Question Upgrading the CPU --- advice and compatibility ?

[gaz1984]

Hi all,

I'm looking to make the most cost effective change to my rig to improve my gaming performance.
Gtx 1660 super 6gb
Ryzen 2600
Rog strix b450-f motherboard
I'm thinking the obvious one is my cpu but to which ryzen should I upgrade to, or should I just sell the whole thing and get a better set up?
Any thoughts would be massively appreciated as I'm a complete Noob here!

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Hello,

Can you list your complete system specs including power supply and monitor specs?

The AM4 chipset is still a formidable platform. Your CPU upgrade options should include:

Ryzen 5 5600
Ryzen 7 5700X
Ryzen 7 5800 X3D

What CPU cooler are you using? The X3D will require more than the stock cooler that came with your 2600.

I would plan both a CPU and GPU upgrade in the near future.

 

[dontlistentome]

Some games use more CPU, some games use more GPU. So it depends on the games you run. Generally, at 1080p, your 1660 should get you pretty good performance. The way you know for sure is to use a free utility, like MSI Afterburner, that will show you CPU and GPU load while you play your games. As an example, if you see near 100% load on your CPU but 50% load on your GPU, that would be a sign that you need more CPU performance. Another test, not as precise but still useful, is to run your game at lowest settings. Then run your game at the highest settings. Compare the framerates. If your GPU is the problem, you will see a far faster framerate at lowest settings. If raising or lowering settings doesn't change your framerate that much. it means your CPU can't keep up.