Which one to upgrade...???

zer · 25 Jun 2019 at 14:55

Hi there!
Current system: I5 8400, 16Gb DDR4 2400, GTX 1070, z370mobo
Problem: Currently, I noticed frequent dips in the most demanding scenes, or demanding games in general (Metro Exodus, AC Odyssey etc) I am pondering on the order I should upgrade things, to get the best value for my euros. Options (according to me...)

Upgrade Ram speed to 3200 or even 3600, low CL (14? 16?)
Upgrade CPU WITHOUT CHANGING MOBO. Something like i7 9700K.
Upgrade GPU to RTX 2080 (Super or non super...) or 5700XT

Opinions please? Thanks in advance!!!

ninezerofive · 25 Jun 2019 at 15:03

3 then 2 then 1

orbitalwalsh · 25 Jun 2019 at 15:03

zer said:
Hi there!
Current system: I5 8400, 16Gb DDR4 2400, GTX 1070, z370mobo
Problem: Currently, I noticed frequent dips in the most demanding scenes, or demanding games in general (Metro Exodus, AC Odyssey etc) I am pondering on the order I should upgrade things, to get the best value for my euros. Options (according to me...)

Upgrade Ram speed to 3200 or even 3600, low CL (14? 16?)

Upgrade CPU WITHOUT CHANGING MOBO. Something like i7 9700K.

Upgrade GPU to RTX 2080 (Super or non super...) or 5700XT

Opinions please? Thanks in advance!!!

what resolution are you gaming at ? what hz is the monitor ?

worth getting an overlay up to see GPU and CPU usage . But AC:O can hit CPU hard in high populated areas

zer · 25 Jun 2019 at 15:45

Thanks for the answers!
1080p, 144Hz monitor
I was considering that i5 8400 will bottleneck 2080, so it should be upgraded first (with same mobo).
I also saw youtube clip that demonstrated big gains going from 2400Hz ram to 3200Hz. EVEN IN INTEL (which surprised me)

hominid · 25 Jun 2019 at 16:01

As RAM is so cheap now I would try some nice fast cl14/16 ram @ 3600MHz+, but after that it's a toss up. The I5 8400 is not a bad cpu and the 1070 isn't that bad either, it was only the RAM that stood out to me as the weakest link - it'll help with the 1% lows(minimum frames rates) and should appear smoother.

Gaming @1080p stresses the CPU most, when you up the resolution you need a more and more powerful G/Card.

It would be best to run an overlay in AC odyssee, to see if the CPU or GPU is maxxed out, then take it from there.

ninezerofive · 25 Jun 2019 at 16:02

This is for the ram :

If you are gaming at 1080p then might be better to get 9700k first, but wait until the mythical 10-15% price drop that should come soon.

zer · 26 Jun 2019 at 17:59

So, to sum things, first something like DDR4 3200 CL14, then i7 9700k (after the price drop, should that happen...) and finally the GTX, maybe after seeing what else AMD has to offer , besides 5700XT.
Sounds right?