Upgrading your gaming PC can help lower latency from 30ms to 40ms.
Upgrading your gaming PC can help lower latency from 30ms to 40ms.
The components on my PC are quite old. I’m unsure how much improvement in latency I can achieve while minimizing costs. My setup includes a 3070 GPU, 8GB VRAM, an ASRock B450 Steel Legend motherboard, 16GB RAM, and the usual recommendation from the past was to upgrade to a Ryzen 3600 CPU. However, I’m experiencing nearly three times lower FPS if I had a 56003XD.
I’m okay with keeping the GPU for now because I’ve adapted to playing at lower settings, and I believe it won’t significantly impact latency. The ASRock B450 board likely doesn’t affect latency either. My concern seems to be the 16GB RAM and the 3600 CPU.
My plan is to upgrade the RAM to 36GB DDR4 (since my motherboard supports only DDR4) and replace the 56003XD CPU. Will these changes bring latency down to under 20ms or even below 15ms? Or should I also switch to a more affordable board with DDR5 and a better GPU for achieving sub-20ms performance?
I own a RYZEN 3600 and it runs around 2.5x less than 3XD on my 3070 GPU. I’m wondering if there are other AMD CPUs that come close to a budget 3XD without the higher cost? Also, how long would it take for the price of the micro center exclusive 3XD to drop back down from $150?
My system response time is between 30 to 40ms. I think the high CPU usage around 3600 might be the main issue, possibly linked to the older motherboard model (Asrock b450 steel series) or the GPU that uses most of the RAM. The 16GB memory could be a limiting factor since my PC nears 16GB during gaming. Is having too little RAM a significant problem for gaming latency? And would 36GB be sufficient while gaming, and is 64GB more than necessary?
It's X3D, not 3XD, and which model are you referring to when mentioning 2.5x more fps? If you're not planning to switch to AM5, which means replacing the motherboard and RAM too, a X3D represents the most significant upgrade possible, though the 5800X3D and 5700X3D are either unavailable or extremely costly (and beware of scams). The 5600X3D was originally exclusive to Microcenter and is no longer available.
For a 3070 on AM4, you'd likely receive a Ryzen 5800XT for around $200. Beyond that, GPU performance will be limited. What monitor are you using? Which games are you playing matters, since upgrading isn't useful if you're running older titles on a low refresh rate display.
In comparison to the Ryzen 3600 with a 3070 in "The Finals" and also in "Battlefield 6", the 5600X3D with a 3070 achieves over 200 fps without frame generation, whereas I’m seeing 70 to 90 fps under the same conditions on the Ryzen 3600. Back then, many suggested the Ryzen 3600 as excessive, but now it seems those recommendations might have been based on older GPUs and games like Fortnite or CS. In the audiophile community, a similar trend occurred with Audio Technica m50 and Shure 440 being popular choices despite their poor performance. With the X3D processor, I believe it outperforms most non-X3D AMD CPUs for CPU-heavy titles. The 5800XT from some YouTubers only adds about 20 FPS on "The Finals," reaching around 80 FPS overall. The X3D offers better stability and higher frame consistency. I’m leaning toward the X3D, though I’ll need to source it locally or wait for a good offer. Also, the DDR5 RAM appears to help reduce flicker and maintain smoother frames, possibly making a new motherboard worthwhile.
The 5700X offers better value, consumes less power, and runs cooler without noticeable impact compared to the 5800XT, especially in benchmarks where a 2-3% difference is expected. This suggests you likely won’t need to upgrade your CPU cooler right now unless you’re planning further improvements. Unless you can find a 5700X variant for $225 or less, it’s more practical to opt for the 5700X if you choose to upgrade. Performance gains from a 5700X are minimal, so you may face challenges locating a 5600X3D at a lower price. Consider saving funds for a Ryzen 5 7500F upgrade or a 7600 non-X model if an iGPU is required. If you can afford it, a 9600 non-X or 9600X would be better options. Wait until RAM prices settle before planning a new PC build.
3600 and 3070 with 8gb vram, 16gb ram total (2x 8gb ram at 3200mhz), Asrock b450 steelseries. The CPU cooler is an AMD model and isn't the best choice.
CPU temperatures are quite low. However, I believe the cooler might be problematic because it spins up frequently, possibly causing the CPU to throttle slightly to maintain low temps, which could affect performance. I'm not entirely confident about this. My 16gb of RAM is often almost full. The 8gb vram seems a bit too much.
I think the overall system might be the main concern. Even the motherboard feels uncertain.