Choose between 3900XT and 10900K based on your needs.
Choose between 3900XT and 10900K based on your needs.
You're focusing on optimizing your setup for fast FPS at 1080p, aiming for 144fps or higher. I understand you're new to hardware choices and trying to balance performance with what you can get. Your current build includes an AMD Ryzen 1600X, a high-end GPU, and solid RAM. You're considering CPU, motherboard, and RAM upgrades, but feel uncertain due to the abundance of recommendations. The 10900K is often suggested for gaming due to its strong boost potential, while the 3900X offers broader performance gains. Since your main goal is gaming, I’d lean toward the 10900K if you want a noticeable jump, but if you're strictly focused on FPS, the 3900X could be a safer bet. Don’t worry about making the perfect choice—just pick what fits your budget and future needs. Let me know if you want help narrowing it down further!
for gaming, the 10600k will be more then enough, but since you already have an x370 board, you could just go for a 3600/xt which will be more than enough for gaming. but wait for zen 3 and then decide which platform you want to move to. but either a 10600k and switch the board, or a 3600/xt and keep the current board. or wait for zen 3 and decide.
for maximum performance the 10900k stands out as the clear pick, unless your system is constrained by GPU limits. If you have that motherboard, the 3900X (non-T) offers a more affordable upgrade, though you'll notice a slight drop in FPS across most titles. Keep in mind, high-end models may see improvements soon—consider waiting a month or two if possible.
Plan a few months for Zen 3 to arrive. If it doesn’t match Intel’s power for gaming yet, opt for the 10600K. For performance, it handles the 10900K just as well. Or simply upgrade your existing board with a 3600 or 3700X and stop further upgrades.
Focusing on the top FPS path right now is the plan. My current performance in COD ranges between 100 and 130 FPS, sometimes hitting 140 depending on the situation. I wasn’t sure if a pure clock boost like the 10900k at 5.3GHz would be better than the 3900xt with its extra cores, but it seems the higher clock speed wins for FPS. This is confusing because I used to think RAM speed wasn’t that important. If I choose the 10900k, does RAM speed still play a big role compared to the Ryzen? I’m really unsure about RAM choices beyond the idea of using 3600 and setting it to 1800. Any advice would be appreciated!
It varies based on GPU availability; if you're limited, boosting the CPU won't help much. For Intel, the impact is moderate. Not much RAM knowledge needed for a general idea, but are you in a hurry to upgrade?
I'm not in a hurry, but over the years of playing games, I've noticed new options always appear. Back then, I'd upgrade to what was available when I had the budget. Now I'm aiming for at least 144 frames per second, especially for smoother gameplay. It's tough to judge without knowing if my current graphics card is outdated or just slow due to its clock speed. I used an older GTX Titan that gave me 70-100 fps, but switching to an RTX 2070 pushed it up to 100-140 fps. So I'm focusing on finding a CPU with the fastest clock possible.