Which upgrade path do I take?

[Smashed Ixnay]

I have been out of the computer upgrade loop for some time now. I'm currently on a 9700k, 32gb G Skill DDR4 4000, Asus PrimeZ390-A motherboard, Nvidia 3070ti, and my monitor is a Dell S2721DGF (165hz 1440p gaming). Not sure if I'm missing anything else. Before this I had a 3770k for about 3-4 years. I don't game like I used to, but I want something better for PUBG. I know anything I get will be leap years better, but I'm not sure which path to take. Miami finally has a Microcenter, but it's a good 4 hour drive, lol. I just want a good deal on a new setup and want to go to one of their stores. Fuel isn't an issue since it'll cost me maybe $25 or so.

So 9800X3D's finally came out, and I know supply is scarce. I'm not sure if I should spend the $679.99 on the mobo, cpu, and ram combo, since it'll most likely be overkill, but at the same time should easily last me 5 years at my current pace. Do I save $80 and upgrade to the 7800X3D combo (mobo, cpu, ram) for $599.99, which still is overkill, but again should easily last me 5 years. This is also in stock and I won't have to wait on it. There was a new 7600X3D that was recently released and it's only $449.99 for the mobo, cpu, and ram combo. This is also in stock, but the downside is that it's only 6 cores/12 threads vs the 8 cores/16 threads of the 7800X3D/9800X3D. I know any route I take will be light years ahead of my 9700k. Going the 7600X3D would save me either $150 or $230. It runs much more effiecent also at 65watts vs 120watts for the other two.

Almost anytime I've upgraded in the past I always went with the best, but now I'm feeling like I don't need to go that route with how much of an upgrade even the 7600X3D would be. If I go this route am I going to miss the extra 2 cores/4 threads? I'm going to game on 1440p, typically run PUBG on medium settings, and after phase 2/3 I usually turn everything to very low. I most likely will upgrade my videocard in the future, but if I don't have to I won't. This is another area I'm so lost at. Would my 3070ti bottleneck the cpu's? If so, which gpu do I consider? If I went with the 7600X3D would I be able to upgrade to the 9800X3D later on if I needed an upgrade? I'm kind of lost on the zen4/zen5. Here is the 7600X3D combo and there is an upgraded mobo for $50 more here. If I go this route is the basic combo fine or the upgraded one worth $50 extra? I'm almost talking to myself like going the 7600X3D route would be the best, but let me know if I should spend the extra $120/$230 for one of the other two. Case! What's a good case for these?

Thanks in advance!

 

[pendragon1]

decide how much money youll spend, buy what fits.

 

[Dopamin3]

If your primary focus is gaming at 1440P (and you mention potentially upgrading down the road) then 100% just get the $449 7600X3D combo. It will not bottleneck a 3070Ti at all. I'd probably keep using the 3070Ti and evaluate the Nvidia 5000 series when they launch next year and consider that for your upgrade. You could upgrade to the 9800X3D later, or you could even update to Zen 6 which is already confirmed for AM5.

Cases are subjective and you might as well pick one up at Microcenter when you're there. I don't know what store your shopping at and inventory varies, but just buy something that has good airflow and can accommodate long GPUs. I regret when I bought my Fractal Meshify C and got severely limited in GPU choices because most modern GPUs are pretty lengthy.

 

[Tsumi]

IMO, the current X3D prices aren't worth it compared to what has been available historically- 7800X3D bundle at its low was $480 and it's now $600. At the very least I would wait out the initial price scalping launch and see how pricing settles from there.

The motherboard matters little for X3D processors, especially the 6 and 8 core models with how little power they consume. Upgrading the motherboard is a matter of if there are any specific features you want on it.

If you plan on keeping this long term and upgrading the CPU to at least Zen 6, I would pick a B650-E or better motherboard- basically one with PCI-E 5.0 for the GPU slot. The cost usually isn't that much higher than an equivalent B650 board.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

IMO, the current X3D prices aren't worth it compared to what has been available historically- 7800X3D bundle at its low was $480 and it's now $600. At the very least I would wait out the initial price scalping launch and see how pricing settles from there.

The motherboard matters little for X3D processors, especially the 6 and 8 core models with how little power they consume. Upgrading the motherboard is a matter of if there are any specific features you want on it.

If you plan on keeping this long term and upgrading the CPU to at least Zen 6, I would pick a B650-E or better motherboard- basically one with PCI-E 5.0 for the GPU slot. The cost usually isn't that much higher than an equivalent B650 board.

If Microcenter was open when the 7800X3D was $480 I would have bought it, but the closest was Atlanta (8'ish hour drive). I really want to get the 7800X3D, but the low power usage of the 7600X3D is kind of intriguing. I know it'll be a huge upgrade over my 9700k, so only spending $450 would be nice. I'm going to plan a trip next weekend to go out that way. I'll make sure to buy it ahead of time so it doesn't get sold out. Most likely it'll either be the 7600/7800X3D, simply because the 9800X3D is out of stock.

Odds are I will keep this long term, which kind of makes me want to lean towards the 7600X3D, so when Zen 6 comes out and I do upgrade I may actually benefit from it. I do very light gaming, so from the GamersNexus review, it looks like it'd be a good buy. We'll see come next weekend.


Thanks!

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

If your primary focus is gaming at 1440P (and you mention potentially upgrading down the road) then 100% just get the $449 7600X3D combo. It will not bottleneck a 3070Ti at all. I'd probably keep using the 3070Ti and evaluate the Nvidia 5000 series when they launch next year and consider that for your upgrade. You could upgrade to the 9800X3D later, or you could even update to Zen 6 which is already confirmed for AM5.

Cases are subjective and you might as well pick one up at Microcenter when you're there. I don't know what store your shopping at and inventory varies, but just buy something that has good airflow and can accommodate long GPUs. I regret when I bought my Fractal Meshify C and got severely limited in GPU choices because most modern GPUs are pretty lengthy.

This is what I think I'm going to do. It would be nice to keep the 3770ti a little longer and upgrade that in a year or two. Maybe when Zen 6 comes out I could reevaluate my setup and see if it's worth upgrading to that and then upgrading the GPU also. The more videos I watch the more it feels like the 7600X3D would be a good fit for me since I pretty much only play PUBG. I don't think there is a need to go full blown 9800X3D if it's really not needed. I don't break the bank and get a good upgrade where I can keep my 3770ti.

As far as cases I'll just look when I get there and pick something up. I already told my nephew I'll give him my old setup (he'll get my old 1070ti) so he can have something. I guess that could make for a good Christmas gift in a year or two, lol. I do wanna get a full size tower and will have to make sure it fits in whatever case I get. I'll definitely keep in mind the motherboard suggestion.


Thanks!

 

[Tsumi]

7600X3D bundle just dropped to $400, I would say it's definitely worth it at that price. $80 savings from the lowest the 7800X3D bundle ever got.

 

[Vengance_01]

76003D bundle is way to go. Huge uplift and will allow your 3070ti to shine even more.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

It took longer than expected, but I made the trip today, and picked up a few extra goodies.


No ragrats!

 

[Tsumi]

Lol... my cars rarely get above 19 mpg.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

omg..... I wish I'd of upgraded long long ago to the 7800X3D just based on how good these x3D cpu's are. This chip is fantastic and almost silent! My 9700k my cpu was almost 100% every single game on PUBG and now it's hovering around 40% usage and no more stuttering. It's night and day difference! This Cooler Master Atmos 360 is keeping it low in temps. I regret not getting a X3D cpu sooner, but I'm fine with it now. My computer room doesn't feel like an oven since the heatsink had to run harder to try to cool it, thus making it warming in office. Love love love this cpu!

 

[Tsumi]

Yeah, I'm glad I jumped on the 7800X3D 6 months ago before the prices started jumping up. I came from an E5-1680V2 (8-core version of the i7-4930k) and it was a huge upgrade.

 

[Vengance_01]

huge is an understatement

 

[dpoverlord]

I'm having the upgrade switch too. You like the AMD over the Intel OPTIONS?

 

[Vengance_01]

I'm having the upgrade switch too. You like the AMD over the Intel OPTIONS?

honestly it all depends on what your coming from but I would go AMD and AM5. 7600x3d/ 7600x or 9800x3d of your a gamer. the high clocks of the 7600x can hold it's own vs the 5700x3d and 5800x3d

 

[Tsumi]

I'm having the upgrade switch too. You like the AMD over the Intel OPTIONS?

Agreed, depending on your needs, a 7600x or 9600x on AM5 to start, and then upgrade as needed down the road. 9800X3D is about 30-40% faster than the 7600X in gaming, giving you a very viable upgrade path if you start low and wait for prices to drop. Hopefully Zen 6 will be on AM5 and give a >60% gain over the 7600x. The best part is the single CCD X3D CPUs aren't very power hungry- you don't need a high end board to run them.

 

[dpoverlord]

I was looking at the 9800x3d but researching & understandimg why it was much cheaper than the other options (7950x3d /older Ryzen 9 ) by amd but yet seems faster . Intel seems to really have lagged and apprehensive to upgrade to Intel.

On 4k my 4090 on my current x99 rampage seems OK and only. Lags on cyberpunk slightly at 4k... But maybe it doesn't and I just don't realize. My issue is my current mobo allows support for my close to 60+ tb and newer mobos don't support as many so I'd need to change to more M. 2's. Wild that it's now 600-1k for an extreme board. Prices have jumped! Wow

Current setup is:
Case: Lian Li PC-70 modded 10+fans MOBO: ASUS Rampage V x99 / 5930K @4.4ghz w/ SA IBE

RAM: 32gb Crucial Ballistix Sport GPU: Founders 4090 PSU: G2 1300

Monitor: LG 55GX / Creative Sonic Carrier / AKG 65 Annie + Modmic

HD: Samsung 870 4tb, 850 Pro 3x2TB, 3 WD gold 18tb, Seagate Barracuda 14TB

 

[Vengance_01]

I was looking at the 9800x3d but researching & understandimg why it was much cheaper than the other options (7950x3d /older Ryzen 9 ) by amd but yet seems faster . Intel seems to really have lagged and apprehensive to upgrade to Intel.

On 4k my 4090 on my current x99 rampage seems OK and only. Lags on cyberpunk slightly at 4k... But maybe it doesn't and I just don't realize. My issue is my current mobo allows support for my close to 60+ tb and newer mobos don't support as many so I'd need to change to more M. 2's. Wild that it's now 600-1k for an extreme board. Prices have jumped! Wow

Current setup is:
Case: Lian Li PC-70 modded 10+fans MOBO: ASUS Rampage V x99 / 5930K @4.4ghz w/ SA IBE

RAM: 32gb Crucial Ballistix Sport GPU: Founders 4090 PSU: G2 1300

Monitor: LG 55GX / Creative Sonic Carrier / AKG 65 Annie + Modmic

HD: Samsung 870 4tb, 850 Pro 3x2TB, 3 WD gold 18tb, Seagate Barracuda 14TB

wait on the new rumored 9950x3d chips then. you can also get add in cards that can do bi-furcation and split 1 x16 slot into 4 x4 slots perfect for your m.2s. also most high end boards are packing 3 m.2 slot on the board already. if those Samsung drives are older sata SSD it's time to retire then honestly.

 

[Dan_D]

Lol... my cars rarely get above 19 mpg.

Most of the fun vehicles don't.

 

[Tsumi]

I was looking at the 9800x3d but researching & understandimg why it was much cheaper than the other options (7950x3d /older Ryzen 9 ) by amd but yet seems faster . Intel seems to really have lagged and apprehensive to upgrade to Intel.

On 4k my 4090 on my current x99 rampage seems OK and only. Lags on cyberpunk slightly at 4k... But maybe it doesn't and I just don't realize. My issue is my current mobo allows support for my close to 60+ tb and newer mobos don't support as many so I'd need to change to more M. 2's. Wild that it's now 600-1k for an extreme board. Prices have jumped! Wow

Current setup is:
Case: Lian Li PC-70 modded 10+fans MOBO: ASUS Rampage V x99 / 5930K @4.4ghz w/ SA IBE

RAM: 32gb Crucial Ballistix Sport GPU: Founders 4090 PSU: G2 1300

Monitor: LG 55GX / Creative Sonic Carrier / AKG 65 Annie + Modmic

HD: Samsung 870 4tb, 850 Pro 3x2TB, 3 WD gold 18tb, Seagate Barracuda 14TB

The 7950X3D and 7900X3D add a second second non v-cache CCD for more cores, hence the higher price. Almost no game scales beyond 8 cores, which the 9800X3D has and thus dominates gaming benchmarks. The dual CCD X3D chips are for people that want gaming and productivity in one system. If you're not doing things like content creation, skip the dual CCD X3D chips, they are of no benefit to you.

The 7600X and 7700X will be about 50% faster than your 5930k, if not more. I went to a 7800X3D from an E5-1680V2 @ 4.7 ghz (8-core equivalent to the i7-4930k) and it was easily 100% faster in games, getting rid of some of the fps drops I was getting with my 3080ti.

I would also recommend retiring your X99 computer to be a NAS for your storage needs. Unless there is some reason you want all that storage on your primary computer. My old X79 system will be rebuilt as a NAS.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

Yeah, I'm glad I jumped on the 7800X3D 6 months ago before the prices started jumping up. I came from an E5-1680V2 (8-core version of the i7-4930k) and it was a huge upgrade.

I didn't even know the chip existed. It wouldn't have mattered since the Microcenter here didn't open in Miami until around September. I absolutely love it for gaming. Since I only play PUBG it does everything I need it to do. I have zero regrets about not getting the 7800X3D now.

 

[Tsumi]

I didn't even know the chip existed. It wouldn't have mattered since the Microcenter here didn't open in Miami until around September. I absolutely love it for gaming. Since I only play PUBG it does everything I need it to do. I have zero regrets about not getting the 7800X3D now.

MIcrocenter was supposed to open here in the SF Bay Area but hasn't yet. That's okay though, I got my 7800X3D from Amazon for $320. No regrets either, multiplayer is silky smooth and my indie base building games no longer stutter.

 

[Mad Maxx]

I upgraded from a 9700k, 64GB, 3080, Z390 rig that still performs pretty well, but definitely shows its age. I planned on the 14700k until all the problems with these latest Intel CPUs were disclosed. I’m thrilled with my 7800X3D based build. I paid $325 for it from Best Buy back in June. I expect to get a good 3-4 years out of this CPU.