What upgrades should I consider for a performance enhancement?
What upgrades should I consider for a performance enhancement?
I’m looking for a performance improvement, but I’m unsure what steps to take.
My current setup includes:
Motherboard B550 Aorus Elite Rev 1
Processor: 5700x
GPU: 3060ti
RAM: 2x 8gb Corsair Vengeance 3000
The problem is my performance is inconsistent—Rust mainly uses CPU resources, and neither GPU nor CPU consistently exceeds 50%. In my custom build, I experience noticeable stuttering, but that’s normal. For Rust, a CPU upgrade seems logical. However, with Starfield, the same applies; neither component reaches full capacity. My thoughts are: if my CPU can’t drive the GPU to 100%, would a GPU upgrade actually help? Wouldn’t it just keep me stuck in the same situation?
I’ve read on Reddit that some setups work well, used bottleneck calculators showing 0-26% limits, and heard friends recommend pairing the 7900xt with this CPU. It probably depends on the game.
The choices before me are either a 7900xt or upgrading to an AM5 platform, as going beyond 5700x on AM4 isn’t practical right now.
I bought this GPU during a tough time due to scarcity; it has 8gb VRAM, which makes me feel disappointed. Cards like the 3080ti and 4070ti are now available at much lower prices than what I paid for it. Even though I bought it out of necessity, I still feel regret. For both GPU and CPU, I’d prefer fully AMD options—7800xt or 7900xt were my top choices—but the advice on whether these cards will actually work on my system is unclear.
I hope someone with a 5700x and 7900xt combo that plays the same games can confirm if it’s a good fit.
Thank you to everyone helping me figure this out.
Hey there,
What monitor and res are you using? GPU/CPU usage varies a lot between games, which often changes the max FPS from CPU to GPU. You can use DLDSR to increase the res. You’ll notice 99% usage when switching from 1080p to 1440p.
I’d probably upgrade the RAM. A 3600mhz CL16 or 14 would work well. Then you can balance your CPU, memory, and infinity fabric clock at a 1:1:1 ratio. This gives higher bandwidth and lower latency. Ryzen 5 models benefit especially from faster RAM. You’ll see a small FPS improvement just from the RAM.
You shouldn’t compare a 3060ti @1k to a new model now with better prices.
Are you overclocking CPU or GPU? If yes, turn them off and test again. Games might react poorly to overclocked parts.
Is XMP/DOCP enabled for your memory?
What BIOS are you using?
Alright my apologies, I forgot I did do a RAM upgrade a short bit ago, it was 3am when I wrote the message above, apologies, here's a more detailed, and actually accurate, spec list:
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite V1
BIOS: f15d
Monitor: Asus VG245H 1080p 75hz
CPU: 5700x, stock
GPU: EVGA 3060ti 8GB, stock
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB 3200Mhz CL16 with XMP on (CMW16GX4M2C3200C16)
The reason for my thinking, or... the comparison I made, is that my current GPU hits around 80% utilization, my 5700x can't push it to 100% since it too tops out near the same utilization, so wouldn't a 7900xt be in the same boat pretty much? I have a friend saying I could go for the 7900xt and combine it with a 1440p panel, and in the end get less CPU usage, more GPU usage, and higher FPS, which is kinda what I'm after.
The few videos I've seen of this exact combo were all at 1440p or higher, and their CPU usage was way lower than mine currently is on the same CPU, with near 100% GPU, and they were getting a higher FPS, good temps, the exact result I was hoping for.
Also I did yoink a friends 3600Mhz kit to see if there was a difference, and there was not, so I'm still set on the two upgrade paths I mentioned above, GPU, or full platform to AM5. I'm going to toss a 1440p monitor on the pile just to get with the times, and a RAM upgrade too since prices on those have gone down quite a bit.