Upgrade kit, assistance required.
Upgrade kit, assistance required.
Hey there, I understand your situation well. You're looking to make smart choices with a budget of R11,000 (about $650-$700 USD). Your current setup includes a Ryzen 5 1400 with 16GB RAM, a GTX 1070, and a 700W PSU. You're trying to upgrade for Total War titles, which are CPU-intensive. You’re considering keeping the PSU, RAM, and GPU while exploring cheaper upgrade kits online. Since you don’t need an immediate full replacement but want to improve performance, it makes sense to focus on the essentials. Let’s review what you have and what you might want next.
Many of these kits would push you to repurchase RAM and a motherboard. I’d seriously consider the new Ryzen 3300X to fit into that board, or a 3600 if you prefer. Paired with your GPU and RAM, it’d make a great setup. 1080p gaming would work well. Unless you specifically need an X570 board for the next-gen chips, I don’t see a strong reason.
A few recent B550 boards are matching the performance of x470 and occasionally x570. Upgrading to one of these might be worthwhile.
Sure, I understand. I'm just a bit nervous about switching to Ryzen for Total War games. It seems like some people think Intel is better because older games only used two cores, but I appreciate your advice. Thanks for your help!
Investigate the 3300X, a compact chip with four cores that performs well against Intel's four-core options. You wouldn't invest heavily in an Intel setup for this reason. If Intel suits most games, consider it. For another? no.
You were considering two processors for a future-proof setup lasting about two to three years. The options were the R7 3700X and the Intel i7 7600. Since you're using a laptop for work, I’d suggest testing both in real conditions to see which performs better.
Adjusting the motherboard specs around the 3700X will keep you running smoothly for three years. Also, thanks for the note—please avoid mentioning that term. You seem to already know your machine is quite solid. I’m expecting a CPU that lasts at least three years, so the 3300X and 3600 will still perform well. A 3700X is probably more than enough for gaming, and an i7-7600 won’t cut it. Why invest in a CPU that’s already three years old when you can upgrade your board instead?
Sure, I understand. You found a lot of help, but you're still wondering if something is off. Probably just your mind, right? Thanks.
It seems the processor is underpowered, which is the focus we're aiming to improve. We don't need to purchase a new motherboard or RAM for this upgrade. For instance, comparing the 3300X to the Ryzen 1500 (no matching 1400 available) at the 1.05 update, you can watch similar content showing your 1400 against the 3600 and then the 3700X. Once you see those comparisons, you can decide to buy one.
I just confirmed the 3300X isn't available yet, but I can hold off. You mentioned the 3700X is too much—probably better to upgrade to a CPU with a B450 board for overclocking, especially with your AIO cooler.