Consider upgrading or hold off on Zen 3/RTX 3XXX
Consider upgrading or hold off on Zen 3/RTX 3XXX
Hey everyone, I'm currently rocking an Intel 6600K in my PC which I use for a combination of software development (mostly hobby projects, I've got a laptop for work stuff) and gaming. I wouldn't say my current system is slow, but an improvement in compile times and overall “snappyness” in programs like Visual Studio would be nice. The system isn’t bottlenecked by the CPU in games, but more likely by my GTX 1060. I game on a 1440p monitor which the 1060 struggles with a bit (didn’t have the budget for a 1070 back then). So now I’m thinking of doing one of the following: - Upgrading to a Ryzen 3600 which seems like the best < 200 EUR option for a processor right now (correct me if I’m wrong). - Waiting for the Zen 3 chips to either buy one of those or a Zen 2 one on sale. This is a bit of a gamble (no idea whether the old ones will get much cheaper or the new ones just more expensive…) and might still take a while. - Upgrading my 1060 to an RTX 2060 Super. - Waiting for Nvidia to release an RTX 3060 to buy either that or the 2060 on sale. Question is which option is best here… I know this is quite subjective but I don’t really keep up with rumors and news on things that haven’t been released so some advice would be great. Will the newer Ryzens and RTXs likely be worth waiting for or should I just go ahead and buy the current gen stuff? Apologies if I posted this in the wrong place since this is both about CPU’s and GPU’s…
We're almost there for the latest Ryzen models and Nvidia graphics—hold on a little longer!
Nvidia is set to launch soon—worth keeping an eye on. New CPUs are expected later this year. If you choose to wait, consider boosting your existing CPU’s performance through overclocking.
If you have time, wait for Zen 3, Ampere, Big Navi, and evaluate their features before choosing which platform to transition to.
Ampere and Big Navi GPUs are arriving so quickly that it’s best to wait and observe their performance. You might consider buying the latest GPUs or securing a discount on older models. AMD’s upcoming next-gen CPUs will release later this year and will continue using 7nm technology. I don’t anticipate significant gains, but it’s always worth checking. If you still wish to buy the 2060S, opt for a 5700xt paired with a tri or dual fan setup, such as the XFX 5700xt thicc II/III or thicc II/III ultra.
On early ray tracing cards? Not really. Doing ray tracing in the 2060s looks quite poor. You won't be able to play triple AAA games smoothly on reasonable settings or refresh rates with this technology. Plus, AMD says their next-gen Big Navi will include ray tracing as well. For Next-gen GPUs, you probably don't need to worry much about it—though Nvidia might be different. And in the 2000 series, ray tracing felt more like a novelty than a real feature, even for the 2080ti.
I plan to wait for the upcoming GPUs since they’re expected soon. For the CPU, if you need an upgrade, consider AMD’s lack of a concrete launch date for the Ryzen 3 (they mentioned around December 31). The current AM4 boards should work with the Ryzen 3, letting you start a build now and upgrade later once Ryzen 3 CPUs deliver sufficient performance improvements.