What should I upgrade first to improve Valorant performance?
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MellowPine47
I recently started playing PC games again and want to upgrade my system, but I'm not sure where to spend my budget of around $600–$700. My current setup has a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, an Intel Core i3-8100, 16GB of RAM, an ASUS TUF H310M-PLUS GAMING motherboard, and a 64-bit operating system. I use an LG UltraGear 144Hz monitor. Valorant currently runs at about 60 FPS, and I can't comfortably run Discord at the same time. I'm considering a used RTX 3070 for about $265, but I'm wondering whether the CPU is actually the main limitation. Should I upgrade the processor, graphics card, RAM, or move to a newer DDR4 platform?
Answers
Before replacing the graphics card, check your RAM speed and configuration. If it’s running around 2133 MHz, a faster DDR4 kit in the 3000–3600 MHz range could help a little, especially if you’re using a single stick. However, the i3-8100 is still the more obvious bottleneck for running Valorant and Discord together. A used RTX 3070 is a strong deal only if it’s tested and your power supply can handle it, but it would likely be overkill for this game while keeping the old CPU in place.
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The CPU is probably the biggest limitation here. Valorant is generally more CPU-dependent than GPU-dependent, and the GTX 1660 Ti should be capable of much more than 60 FPS at sensible settings. A compatible Core i7-8700 or i7-9700 could be a worthwhile drop-in upgrade, although you may need a BIOS update first. The K versions are only worth considering if the price is similar, since that motherboard isn’t designed for CPU overclocking. Check your power supply and CPU cooler before buying anything.
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MellowPine47: So you think I should upgrade only the CPU first instead of buying the RTX 3070?