Question Upgrading from a Intel i7-8700K to an AMD (1440p, mainly gaming)

[illuminatus42]

Hello!

My i7-8700K that has served me well since 2018 is starting to show its age and I'm looking to upgrade, this time to an AMD. I'm currently using the following:

i7-8700K
Z370-A PRO
32 GB DDR4
RTX 3070
650W PSU

The parts currently on my shopping list are:
Ryzen 5 9600X
ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS WIFI
Corsair Vengeance 5200 Mhz DDR5 (2x16)
(also a new cooler and probably some new thermal paste)

Would this buy me a few years of breathing room? I mostly game and I have no plans to go above 1440p. I don't have plans to start getting into animation or video editing, so my understanding is that I won't benefit massively from more cores. Someone suggested I get a 5700X3D but I reckon going for an AM5 chipset instead means I'll have more options for future upgrades. Also I'm note sure how much I'd benefit from an X3D chip and the AM5 ones that I can actually get my hands on where I live seem like overkill.

(also yes, the system requirements for STALKER 2 is what made me think about upgrading)

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Hello,

If you have the funds, then AM5 is the better way to go. You should see a nice performance boost. Maybe look into some faster RAM, although I'm not familiar with DDR5 performance variance across transfer speed.

What is the exact model PSU? When was it purchased?

 

[illuminatus42]

Hello,

If you have the funds, then AM5 is the better way to go. You should see a nice performance boost. Maybe look into some faster RAM, although I'm not familiar with DDR5 performance variance across transfer speed.

What is the exact model PSU? When was it purchased?

I know even less about RAM, but I'll take a look at some higher clock speeds.

The PSU is a Corsair RM650x that I bought in mid-2018, same time as my CPU and motherboard. I've tried several PSU calculator to see if I need to upgrade to a higher wattage and the one that seems the most trustworthy (OuterVision.com) seems to say that 650W will still be fine.

 

[geofelt]

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.
Regardless, the R5-9600x is a strong upgrade.

Any aftermarket cpu cooler will also include thermal paste; no need for extra.
On ram, pick an explicitly supported kit. ryzen is finicky on ram compatibility so you don't need ram issues.
The motherboard supports up to 7200 speed; faster is better:

https://www.asus.com/us/motherboard...l_memory?model2Name=TUF-GAMING-B650-PLUS-WIFI

 

[illuminatus42]

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.
Regardless, the R5-9600x is a strong upgrade.

Any aftermarket cpu cooler will also include thermal paste; no need for extra.
On ram, pick an explicitly supported kit. ryzen is finicky on ram compatibility so you don't need ram issues.
The motherboard supports up to 7200 speed; faster is better:

https://www.asus.com/us/motherboard...l_memory?model2Name=TUF-GAMING-B650-PLUS-WIFI

That's a smart idea, thank you.

I'll see if I can find something with a higher speed that's on that list, but it doesn't look very promising so far.