For purely gaming purposes, should I upgrade processor, memory, and MB or just the video card and stick with my current hardware?

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Nov 22, 2022
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For games like star wars: survivor, COD, Battlefield etc... What route should I upgrade to?

My current setup:
i7 9700k 3070ti Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro MB 32 GB RAM DDR 4

Route 1
Upgrade MB, RAM and processor. I'm looking to get the Ryzen 7800X3D processor, DDR5, and a decent MB. I'll try to upgrade video card around X-mas time.

Route 2
Keep current parts and upgrade 3070Ti to either a 4070Ti or 4080

Route 3
Don't upgrade anything yet. Wait for the next generation.
 
If you are a big Call of Duty I think AMD GPU have a huge lead for that title and with the current pricing should be considered.

What your resolution/fps target and what game in what way feel like you cannot play correctly at the moment ? My feeling would be route 1, a 7800x3d-good ddr5 platform would be what about 70% on cpu performance in game, 2.33 multithread performance boost on a platform with possibly long lifetime in it, it would cost a lot I feel to have that type of boost via the gpu, but maybe once you consider selling the 3070ti return versus selling the 9700k it would make sense, my brain is not there.
 
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Although the 9700 was a great cpu in it's time (and still is for gen purpose stuff), it is getting a "little long in the tooth" for more recent/modern gammin....

And the 3070 is still a really capable card, so I would keep it for now, at least until the 4x series prices start dropping to more realistic prices (maybe Black Friday or Xmas)

So yea, I would recommend Route #1, as a new gen of the main parts will give you a very noticeable performance uplift...

AND RAM (and nvme drives too) is currently at or near the lowest prices it has been in years, which is NOT gonna last forever, so even if you don't get the other parts right now, grab the ram (and drives) NOW and get the rest when you can...
 
Meh, I wouldn't upgrade unless you're having serious performance issues on the games you play and after you're sure a software fix won't fix it, so, #3.
You're pretty much a gen old but the CPU, surprised the CPU isn't hyperthreading.
 
You can absolutely throw a 4070Ti in that rig. If the games you play already hit 144 (that is your target correct?) with the current CPU then you then adding the GPU will allow you to crank up the settings to Ultra. Then down the line if your fps isnt hitting 144 on future titles you can upgrade the MB CPU RAM. Your original post says purely for gaming. Gaming horsepower is mostly from the GPU assuming the CPU can push your target frame rate. I usually upgrade the GPU 3 times before I upgrade the whole system because usually I was always hitting the 144 mark but I couldn't max out the graphics. Then when I reached a point where the CPU couldn't keep up with the GPU that's when it's time to upgrade the whole system.
Now some games are CPU intense so no matter how much GPU you have it doesn't matter. Although most games are much more GPU dependent and that is what I mean. Besides you can get a very inexpensive modern MB CPU RAM combo for significantly cheaper in comparison to the astronomical GPU prices I would deal with the elephant in the room first, the GPU.
That being said I wouldn't go for a 4080 or 4090 as those GPU are paired better with modern CPU and DDR5 ram with higher clock speeds. If you don't need the absolute best in class GPU, the 4070Ti is a good performer even if it's price is a kinda high now a days.
 
For games like star wars: survivor, COD, Battlefield etc... What route should I upgrade to?

My current setup:
i7 9700k 3070ti Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro MB 32 GB RAM DDR 4

Route 1
Upgrade MB, RAM and processor. I'm looking to get the Ryzen 7800X3D processor, DDR5, and a decent MB. I'll try to upgrade video card around X-mas time.

Route 2
Keep current parts and upgrade 3070Ti to either a 4070Ti or 4080

Route 3
Don't upgrade anything yet. Wait for the next generation.
Route 1, depending on your resolution a little bit.

Your 3070ti is still a capable card and those games benefit greatly from a 7800X3D. Its especially in the 1% lows, but also in minimum FPS you will notice it. With a strong CPU, you can dial down graphical settings and get more in return if needed.

Here you can see an upgrade which is less leap then you would be making (5600x vs 5800X3D) and with a less powerful GPU (3060TI):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfQDZacQJxM

In some games, such upgrade is not that noticable while in other games very noticable. It depends a bit on how GPU limited you are and also a bit variations in the game. In most cases a GPU upgrade gives more, which is why some suggests it here, but most find that aiming for a balanced system gives the overall best gaming experience. A CPU upgrade for you case would give some extra life to the 3070 TI, especially in the games you listed. Save the GPU upgrade to black friday :p
 
I have both AM4 and AM5, 5600x with 32Gb /8Gb x 4 / 3600Mhz Cl 16 vs 7600x with 32Gb / 16Gb x 2 / 6000Mhz Cl 30

So, messing with an RX6700 gaming, I really can't tell the two apart much, Zen 3 holds up better with a 4 x 8Gb setup on memory in SR for odd reasons.

So don't overlook AM4 with the falling prices for an cheaper upgrade.
 
Another vote for Route 1. I was quite surprised how big a boost it was moving from my 9900K to the 7800X3D.
 
If OP is really [H], he would buy a 64 core Threadripper, 128GB of RAM, 2 4090s, a

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57" 7680x2160 super ultrawide (mini-LED)

, 2000W PSU, 4TB NVME, 4 4TB SSDs in RAID 0, 14TB to back it all up, custom loop the whole thing in a Lian LI aluminum desk and run an 60A electrical sub panel to power it all. And would pay for all of it in cash.


Outside of that I would go with Option 1.
 
I think that depends on various factors, such as: what resolution and refresh rate you game at, and if you're willing to not run highest graphics settings on everything. From my understanding, some people intentionally turn down settings to get a slight competitive advantage on some titles. My gut feeling says a 3070Ti and 9700K will still game just fine today at 1440P or lower.

Before you just upgrade, evaluate what kind of performance you get in those titles with your current setup. I would probably go for route 3. Wait for next gen AMD/Intel CPU and Nvidia/AMD GPU and evaluate something good for your budget then.
 
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