Question What is my bottleneck/general help in regards to upgrading my 2015 setup ?

[teamrw]

I realize this is quite a messy post but I need some guidance.

I built my pc in like 2014 or 2015 and I have only upgraded my GPU.

My specs:
i5 4690k
8gb DDR3 RAM
GTX 770 upgraded to GTX 1660 Super
Asus Maximus VII Ranger
Corsair RM850

I have noticed that while I get decent fps in csgo for example, I get occasional microstuttering. Could I fix this by getting more ram or is DDR3 just not fast enough these days.
I realise that I am going to have to upgrade my CPU, motherboard and RAM together but I am hoping to just prolong it until next year. I was looking at the i5 12400F as an upgrade earlier this year but didn't quite pull the trigger.

As a slightly unrelated note, my current sound setup uses an optical cable to an astro mixamp to utilize the 7.1 surround sound feature on the headsets. When looking for a new motherboard to pair the i5 12400F with, do I need to get one with an optical port (they are much more expensive) or should I look at another solution for my audio. The mixamp has an MP3 input but I have heard the sound quality may suffer. Or am I just better off buying something newer? (I don't know much about audio setups).

I am at a point where I'm not sure what to do with my setup to be honest. I don't really know if my current CPU would even be capable of running newer games since it has a total of only 4 threads. I am open to suggestions on what I should do from here onwards, part recommendations, ryzen vs intel etc.

 

[Misgar]

You don't mention if you have 2 x 4GB or 1 x 8GB DDR3 RAM installed. If you have only one DIMM, it will be running slower in Single Channel mode. Fitting another DIMM will result in faster Dual Channel operation, if you fit the RAM in the correct slot.

All my DDR3 machines are now fitted with at least 16GB RAM which gives most programs more than enough room to breathe. You could check how much Free RAM + Reserved RAM you have with only 8GB fitted, but I think another 8GB would be beneficial.

In the long term, I'd consider building a new machine, depending on finances.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Yup, new build is the way to go.

Where do you live and whats the budget?

 

[teamrw]

Yup, new build is the way to go.

Where do you live and whats the budget?

I can probably make do with just getting a new motherboard, CPU and RAM and keep my PSU, GPU, HDD and SSD. I live in Finland so parts are quite expensive. GPU can easily be upgraded later if need be. Was looking at an i5 12400f (170e) earlier this year, an i5 13400f (240e) looks good too. I haven't gotten far with motherboard and RAM choice however. I am still unsure if I need a mobo with optical audio to use the surround sound on my gen2 astro a40s and mixamp. I have heard that on the older models you must use optical otherwise you get stereo audio with only the usb. If this is true then the cheapest motherboard with optical was an ASUS TUF Gaming B660M Plus D4 at around 180e. I don't need much from a motheboard though so this seems quite expensive, I have no need for WIFI and the F chips can't be overclocked anyway, also not going to go crazy with RAM and I don't even use an NVME drive. I figure 2x8 GBs of RAM would suffice. And to reply to Misgar, I do currently run a 2x4GB setup.

I am trying to keep costs down as much as possible, just started university so not a lot of money.

I assume my old PSU will be fine since it is modular and now that I checked it is actually an RM750. Next step would be getting a new GPU but I can put that off until next year but would be nice to prevent a future bottleneck from happening with my CPU choice. Where would you take this build personally? Should I venture to the dark side and go with a Ryzen chip perhaps? I don't mind playing games on medium settings instead of ultra. What sort of RAM do you suggest?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Get a new PSU along with your new GPU later on.

cheaper no upgrade path choice with 13400 and DDR4:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor (€229.90 @ Datatronic)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG500 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler (€41.90 @ Datatronic)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€209.90 @ Jimm's)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€34.90 @ Datatronic)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€63.90 @ Datatronic)
Total: €580.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-04 16:17 EEST+0300

AM5 option, use the stock cooler or get the 7600X and the AG500:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor (€248.90 @ Datatronic)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG500 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler (€41.90 @ Datatronic)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€175.90 @ Datatronic)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (€80.90 @ Datatronic)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€63.90 @ Datatronic)
Total: €611.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-04 16:19 EEST+0300