Question Should i upgrade or wait?

[ItsYZ]

My current specs are:

CPU: i9-9900k
GPU: 3070ti Rog strix
MBO: MSI Z390-A pro
RAM:G.Skill Ripjaws V 32GB 3600mhz
PSU: Corsair RM 850W
Case: Lian-Li PC-O11DX Dynamic
SSD: Samsung 970 Evo plus 1TB



I play mainly FN but i also enjoy playing story games like:
SOTR
Assassin’s creed
RDR2
Far cry games

And i also play escape from tarkov(which is a demanding game🥲)

I would like to maintain 240FPS on FN and around 120-140 fps on high settings on other games( i know that is hard to do on tarkov).

Basically i built my rig towards the end of 2021,
But lately i’ve been noticing a dip in the performance of my pc and in games like FN its been hard to maintain steady 240 frames, so i was thinking of upgrading my processor to a more recent one like the 14th gen intel i was also considering going with a Ryzen maybe, but i would obviously need to upgrade my motherboard if im going with intel since the most recent has 1700 socket and i would get to keep using my 3070 ti since its still a pretty decent GPU. I found out tho that the newer intel CPU’s would need a new socket which then would be a waste to upgrade to 14th gen cuz i would need to switch out my motherboard again if i would want to upgrade again down the line.
However the next gen Ryzen processors will still have the AM5 socket, so im stuck in a bit of a dilemma here do i go with Ryzen and keep using my 30 series GPU or do i wait for intels newer CPU’s and then go with a 50 series graphics card?

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

What sort of a monitor and resolution are you currently gaming on? I would wait until the RTX5000 series comes out and then jump onboard whatever is the latest from either camps.

 

[Aeacus]

However the next gen Ryzen processors will still have the AM5 socket, so im stuck in a bit of a dilemma here do i go with Ryzen and keep using my 30 series GPU or do i wait for intels newer CPU’s and then go with a 50 series graphics card?

Depends on if you want to upgrade now, or wait.

At current moment, best gaming CPU is Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which beats Intel 14th gen quite nicely,
review: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i9-14900k-cpu-review

What future brings, no-one knows. Latest speculation is this,
article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-arrow-lake-everything-we-know/

 

[35below0]

No, don't upgrade. Wait until black friday this year at the earliest.

It also depends on what GPUs enter the market in 2025.

Your system is ageing, but it's still very good.
And right now you do not have a clear upgrade to your 3070ti.
AMD CPU situation is pretty clear, but intel will soon launch new i9s and i7s that you will be interested in. New socket and chipset as well.

Wait. Don't waste your money.

 

[ItsYZ]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

What sort of a monitor and resolution are you currently gaming on? I would wait until the RTX5000 series comes out and then jump onboard whatever is the latest from either camps.

Thank you 😊, i currently have an AOC 240 hz monitor and im playing on 1920 x 1080 res

 

[geofelt]

Sounds like you have the itch.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.

It is not clear to me if you would benefit more from a gpu upgrade or a cpu upgrade.

Try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Most games depend on the performance of the single master thread.
Run the cpu-Z bench on your i9-9900K.
You should see a score like 630. Possibly more or less with overclocking:
https://valid.x86.fr/bench/zc5ym6

Any way you look at it, a motherboard change will be required.

If you upgrade to Intel, you can keep your DDR4 ram.
DDR4 and DDR5 performance is comparable.

If you go AM5 you are looking at DDR5 ram, and fast ram is needed for ryzen to perform best. The X3d models have a good following for gaming.
But, if you do anything else, performance is better with the equivalent non X3d versions.

It seems futile to wait for the next best thing. It will not be a game changer.
If history is any guide, next gen will bring perhaps a 15% price/performance boost.

 

[Aeacus]

Sounds like you have the itch.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.

If history is any guide, next gen will bring perhaps a 15% price/performance boost.

That, and usually 20% higher prices as well, if not more.

My take on any component/whole build upgrade is this: If one needs better hardware, get what is currently available. That's it.
Even when new hardware is around the corner, being early bird with new hardware usually has it's issues and it takes some time to iron out all the bugs (e.g BIOS updates/GPU driver updates).

 

[35below0]

My take on any component/whole build upgrade is this: If one needs better hardware, get what is currently available. That's it.
Even when new hardware is around the corner, being early bird with new hardware usually has it's issues and it takes some time to iron out all the bugs (e.g BIOS updates/GPU driver updates).

Considering the OPs existing build, buying a new PC along the lines of 13700K/4070 Super/DDR5 would cost a lot of money right now. The CPU upgrade would be substantial but the rest, not so much.

Right now is not the time to upgrade *that* particular PC. It's why i suggested black friday, or some other change in price vs performance.
I wouldn't be in a rush to upgrade but i would keep an eye out.

One possibility is a new AM5 or 1700 (DDR4 or DDR5) board, and a new CPU. A Ryzen X3D or 13700K/14700K. Toss in new DDR5 Ripjaws (F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5W or F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K) if going DDR5.
That would breathe some life into the system, and it would cost approx $600-700. GPU can be upgraded later when the right one shows up.
But buying a whole new PC? Right now, i would say hold on and save your money.

 

[Aeacus]

buying a new PC along the lines of 13700K/4070 Super/DDR5 would cost a lot of money right now.

Either this, or Ryzen 7000/8000-series or Intel 15th gen + RTX 50-series will also cost a lot of money. So, money wise, it will be expensive regardless.

Also, GPU upgrade with RTX 4070 Super and up, would give nice performance boost, especially when going with RTX 4090 (and 1.2-1.6kW PSU to along with it).

 

[ItsYZ]

Sounds like you have the itch.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.

Thanks for ur reply, my thought process was that if i would go with an intel upgrade i'd have to buy a new motherboard right now when i know that future intel CPU's are gonna need a new socket

 

[Aeacus]

if i would go with an intel upgrade i'd have to buy a new motherboard right now when i know that future intel CPU's are gonna need a new socket

Well, the same was when you bought your i9-9900K, since that CPU also had 0 upgrade paths (LGA1151). 10th gen Intel uses different socket (LGA1200).
So, not being able to upgrade CPU without replacing MoBo wasn't issue back then. Why would you think it is issue right now?

People rarely upgrade their CPU even when there is an option for that. Instead, build is used for years, until CPU performance starts to hinder the PC and by that time, far better CPU with different socket is out, whereby going with new CPU-MoBo combo is common.

E.g i'm running Intel 6th gen, i5-6600K. I bought it way back in 2016, when Skylake architecture was out for a year, whereby next in line: Intel 7th gen (Kaby Lake), was about year away from release, while also being compatible with my MoBo. Fast forward 8 years to current date and i still don't have a need to upgrade my CPU. Sure, i can go with i7-7700K while keeping my MoBo, but at current date, 13th/14th gen + new MoBo would cost about the same as i7-7700K, while offering vastly better performance.

 

[pctech1]

upgrade your cpu.. your video card is nice...