I'm currently using an Intel i5-11400F, an RX 7900 XTX, and 16GB of RAM (2x8GB) with a 1080p 75Hz monitor. I mainly play single-player open-world games such as The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. I'd also like to play PC versions of games such as God of War, The Last of Us, and the Horizon series.
At 1080p, my CPU bottlenecks the GPU even on high or ultra settings in some games. I'm not especially concerned about most future releases beyond DokeV and the next Kingdom Come game. I want to maintain at least 75 FPS and would prefer the cheapest practical solution.
Would moving to 4K reduce the CPU bottleneck enough to let me keep this system, or would 1440p be a better choice? If I switch to 4K, would I need more than 16GB of RAM? I'm using Linux Mint and currently can't increase my resolution to test this myself.
4 Answers
Moving to 4K will shift more of the workload onto the 7900 XTX and reduce the CPU bottleneck, so the current system should perform better there. However, some open-world games remain CPU-limited at any resolution because of NPCs, world simulation, and other background tasks. The graphics card is certainly capable of 4K, but consistently holding 75 FPS will depend on the individual game and settings.
The cheapest meaningful upgrade is probably a newer CPU while keeping your existing DDR4. An i5-14400F with a compatible B760 DDR4 motherboard would offer a noticeable improvement without requiring new memory. It still may not eliminate every CPU limit, but it would be a more balanced pairing for the 7900 XTX than the 11400F. Check motherboard support and BIOS requirements before buying.
I wouldn’t rely on frame generation as the main solution for this problem. It can increase the displayed frame rate, but it doesn’t remove the underlying CPU bottleneck and may introduce frame-pacing or latency issues. For a true 75 FPS target, prioritize a stronger CPU, adequate system memory, and a resolution that matches the performance you can consistently sustain.
I’d seriously consider upgrading the display before chasing maximum performance. A 1440p monitor would be a big improvement over 1080p, and it gives the 7900 XTX more work to do without being as demanding as 4K. For mostly single-player games, a good 1440p display—especially an OLED model—could make a larger difference to the experience than a small CPU upgrade. Just keep in mind that hitting a locked 75 FPS in every game may still require lowering CPU-heavy settings.
Resolution usually changes GPU load and VRAM usage much more than system RAM usage, so 4K by itself does not mean you need extra RAM. That said, 16GB can already be tight in some newer games, so moving to 32GB would be a sensible general upgrade when affordable.