Talking about assembling a new PC, with a lot of time to spare—should we hold off on some components?
Talking about assembling a new PC, with a lot of time to spare—should we hold off on some components?
Here is your current list of components.
What could be repurposed?
CPU
GPU
PSU
case?
What would your budget look like?
If you need something immediately, purchase now.
If you delay until the better option arrives, you might miss out forever.
Within the October timeframe, Intel 14th generation processors will be released, though at a slight increase in cost for performance.
There are no outdated technologies on the way.
Amd X3D chips are excellent for playing just one game.
If that’s your only use, they’re adequate.
However, if you engage in other activities, their performance drops.
DDR5 memory offers the best speed now, but its high latency reduces its advantage.
DDR4 remains solid today and is more affordable.
Regardless of price, Intel and AMD provide similar products.
I recommend sticking to what you’re familiar with—either AMD or Intel.
There’s a learning curve involved.
There’s no true future-proofing.
After two years, upgrading CPUs is often paired with a new motherboard.
This might be the period I'm focusing on, around late 2024 for Arrow Lake. By then, my reliable 7700 is likely nearing the end of its lifespan. This provides a clear goal, and lets me adapt by purchasing sooner if needed.
It will involve a full overhaul of all main parts and a new case. My current setup has been older than 10 years and has gone through two different versions of the motherboard/CPU. I plan to reuse most peripherals—monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers, sound card, etc.—and possibly my GPU (2080 Ti) temporarily if necessary. If it still functions well, it will likely be converted into a general-purpose computer for the family or kids.
There is a strong impression about the comments above regarding monitors (and the responses). Numerous discussions revolve around the 'around the corner' feature of new equipment. In my opinion, most people prefer to wait before upgrading to the latest hardware. Generally, you'll notice the cost of older components dropping rapidly as stores attempt to clear inventory, making it increasingly tempting to make a purchase. Currently, graphics cards and power supplies are the exceptions that don't seem to be moving much. The prices for RAM and storage likely help balance this trend. Motherboard costs remain inconsistent, especially on the premium side.
I believe many PC enthusiasts would have been overwhelmed by the latest setup, and a previous generation system—lacking features like frame counters, time clocks, or detailed testing—wouldn't show such noticeable differences. Most of the claimed performance improvements are based on unrealistic benchmarks that don't reflect real-world usage. Only those who experience these tiny variations during extended play sessions truly notice them. A few frames here and there in games probably won't matter unless significant drops occur.
You'd be amazed at how much faster today's chips are compared to older models. A basic $140 I3-13100 performs roughly twice the power of your 7700. Life doesn't wait, and a slow computer isn't worth the time.
This might be accurate according to benchmarks, but what does "twice as strong" really mean in everyday use? I think for most non-heavy tasks, the difference between a 7700 and newer CPUs won't be very apparent. Of course, the 7700 will still be the main bottleneck for many modern games, but I’m okay with lowering the settings now. I’m definitely familiar with what it’s like to have a slow PC—like when I was using a 386 SX and trying to play newer CD games that needed a 486 or better. The 7700 isn’t quite there yet in terms of being completely outdated. I know the timing is approaching, but I’m not eager to upgrade right away.
Twice as powerful in that case would mean doubling the frame rate, since it's a 4 core/8 thread CPU like your 7700. The impact you'll see will largely depend on the games you play. CSGO at 144hz is quite different from Warzone 2, for instance. These differences become most apparent in the newest titles at rates above 60hz or in games that use ray tracing. The i7 7700 isn't outdated; it still runs most games, but in recent releases it delivers more average performance instead of the top-tier speed it offered when it launched.
I should have been more explicit in my initial response instead of just referencing an article. I believe the next major development will involve GPUs with a PCIe 5 interface. We already have motherboards that support PCIe 5, and it's currently mostly used for M.2 drives. The only reported non-name GPU that functions at PCIe 5 is one specific model. A key issue arises because certain boards, such as the Z790, share the PCIe 5 bandwidth between the M.2 slot and the first GPU slot, preventing full utilization of a PCIe 5 GPU even if available. New chipset designs offering sufficient bandwidth for both PCIe 5 GPUs and M.2 slots should be anticipated.
Previously, the distinction between PCIe 2/3/4 was almost negligible, except for the most powerful cards. I don’t think there’s anything extraordinary about PCIe 5. The same applies to SSDs—besides synthetic tests, it’s hard to tell if you’re using a SATA or PCIe connection at higher speeds.