Assessing whether an upgrade is necessary also involves considerations for AMD motherboards.
Assessing whether an upgrade is necessary also involves considerations for AMD motherboards.
Hey everyone, it's a great day here! I managed to save some money by taking a low-paying job, and now I can upgrade my gaming setup. Right now it has an Intel i7 4790, a H97 Pro ASUS board, and an NVIDIA M-series 1070. I'm thinking about swapping the motherboard for a Ryzen 5 3600, a budget B450-F ASUS ROG Strix board, and some DDR4 RAM. I was wondering if you'd like advice—should I go for the CPU upgrade, or change the graphics card? I'm not sure how long my current setup will last. Also, how does the ASUS ROG Strix compare to other budget boards under $100? (the ROG model is around $130). Thanks for any thoughts!
1070 remains an excellent choice. Upgrading your CPU will be the top priority. The Ryzen 5 3600 16 GB is a solid option, and the ASUS B450-F has some issues; you’ll need to update its BIOS to make it compatible with the Ryzen 5 3600. The MSI Tomahawk MAX performs much better and already supports your processor.
I think I’d save on a CPU upgrade for now, since the Ryzen 4000 should be available soon. Eventually, I’d consider a monitor upgrade—either a 1440p display with high refresh rates or a 1080p at 240Hz. You can find good options around $300 to $100 for a B450 MSI Max or similar motherboard with solid VRMs. A B450 Gaming Plus works too, especially if it supports USB BIOS flashing for recovery. As long as it has enough airflow, an 8-core or even a stock 12-core board is fine.
Thank you for your assistance! I'm still trying to decide, but if I upgrade, I'll remember what you all mentioned. Thanks!
They all share the same 4 phase VRM design, but variations could exist in the I/O, audio codec, or the dimensions and shape of the VRM heatsink.
Your question is clear. Will the NVIDIA RTX 2060 handle gaming smoothly with an i7-4790 at 1080p?
The 1070 and 2060 share identical GPU performance limits, restricting your resolution or quality. The CPU caps your FPS or refresh rate. I’d hold off for the next-gen GPUs as well.