Upgrade Suggestions
Upgrade Suggestions
Good day everyone.
I’m planning to upgrade several parts of my PC and want to know what would work best with my 4070 Super to provide better performance than my current configuration.
The parts I’m considering are:
Motherboard – My current setup uses an MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX (MS-7C02).
RAM – I have Corsair 8192 MB (DDR4-2137) with XMP 2.0, specifically model CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (four units for a total of 32 GB).
CPU – An AMD Ryzen 5 3600X with six cores, which is quite outdated now.
Power Supply – I’m using an CX750M 80+ Bronze PSU, purchased in 2023.
I’m trying to identify the best matches for the 4070 Super to maximize performance. These appear to be the only components I haven’t upgraded recently.
Thank you ahead for any recommendations.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($207.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS Micro ATX AM5 ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $460.96 (includes shipping, taxes, and available discounts)
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-05-27 13:05 EDT-0400
Simple upgrade, BIOS update, and a 5700x3d drop-in. I wouldn't go for six cores in 2025. A budget is necessary too.
It's not just about the number of cores, but the multithreaded performance that truly counts. For example,
a 9600x offers significantly better MT performance than a 5800x/5800X3D. This means a modern six-core processor can handle the same tasks or even outperform your recommended 5700X3D.
When titles such as Cyberpunk make full use of an 8-core processor, unless you're playing only older games or participating in e-sports, I wouldn't suggest sticking with a 6-core setup. It's important to retain cores and threads for background operations and other applications like Discord, web browsers, etc. A clean test environment and a bar chart don't reflect actual real-world scenarios.
If the 9600x has more threaded performance than a 5700X3D, then why would you recommend it? There is nothing magical about more cores.
Here is the 6 core 9600x beating the 8 core 5800X3D
in CP2077 at 1080p by 11.6%.
Source article.
Clean the test bench, no background processes running, confident a 9600x will prevail. Still enjoy the stutter when Windows gets a bit erratic and tries to act out. Discord is popular for co-op play but it also consumes CPU power. I only suggested the 5700x3d as the simpler upgrade, not the top choice, since the original poster hasn’t shared their budget yet.
The key point is that core count doesn't really matter for multitasking or multithreaded performance unless we're comparing CPUs with the same architecture. A modern 6-core processor can often outperform an older 8-core or even surpass a 12-core model because each core handles more work per clock while maintaining higher speed. Personally, I use a 5800X3D and rarely experience stuttering even when opening many applications like Chrome tabs, Steam, Discord, HWiNFO, RTSS, etc., especially at 1440p or 4K resolution. Of course, I usually run at 1080p or higher, though DLSS is often active at 4K, bringing the required performance closer to what a 1080p CPU would need.