I'm still using a Ryzen 5 5600X with an RTX 3070 for 1440p gaming, and I'm looking for an upgrade that offers a noticeable improvement without becoming wildly expensive. My main game is Black Desert Online, which can be demanding on the CPU, so I'm considering the recently re-released Ryzen 7 5800X3D as a final upgrade for my AM4 system. Black Desert Online is also expected to receive DX12 support, and I'm hoping the extra cache could improve frame rates and reduce stuttering.
Once the CPU is upgraded, I'd like to replace the RTX 3070. The RTX 5070 initially seemed like a reasonable choice, but I'm unsure whether it provides enough value compared with current AMD options. I've heard that DLSS has improved significantly, which is why I've been leaning toward Nvidia, but I'm open to other recommendations. What GPU would be a sensible match for a 5800X3D at 1440p, and what upgrade path offers the best performance without overspending?
4 Answers
Before buying the 5800X3D, it may be worth pricing out a move to AM5. A used Ryzen 5 7600X with an affordable B650 board can be competitive with the 5800X3D, although you would also need DDR5 memory and would have to sell your existing CPU, motherboard, and RAM. If you want to keep costs and hassle down, upgrading to the 5800X3D and putting the rest of the budget toward the GPU is still a perfectly reasonable plan.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT seems like the strongest value choice right now. It should be roughly 80% faster than an RTX 3070 and is a very comfortable match for a 5800X3D, especially at 1440p. The RX 9070 is also worth considering if the XT model costs substantially more.
How does it compare on features like DLSS? I’ve heard Nvidia’s upscaling has become really good.
A high-end AMD card pairs well with the 5800X3D, and several people have had good results with the RX 9070 XT. A 5070 Ti would make sense if DLSS and Nvidia’s feature set are especially important to you, but it usually costs considerably more. For a single game at 1440p, the 9070 XT is probably the more sensible purchase.
The RTX 5070 is difficult to recommend if it costs about the same as an RX 9070 XT. The AMD card is generally faster, has more VRAM, and offers better value at that price. FSR 4 has also improved a lot and is fairly close to DLSS for upscaling. Nvidia still has an advantage with frame generation, ray tracing, and some software features, but those may not justify paying a large premium for a slower card.
The performance difference at similar pricing is definitely convincing. I’m leaning toward the 9070 XT, though I’m still wondering whether I’d be giving up any particularly useful Nvidia features.
The additional motherboard and memory cost is more than I want to spend, so I’d rather make the CPU upgrade on AM4 and replace the GPU later.