost more than your ideal budget, but it should provide a much more noticeable improvement in newer games.
That makes sense. I’d rather avoid spending close to $200 on a small improvement, so I’ll compare the cost of a newer motherboard and CPU combination instead.