Question Upgrading from 12600k to 9800X3D, will my performance be significantly upgraded?

[Luca_21]

I mainly play CPU-bound games like Stellaris, Cities: Skylines 2, BeamNG, Hearts of Iron 4, and Escape from Tarkov, among others. My current setup includes a 12600K CPU and a 7900XT GPU.

One thing I’ve noticed is that after upgrading from a 3070 to the 7900XT, the performance increase hasn’t been as significant as I expected, especially considering the theoretical improvements. Since I play games where the CPU plays a critical role, I decided to upgrade to the 9800X3D (already ordered). I’m hopeful this will bring a noticeable boost, but I’m not entirely sure how significant the difference will be.

Additionally, my 12600K runs DDR4 RAM, so I’m also upgrading to DDR5 as part of this build.

 

[COLGeek]

Changing a CPU and/or GPU will provide some benefit, but those are not the only factors. Memory, network, storage all impact performance, as well as resolution, game settings, etc.

More "horsepower" does not always mean more performance (in terms of FPS gains).

No one can accurately predict what gains (potentially) your system will gain with these changes. Too many variables.

Just tweak as appropriate for your use and go from there.

 

[Luca_21]

Changing a CPU and/or GPU will provide some benefit, but those are not the only factors. Memory, network, storage all impact performance, as well as resolution, game settings, etc.

More "horsepower" does not always mean more performance (in terms of FPS gains).

No one can accurately predict what gains (potentially) your system will gain with these changes. Too many variables.

Just tweak as appropriate for your use and go from there.

Alright but based off what ive researched i think with my specs and so forth and the games i play it should help a decent amount to have a more capable CPU compared to GPU, plus with the benchmarks ive done i can tell my GPU gets bottlenecked quite often in the games i play.

 

[COLGeek]

Alright but based off what ive researched i think with my specs and so forth and the games i play it should help a decent amount to have a more capable CPU compared to GPU, plus with the benchmarks ive done i can tell my GPU gets bottlenecked quite often in the games i play.

All systems have bottlenecks. Every single one of them.

Up to you to manage around those choke points with your specific system configuration. Tweaking both hardware and software.

What are the complete specs for your system (make/model of ALL installed components)?

 

[Luca_21]

All systems have bottlenecks. Every single one of them.

Up to you to manage around those choke points with your specific system configuration. Tweaking both hardware and software.

What are the complete specs for your system (make/model of ALL installed components)?

Mouse: Razer Deathadder V3
Keyboard: Steelseries Apex Pro TKL (2023)
Headphones: Beyertdynamic DT880 250Ohm
Microphone: FIFINE K669B (black)
Display 1: LG 27GR75Q-B Ultragear
Display 2: LG 27GL63T Ultragear
Controller: PS4 Dualshock

Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-A WiFi ATX
CPU: AMD R7 9800X3D
GPU: XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XT (OC by 6% over base)
RAM: Crucial Pro OC 2x16GB DDR5 6000/MTs
PSU: Corsair RM 750
CPU COOLER: Artic Freezer II 280MM
Storage: NVME SAMSUNG 990 PRO 2TB, NVME SAMSUNG 970 EVO 1TB (Boot drive), HDD Western Digital 4TB, HDD Seagate Baracuda 2TB


These are the new specs, CPU arrives in a few days if the website isnt lying.

Old specs are:
Motherboard: ASUS 690-P D4
CPU: Intel 12600k Base Clock
GPU: XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XT
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x16GB DDR4 3200Mh/s
PSU: Corsair RM 750
CPU COOLER: Artic Freezer II 280MM
Storage: NVME SAMSUNG 990 PRO 2TB, NVME SAMSUNG 970 EVO 1TB (Boot drive), HDD Western Digital 4TB, HDD Seagate Baracuda 2TB

and i use gigabit internet.

Case i honestly dont know anymore, i just know its some kind of "Airflow" and i have no trouble with cooling so far

 

[geofelt]

Looking forward with interest on your results.
I value actual feedback more than synthetic benchmarks.

As a back handed way to assess the importance of cpu, try this experiment:
In windows power management, Reduce the maximum cpu power from 100% to say, 85% and see how that impacts your gaming.