I'm looking to optimize my PC's performance and think my next upgrade might be either the RAM or the SSD. Currently, I have an Intel Core i9-14900KF with an MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard, NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti GPU, and 32GB of DDR5-5200MHz RAM. My storage is a 2TB Lexar NM790 NVMe SSD which lacks DRAM cache. I mainly use my setup for streaming and gaming at 1440p, but I feel it's not as responsive as it could be. What do you all think?
5 Answers
A "snappy" experience often comes down to the SSD. However, a lot of sluggishness can be due to a bloated Windows installation. Maybe try a clean install and ditch some of those resource-heavy programs that slow down startup time, like SignalRGB or MSI Center? You'd be surprised at the difference a fresh install can make!
Honestly, your build is solid already! If I were you, I wouldn't stress about upgrades anytime soon—maybe 2-3 years down the line. As it stands, it should handle gaming and streaming quite well.
It sounds like your GPU is the real bottleneck for gaming right now. Also, understanding DRAM's role might help—modern DRAMless SSDs, like the WD SN7100, have come a long way and might not be worth replacing just yet.
I don't think upgrading those two will make a huge impact right now. But slow RAM definitely affects performance. While it's probably not worth investing in new RAM currently, you could look into tuning your existing RAM for some extra juice. Make sure to check your system settings!
For sure, tuned RAM can make a significant difference, even in high-end setups. Just really bad timing to buy new RAM!
Your RAM is definitely the weak link here. But honestly, this isn't the best time to buy RAM due to price spikes. Just enjoy your rig as is and see if you can push your RAM a little faster manually. That could help a bit!
I get that, but I just expected it to feel a bit quicker.