Consider upgrading or hold off on the i7-4790k to a Ryzen 3700x.
Consider upgrading or hold off on the i7-4790k to a Ryzen 3700x.
I'm currently using an i7-4790k on an Asrock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer motherboard. The setup includes 16GB DDR3 at 1600MHz, GTX 1080 graphics, an HDD boot drive, and a 1080i display. This configuration has been my first build in 2015, and I didn’t have much hardware knowledge back then. Now I’m considering an upgrade to a Ryzen 7 3700X in a Mini ITX Mini ITX case from Gigabyte, paired with 32GB DDR4 at 2400MHz and a PCIe M.2 drive for booting. I’m thinking about adding a 1TB M.2 SSD and am unsure if it’s worth waiting another year for the next Ryzen release to get a better 65W CPU. I’m happy with my current setup, it runs games well, but it’s starting to show its age. I’m torn between upgrading now or holding off for better options. What’s your advice?
The 4790k remains capable, particularly with just a GTX 1080. These outcomes are based on a 2080 ti graphics card, which you don’t possess. Your setup will see far fewer noticeable differences compared to the 1080. Overclocking is an option—there’s little risk and plenty of potential reward.
Holly, it's no surprise you missed it! Thanks for checking back—I'll take a look.
Right now, patience seems to be the smartest option. In the past, Ryzen processors tend to drop in cost during the first half of the year. I’d probably wait until after CES ends.
Newer titles will gain from additional assets, and nearly every CPU upgrade path will enhance your setup for the coming years, though the 4790k remains solid. If you wait until perhaps June of next year—something I believe is feasible—the 4th generation Ryzen options will be impressive.
You might want to explore RAM overclocking to boost minimum frame rates. A higher clock speed could push your system closer to 1866-2133Mhz, even with slightly relaxed timings. It may improve performance noticeably without being too unstable for your target speed. I was impressed to see my 1866Mhz (933Mhz) reaching 2200Mhz (1100Mhz) with CL 11 12 11 36 from CL 10 11 10 30.
For a new PC setup, act quickly. I recently moved from a 3570K to a 3700X and if the rumors about Ryzen 3 CPUs this year hold, I’ll be upgrading again!
I did this exact same upgrade to a 3700x. I did it mainly for productivity reasons and there has been a noticeable improvement in multithreaded workloads like that. There has also been a gaming improvement, but nothing to really brag about. I would say the gaming improvement alone is not worth a complete system rebuild