Upgrading a 10-year-old computer is a great idea.
Upgrading a 10-year-old computer is a great idea.
I was thinking about upgrading my PC by getting a new graphics card first, but then realized my components are quite outdated. I own a Core i5 750 with around 4GB RAM, so adding an RTX 2060 would likely cause performance issues and be a waste of money. I’m looking into alternatives. Someone suggested a Ryzen 7 3700X with 16GB DDR4 memory at 3600MHz, which seems like a decent setup for gaming. I’d like to play games in Modern Warfare or Warzone at 1080p or 1440p. I have questions about choosing between the 3700X, 3800X, and Ryzen 9 3900X—should the 3700X still work well for gaming while being more affordable? Also, what’s the best Intel option compared to RX5700 vs RTX2060? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
The 3800x is essentially a binned version of the 3700x with a stronger cooler, which wouldn’t really impact performance if the 3700x didn’t overclock much. The 3900x is similar to the 3700x but includes four additional cores. This difference can noticeably affect certain tasks, though gaming isn’t currently one of them and might change in the future. Intel only competes effectively at its top-tier i9 models; everything else falls short.
It’s clearly the most cost-effective choice among the three. You’ll get almost no extra advantage from upgrading to a more powerful CPU for gaming. A 3600 should suffice right now. AMD often outperforms Intel in certain tasks and remains more affordable. Although Intel still edges out in some games with a few more frames, it’s not worth the cost of a faster CPU. Consider your budget first—especially if you plan to use a 1440p display. The 5700xt is a solid pick for that, or the 2070 Super if you’re willing to spend a bit more.
Unboxed benchmarks show the 5700xt consistently outperforms the 2060 Super by around 8%. The 2070 Super edges out the 5700xt by roughly 6% on average. Both the 2060 and 5700 models lag behind, but they’re better suited for 1080p or even a 5600xt if you want extra performance.
Decision factors include price, performance needs, and your location. In the US, a 5700xt is currently available for about $360, while the cheapest 2070 Super starts at around $500.
From a performance angle, some prefer NVIDIA chips for features like NVENC encoding or ray tracing.