Need advice on upgrading your system for better performance without overspending.
Need advice on upgrading your system for better performance without overspending.
Hello, I'm using a solid setup that works well for me. I generally perform well across most games, though multitasking sometimes causes minor performance hiccups. Some more demanding or visually intense titles could benefit from better performance (like Tarkov), but I don’t think my GPU is the main issue to upgrade just yet. My system runs smoothly on a 1080 Ti and still handles everything fine.
I’m currently using four monitors—two at 1440p and two at 1080p. The extra displays seem to be impacting performance, which might explain some of the lag I experience while gaming. I hope upgrading the fan will help, but temperatures remain acceptable.
Running four monitors is definitely taxing, so I’m considering consolidating my setup—maybe one computer for multitasking and another dedicated to gaming.
I’ve been neglecting system optimization lately. It’s possible the bottleneck lies in the motherboard; CPU/GPU usage rarely hits 90% except occasionally. I’m also curious if a motherboard upgrade would work with my current RAM, and whether I could upgrade to the latest DDR memory as well. This might help reduce costs over time by allowing more RAM in the existing slots.
I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions.
Examine your motherboard’s vendor site and check the CPU compatibility list. I’d assume your board can handle Ryzen 5000 processors. If you’re juggling multiple tasks, I’d suggest considering a Ryzen 9 5900x with its 12 cores and 24 threads.
Your board seems capable of supporting 64GB of RAM. You might want to replace the existing components with a compatible kit. Sometimes mismatched parts can cause issues, but it’s worth trying if you’re open to it.
According to your board’s support documentation, you can also use an M.2 NVMe drive or a 2.5Gb Ethernet card. This would restrict you to Gen 3, but that’s more than enough. Speeds range from 1800-3000Mbps for NVMe drives versus around 500MB/s for SATA.
Double-check with the manufacturer—they say your board supports up to a 5950X CPU. I can assure you though, swapping in something like a 5700X would likely boost performance by about 70%.
You’re also free to build a new system if you prefer. If you want a budget upgrade, consider a Ryzen 7 5700X for roughly $180, trade in your current CPU for $70-100, and add a 1TB NVMe drive. This combination would probably make a noticeable difference.
Regarding the GPU, it still competes with new cards in the $300-$400 range. For a solid upgrade, you’d need at least RX 6800X or 7800X performance. You might also notice a significant improvement if you replace your CPU, as it would likely make your PC feel much more powerful.
As mentioned by the original poster, you could swap the board, but if you’re planning that, a full rebuild might be better. DDR4 3200 is affordable, and upgrading to 3600 would cost a few extra bucks.
You have several options, but I wouldn’t suggest moving to a new AM4 board at this stage. If you do, consider switching to an AM5 or Intel platform. Personally, I bought a Z690 DDR4 board for around $100 and an i5-12600K for $140 on sale—so you could reuse your old RAM and gaming enthusiasts said there’s little difference between DDR4 and DDR5.
Just my thoughts. But you definitely have choices. Even updating your BIOS to support a 5700X would make it feel like a new PC. I also found a video showing this upgrade works, though it notes your board is linked to PCIe 3.0 slots. If you switch to a PCIe 4 card like the 6800X, you might lose a few FPS, but not enough to justify replacing the board unless you’re certain. Most users report only minor losses with such cards.
View: https://youtu.be/kNvoWrXEHdU?feature=shared
All the information you provided is very helpful and seems to guide me correctly. The only concern is that when I checked previously, I thought my motherboard only supported 32GB, but it actually supports 64GB. I might have saved money earlier and forgotten to upgrade, but I want to be sure now. I’ll double-check it.
Just confirm again. If you're sure, a matched kit and removing the older RAM would work. As I mentioned, the value option is the Ryzen 7 5700X. You might consider going for 5600, but since you handle a lot of multitasking, you likely don’t want to reduce the core count.
So examining the 32gb versus 64gb compatibility of my motherboard, I came across some reports indicating that certain RAM setups won’t function with 64gb. I have two products in mind:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0134E...X0DER&th=1
I’m planning to purchase another pair but am uncertain if it will be compatible. I’m second-guessing because there might be specific details about this combination that prevent it from working with 64gb. With the information you provided, it seems more sensible to stick with my current motherboard and focus on upgrading my RAM and CPU, while also getting an M.2 drive for the operating system. All of these options seem quite affordable, which is great.
EDIT: I think I finally understand now—I can’t just buy two more RAM sticks and be sure they’ll fit; it’s a matter of chance due to possible differences in manufacturing batches. If I’d bought four at once in a pack, it would have worked (though that option isn’t available). I’m pretty sure Amazon will allow returns, so I might as well give it a try.
Thanks for the assistance—I feel ready for my upgrades now! I’m considering a 5700x and possibly another two RAM sticks. God I’m going to hate removing the water cooling and swapping components.
Given that your aio is likely five years old, you might want to try something else. These come in about six different setups with RGB or white options. It's a dual tower air cooler, big but effective. My i5 12600kf usually reaches around 60 degrees. Just bring a long screwdriver. For 35 bucks it’s quite reasonable. I’ve even fried a board with a water cooler before. Air cooling is my preference for this build, which typically lasts 3 to 5 years. If the fan stops working on the air cooler, just swap in a 120mm fan and you’re good.
Thank you! Your watercooling setup is quite old—around six years, and it's in slightly used condition. It was my first one, and I wasn't too impressed, possibly because I saved money on it. I've also had good experiences with the air coolers I've purchased before.
Sure thing, but make sure you don’t waste money and end up with a leak—then it’ll be a disaster.
This is what I’m using.
Amazon.com
I have a blue case with a side window, which seems to fit the bill.
I'm noticing the air cooling is improving with the 5700x and a 2tb nvme storage. I'll hold off on the RAM upgrade. My concerns about the watercooling have grown since it's been this old, and I'm worried it might not be performing well now. Currently at 50°C with a light load in a warm space, it's still manageable. Still, I've always had doubts. The hoses seem to be in poor condition too.
You have a suggestion for an NVMe drive? I checked the link you shared.