For a full replacement, change the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and RAM.
For a full replacement, change the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and RAM.
I anticipate the tariffs will have a significant impact. Additionally, I was fortunate to buy an optic at a favorable price before the tariffs took effect.
It might be useful to review AMD CPU together with graphics card and monitor options that include Free Sync. These components work well together for visuals, offer better VRAM amounts on average, and usually cost less. The main downside would be missing Ray Tracing, which may not suit your game needs. Based on the assumed age of all parts in the first post, I wouldn't recommend using them for mission-critical tasks, especially storage.
You bring up a valid observation, but for mission-critical tasks I also use laptops. They all have a limited role, mainly handling data and games—though I understand your concern about disc drives failing. With a new motherboard, I’d opt for M2 drives, starting with 2TB X2 and keeping discs for game storage. Games can be reinstalled, while other drives would just hold info, PDFs, YouTube videos, etc. Valid point.
OP is running DDR3 RAM.
Intel 4th gen CPUs operate with DDR3. Starting from Intel 6th gen (Skylake), then DDR4 became a thing.
It still doesn't answer why do you want RTX 4090.
Is RTX 4090 some fixation you have?
And no, RTX 4090 price doesn't come down. If anything it goes up.
RTX 4090 launched with $1599 MSRP, while you were looking ~$2000 to buy one near launch.
Currently RTX 4090 goes with $2600-$3000 and more, pcpp:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-...rice&c=539
RTX 4090 supply will dwindle as time goes onwards. And price goes up.
RTX 4090 is waste of money, especially when you compare it to RTX 5080,
relative performance:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidi...on/34.html
While RTX 5080 costs half of RTX 4090, pcpp:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-...rice&c=588
It just doesn't make sense, to pay double the price, for, at best 13% better performance (RTX 5080 vs RTX 4090).
Read reviews to know.
R7 9800X3D review:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-r...3d/27.html
Well, RTX 4090 alone is 600W GPU. So, just to power it + the rest of the system (e.g 120W CPU and other hardware) + having some wattage headroom, you're looking at 1.2 kW PSU.
Well, you can but then you need to give up your dream of having RTX 4090.
Something like this perhaps;
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor
($221.37 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 90 SE 32.77 CFM CPU Cooler
($24.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte B850 EAGLE WIFI6E ATX AM5 Motherboard
($169.98 @ Amazon)
Memory:
G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory
($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($99.99 @ Abt)
Video Card:
MSI GAMING TRIO OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card
($714.99 @ MSI)
Case:
Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-05 ATX Mid Tower Case
(Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply:
SeaSonic VERTEX GX-850 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($149.99 @ B&H)
Total:
$1476.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-04-21 17:38 EDT-0400
Solid RTX 5070 build. Can game on 4K with ~60 FPS, 2K with ~120 FPS or 1080p with ~150 FPS,
review:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidi...on/33.html
No unicorn puke in the build though. But you can add it if you want (e.g CPU cooler, RAM, different MoBo with ARGB strip, etc.).
Thinking about implementing "rolling upgrades" would mean starting with a platform upgrade, followed by a GPU upgrade several years later, and then moving to the next level. Of course, your 970 is quite old, so even a mid-range GPU will significantly boost performance on your current setup. Unless you're looking for cutting-edge parts, there are some solid mid-range options available. At 1080p, an RTX 5070(Ti) or RX 9070 can achieve impressive frame rates with maximum settings.
And that covers a significant aspect of what I’m discussing. It’s not particularly easy, but losing your Steam games drive isn’t a top priority. If you had all your wedding photos backed up on that drive, things would be completely different.
Personally, I usually keep up with new hardware, especially the more expensive components. In your case, I’d probably look into getting a solid motherboard, at least 32GB of RAM, an AM5 CPU from the 7000 series, and maybe some RX graphics cards as well. A quality power supply with a long warranty would be a good choice, along with an OS drive from Samsung 990 models that have been on great deals. You should also consider a case if yours isn’t old enough to support faster USB ports at the front. Then you can upgrade your drives and hardware as needed.
In this scenario, you already have a route to upgrading to a 9000 Ryzen processor—possibly even more models not yet announced. You could also upgrade to better graphics cards, and with a good power supply, you’ll save on extra costs. In many situations, these parts are available at much lower prices than their original release values.
It still isn't clear why you're seeking an RTX 4090. Is it just a trend you're following? I think it might be the top choice, since I've been out of the loop regarding components. I bought my gaming laptop with a 2060 about two years ago for "Death Stranding" and FC6, but later realized FC6 can run on a 970. I got two laptops around 2023—1060 and 870—and they were working fine. But I see what people are saying. The 4090 seems excessive. A 5060/70 build would be better. Meanwhile, I plan to use my 970 and 2060. One game that really caught my attention was "Forever Winter," which likely needs a 3000-series GPU or higher. All this is still under discussion. Thank you for your feedback. Great information.
RX 9060 XT 16GB specifications and links provided.
Additional components and parts are listed with their respective sources.
Total cost includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts.
Selected parts were chosen based on predefined parameters.
Generated by PCPartPicker on April 21, 2025 at 18:00 EDT.
Excellent suggestion. Here’s a similar option:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor
($221.37 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 90 SE 32.77 CFM
($24.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B850 EAGLE WIFI6E ATX AM5
($169.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32
($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME
($99.99 @ Abt)
Video Card: MSI GAMING TRIO OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB
($714.99 @ MSI)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-05 ATX Mid Tower
(Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic VERTEX GX-850 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular
($149.99 @ B&H)
Overall Cost: $1476.21
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Created by PCPartPicker
2025-04-21 17:38 EDT-0400
This build supports gaming at 4K with around 60 FPS, 2K at ~120 FPS or 1080p at ~150 FPS.
Review: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidi...on/33.html