Question Need Help Choosing the Best Budget CPU for 1440p FPS Gaming

[bi3mark]

Hey Homies! 👋

I’m not a hardware expert, but I’ve been using this setup for years. It still performs decently, but I recently upgraded my monitor to 1440p 180Hz, and now I’m struggling to hit high FPS in competitive games like CS2, Warzone, Marvel Rivals, etc. I suspect my CPU might be the bottleneck, since my GPU (6700 XT) seems to be fine.

🖥️ Current PC Build:

• Motherboard: Asus Prime B365M-A
• CPU: Intel Core i5-9400F (6C/6T, 2.9GHz, 4.1GHz boost)
• RAM: 16GB G Skill Aegis DDR4 3200Mhz
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
• Monitor: 1440p 180Hz
• PSU: 800w Gold

📈 What I Need Help With: Now that my monitor upgrade is complete, I’m looking to upgrade my CPU, RAM, and motherboard. In my country, I have two options at good prices:

• Intel i5-13400F for $100
• Ryzen 5 7500F for $155

I’m not sure which one is the better choice—or if I need an even stronger CPU to ensure I get higher FPS in competitive gaming.

💡 Looking For Advice On:

• Which CPU would be the best upgrade for my use case?
• Should I pair this upgrade with faster RAM?
• Would either i5-13400F or Ryzen 5 7500F be good enough, or should I consider something else?
• Any budget-friendly upgrade suggestions for competitive gaming at 1440p 180Hz?

I appreciate any advice—thanks in advance! 🚀

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

In my country
Where would this country be?

I would avoid the 13th and 14th Gen Intel processors due to their degradation issues. As for AMD's AM5 platform, you'd be best served going with a Ryzen 5 7600 or higher although to be blunt the 7500F is the 7600 without an iGPU.

PSU: 800w Gold
800W is the advertised wattage of the unit and Gold is the advertised 80+ efficiency rating for the unit. What is the make, model and age of the PSU?

Which CPU would be the best upgrade for my use case?
You've stated competitive gaming, might want to mention the titles you want to tax the system with without an etc. If you do tasks beyond gaming, include them/the apps as well.

Should I pair this upgrade with faster RAM?
The sweet spot for DDR5 platforms is dual channel DDR5-6000MHz with tight latencies. Since you're looking at an AMD platform, look for ram that has AMD's E.X.P.O advertised on it's packaging.

Any budget-friendly upgrade suggestions for competitive gaming at 1440p 180Hz?
We don't know what you have access to, what your preferred site for purchase is and what your budget for your upgrade path is. You might want to stylize your thread with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

and the community will chime in with worthwhile suggestions.

Moved thread from Prebuilt & Enterprise section to Systems section.

 

[bi3mark]

Where would this country be?

IRAN

800W is the advertised wattage of the unit and Gold is the advertised 80+ efficiency rating for the unit. What is the make, model and age of the PSU?
Its name is green which is Famous brand in iran and im usin it for 2 years now .


You've stated competitive gaming, might want to mention the titles you want to tax the system with without an etc. If you do tasks beyond gaming, include them/the apps as well.
Call of Duty Warzone , Dota 2 , Cs2 , Marvel Rivals... and i play single player games as well too .Gta 6, Last of us 2 , God Of Wars ... so its mixed . and i dont do anything beyond gaming . web browing gaming etc...



We don't know what you have access to, what your preferred site for purchase is and what your budget for your upgrade path is. You might want to stylize your thread with info asked of in this thread;
I Dont know myself to be honest .how much i gotta spend on new pc build to satisfy my needs? is budget cpus like 7500F enough for me ? i just want a good build to handle Comp Games 180Fps and more on low Settings 1440p . and Single player games 60 Fps On Ultra/High And more . Maybe in the future i upgrade my card to new AMDS

 

[Why_Me]

IRAN

800W is the advertised wattage of the unit and Gold is the advertised 80+ efficiency rating for the unit. What is the make, model and age of the PSU?
Its name is green which is Famous brand in iran and im usin it for 2 years now .


You've stated competitive gaming, might want to mention the titles you want to tax the system with without an etc. If you do tasks beyond gaming, include them/the apps as well.
Call of Duty Warzone , Dota 2 , Cs2 , Marvel Rivals... and i play single player games as well too .Gta 6, Last of us 2 , God Of Wars ... so its mixed . and i dont do anything beyond gaming . web browing gaming etc...



We don't know what you have access to, what your preferred site for purchase is and what your budget for your upgrade path is. You might want to stylize your thread with info asked of in this thread;
I Dont know myself to be honest .how much i gotta spend on new pc build to satisfy my needs? is budget cpus like 7500F enough for me ? i just want a good build to handle Comp Games 180Fps and more on low Settings 1440p . and Single player games 60 Fps On Ultra/High And more . Maybe in the future i upgrade my card to new AMDS

AMD Ryzen 5 7500F: The Most Affordable Zen 4 CPU

The Ryzen 5 7500F is AMD's most affordable Zen 4-based CPU, though it's still a bit of an elusive offering, in this review we'll be comparing it...

www.techspot.com

https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-amd-ryzen-5-7500f-review

 

[bi3mark]

AMD Ryzen 5 7500F: The Most Affordable Zen 4 CPU

The Ryzen 5 7500F is AMD's most affordable Zen 4-based CPU, though it's still a bit of an elusive offering, in this review we'll be comparing it...

www.techspot.com

https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-amd-ryzen-5-7500f-review

Whats the best budget Motherboard to pair it with?

 

[Why_Me]

Whats the best budget Motherboard to pair it with?

A B650 or A620 board.

 

[Teknoman2]

Keep in mind that most motherboards come in 3 build qualities. For example a MSI MAG B650 is lower quality than a MSI MEG B650 and the Asus Prime B650 is lower quality that other Asus B650 boards. I don't know how the others name their products by quality but you should look it up before choosing.