Is it worth upgrading my CPU if I am getting an RX 5700 XT

[iHypered]

I had a setup of an i5 6600k and a GTX 1060 3GB, but I am getting an RX 5700 XT. The largest upgrade that my motherboard can give me is an i7-6700K. The most intense games I play are VR games and I would like to be able to play the latest ones at at least low settings.

So my question is whether I should even upgrade my i5 and if so whether I should stay with my motherboard. If I switched I would go for a ryzen 3600, but the problem lies more in the building than in the cost.

My PC is a prebuilt, and so my only hardware experience is adding an SSD to my computer. From what I have seen online, replacing the motherboard is comparable to building a PC, but from what I thought, building a PC for a beginner can take multiple weeks.

So I am wondering if switching is truly the best way to go, is it true that the process is as difficult as building a computer? If I did the switch I would hope for it be a day-long process. I am also worried about the possibility of damaging things.

I feel like my i5 will hold back my new GPU, but I also feel that my upgrade options either result in something not worth the upgrade or a process that might be rather risky for a beginner.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

You're basically talking about a whole new build.
You'd need...
New Motherboard
New CPU
DDR4 3000 or higher RAM, namely 2x 8GB
and I would highly suggest at least one SSD and the very latest version of Win10 64bit and latest BIOS + Drivers.

Good way to go would be...
B550 Motherboard
Ryzen 3600 or 3700X
5600 XT GPU (does very well @ 1080p) otherwise step up to RTX 3060 Ti
And I would clean install Win10 64bit to an SSD.

Yes that i5 would basically hold back anything above a GTX 1060 6GB or 580 8GB
5600 XT alone is miles above a GTX 1070

[UserNotFound]

It's not really that difficult to build a DIY rig, I started about 2 decades back when I was in my 30's. Upgrading to a 6700K would improve matter for you as the 4C/4T of the 6600K is just too limited these days, a 4C/8T 6700K would a good improvement though you'd still be limited in CPU intensive games that love multi threading. This is the most cost effective upgrade for your rig if you were to be getting an RX 5700XT. My one concern is the PSU, what's its age and rated power? I ask because prebuilt units usually come with rather 'meh' PSU. The 6700K and RX 5700XT would definitely need more juice so the PSU must be a good 600W unit for me to feel comfortable with.

As for a new build, and IF you're concerned about putting a rig together by yourself, there are YT vids on the basics of putting a system together, it's not really that hard, though it may take more time and effort for those new to it.

Building a whole new rig would definitely be better because there's only so much you can do with your prebuilt for upgrades (without changing your mobo that is). I'd suggest an R7 3700X because 8C/16T is where it's at these days for a great gaming experience, for the next few years at least. With such a platform, should the 5700XT be insufficient for games after a few years, all you need to do is change the GPU. It really depends on the resolution you game at, and the ingame setting....the higher the res, the greater the stress on the GPU. What res do you game at and what kind of games are your main staple?

FYI, I built a beastly gaming rig almost 10 years back (it WAS beastly then), an Intel 6C/12T i7 3960X clocked at 4.25GHz on an Asus Rampage IV Extreme mobo, I think I had 2x HD7970 back then, upgraded to 2x R9 290X, followed by 2x GTX Titan, etc. It's still a pretty capable gaming rig now with a PowerColor RX VEGA64 Red Devil, handles all the games I've throw at it with relative ease, as long as I don't get too ambitious with ingame setting at 3440x1440.

[temps]

I don't think building a PC for a beginner should take weeks, assuming you have parts some other competent person selected for you and you know everything is compatible. I don't remember how long it took me when I built my first PC or how much time I spent per day, but I think I had it done within a day or two. There are lots of great tutorial videos on the internet that guide you through the process, and some even use current-generation components so you can just follow along with the video in the PC building process. Make sure to learn how to properly use an anti-static bracelet if you decide to go that route.

I see you have a K edition Intel processor. Those are supposed to be unlocked to be suitable for overclocking, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe overclocking it could squeeze some more performance out of it to enable you to delay building a new PC? Although since you say it's a prebuilt, you probably have a bad CPU cooler and power supply, so your options there might be limited.

This is a really bad time to be building a new PC or upgrading because of the CPU and GPU shortage going on, not to mention the price increases on many other components even including previous generation graphics cards like the ones you're talking about. Within a few months, the prices on a lot of last-generation components will likely plummet as current-generation processor and graphics card supply catches up with demand.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

If the board is Z170, chances are it has a BIOS update to support 7th Gen CPUs, such as 7700K

[r.linder]

Better off waiting for the latest and greatest to come into stock (Ryzen 5000, Intel 10th or 11th gen depending on the time of year it happens) before you upgrade. Anything older than current gen will hold back the new Ampere GPUs in a lot of CPU intensive titles and CPU bound situations, particularly the 3080 and 6800 XT (and better).

The 5600X is a fair bit better than the 3600, it just needs to be cheaper, and by then there will probably be a non-X SKU once Intel's 11th gen comes out that'll be a bit cheaper. AMD definitely has the silicon that doesn't pass for the 5600X aside, they're only waiting for Intel to make their move. Same goes for what will be the 5700X vs the 3700X.

And if you care at all about raytracing, you're better off with NVIDIA because AMD has yet to release their competitor to NVIDIA's DLSS, which puts them at a large disadvantage until that happens. AMD's GPU drivers are still spotty, with crashes and other issues pretty common among users, and their newer cards can run extremely toasty in comparison to NVIDIA's GPUs as the Tj max for RDNA is 115 degrees on the hottest part of the die (junction temperature) and runs pretty close to it in graphically demanding games while NVIDIA's maximum is still between 84~88 and doesn't usually come close to that when the case airflow or model cooler isn't holding it back.

TL;DR: Wait for Ryzen 5000's full product stack to release, at its proper pricing (the same for Intel's 11th gen when that comes out, because AMD won't release the rest of Zen3 before Intel makes their move) and opt for an RTX 30 series GPU like the 3060 Ti.
So far for 2020/2021 it seems like AMD CPU/NVIDIA GPU is the way to go for a price/performance/quality balance.

[iHypered]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Bad 💀 Motha:

If the board is Z170, chances are it has a BIOS update to support 7th Gen CPUs, such as 7700K

I actually do have Z170. My motherboard is the Thimphu (https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/omen-by-hp-870-000-desktop-pc-series/11084748/document/c04790224) and it says on this site that the highest upgrade is the 6700k

However, because the SSID was the same as their motherboard that supports kabylake, this post came to the conclusion that it should work (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Desktops/Thimphu-mobo/td-p/6594126)

But there seems to be some ambiguity from this post, so im not sure (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Boot-and-Lockup/BIOS-update-for-KabyLake-i7-7th-gen-CPU-support/td-p/6335867)

Edit: just realized that when I click on the hp links, steam blocks them. if you paste the urls with the parentheses into google, the correct pages still show up, so feel free to do this to verify that these go to the actual hp site

[iHypered]

After looking into the i7 7700k a bit more, it seems overly expensive compared to the increase from the 6700k.

So for the people that suggested building a new pc, would that actually be easier than replacing in the prebuilt? Like does it usually involve taking out a few things and unplugging and replugging or is it actually like taking everything out and putting it all back in after? I also assumed that I could take a picture before and having the layout figured out would make it a lot easier than building a new pc.

[Memes]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iHypered:

After looking into the i7 7700k a bit more, it seems overly expensive compared to the increase from the 6700k.

So for the people that suggested building a new pc, would that actually be easier than replacing in the prebuilt? Like does it usually involve taking out a few things and unplugging and replugging or is it actually like taking everything out and putting it all back in after? I also assumed that I could take a picture before and having the layout figured out would make it a lot easier than building a new pc.

IMO you should start on a new build instead next year cause the 5700XT seems to be overpriced af right now but the 3060Ti is the best value but OOS still and it would benefit you in the long run. Does your PSU on that prebuilt enough to use the 5700XT as well

[iHypered]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Memes:

Początkowo opublikowane przez iHypered:

After looking into the i7 7700k a bit more, it seems overly expensive compared to the increase from the 6700k.

So for the people that suggested building a new pc, would that actually be easier than replacing in the prebuilt? Like does it usually involve taking out a few things and unplugging and replugging or is it actually like taking everything out and putting it all back in after? I also assumed that I could take a picture before and having the layout figured out would make it a lot easier than building a new pc.

IMO you should start on a new build instead next year cause the 5700XT seems to be overpriced af right now but the 3060Ti is the best value but OOS still and it would benefit you in the long run. Does your PSU on that prebuilt enough to use the 5700XT as well

The 5700 is ordered already and I would rather it get it sooner anyways since I can no longer play the new VR games, but ya, I'm sure if I was more strategic about it I could have gotten a better deal on the GPU. But with the CPU, I feel a bit limited with the options and am trying to figure out the best option for someone with no building experience to see if i should side for a minor upgrade which could still have a bottleneck or if the replacement process might not be as bad as I thought

[Guydodge]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Escorve:

Better off waiting for the latest and greatest to come into stock (Ryzen 5000, Intel 10th or 11th gen depending on the time of year it happens) before you upgrade. Anything older than current gen will hold back the new Ampere GPUs in a lot of CPU intensive titles and CPU bound situations, particularly the 3080 and 6800 XT (and better).

The 5600X is a fair bit better than the 3600, it just needs to be cheaper, and by then there will probably be a non-X SKU once Intel's 11th gen comes out that'll be a bit cheaper. AMD definitely has the silicon that doesn't pass for the 5600X aside, they're only waiting for Intel to make their move. Same goes for what will be the 5700X vs the 3700X.

And if you care at all about raytracing, you're better off with NVIDIA because AMD has yet to release their competitor to NVIDIA's DLSS, which puts them at a large disadvantage until that happens. AMD's GPU drivers are still spotty, with crashes and other issues pretty common among users, and their newer cards can run extremely toasty in comparison to NVIDIA's GPUs as the Tj max for RDNA is 115 degrees on the hottest part of the die (junction temperature) and runs pretty close to it in graphically demanding games while NVIDIA's maximum is still between 84~88 and doesn't usually come close to that when the case airflow or model cooler isn't holding it back.

TL;DR: Wait for Ryzen 5000's full product stack to release, at its proper pricing (the same for Intel's 11th gen when that comes out, because AMD won't release the rest of Zen3 before Intel makes their move) and opt for an RTX 30 series GPU like the 3060 Ti.
So far for 2020/2021 it seems like AMD CPU/NVIDIA GPU is the way to go for a price/performance/quality balance.

really all cpus below 5000/10th gen...lol


https://www.tomshardware.com/features/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-ampere-cpu-scaling-benchmarks

[mtono]

i wouldnt upgrade the cpu, because you should do this, when you buy a new system. then you could behold the rx5700 xt for it.

[r.linder]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Guydodge:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Escorve:

Better off waiting for the latest and greatest to come into stock (Ryzen 5000, Intel 10th or 11th gen depending on the time of year it happens) before you upgrade. Anything older than current gen will hold back the new Ampere GPUs in a lot of CPU intensive titles and CPU bound situations, particularly the 3080 and 6800 XT (and better).

The 5600X is a fair bit better than the 3600, it just needs to be cheaper, and by then there will probably be a non-X SKU once Intel's 11th gen comes out that'll be a bit cheaper. AMD definitely has the silicon that doesn't pass for the 5600X aside, they're only waiting for Intel to make their move. Same goes for what will be the 5700X vs the 3700X.

And if you care at all about raytracing, you're better off with NVIDIA because AMD has yet to release their competitor to NVIDIA's DLSS, which puts them at a large disadvantage until that happens. AMD's GPU drivers are still spotty, with crashes and other issues pretty common among users, and their newer cards can run extremely toasty in comparison to NVIDIA's GPUs as the Tj max for RDNA is 115 degrees on the hottest part of the die (junction temperature) and runs pretty close to it in graphically demanding games while NVIDIA's maximum is still between 84~88 and doesn't usually come close to that when the case airflow or model cooler isn't holding it back.

TL;DR: Wait for Ryzen 5000's full product stack to release, at its proper pricing (the same for Intel's 11th gen when that comes out, because AMD won't release the rest of Zen3 before Intel makes their move) and opt for an RTX 30 series GPU like the 3060 Ti.
So far for 2020/2021 it seems like AMD CPU/NVIDIA GPU is the way to go for a price/performance/quality balance.

really all cpus below 5000/10th gen...lol


https://www.tomshardware.com/features/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-ampere-cpu-scaling-benchmarks

The idea being there's no point in buying something dated. And no, it's not incorrect. The more demanding it is on the CPU, the more of a difference you're going to see even between a 9900K and 10900K. Even stepping up to 1440p doesn't change anything because the bottlenecking is so bad at 1080p, these GPUs are good enough that 1080p is becoming the next 720p where you'll barely see a difference in frames when dropping resolution.

Your own link even proves that.

[Memes]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iHypered:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Memes:

IMO you should start on a new build instead next year cause the 5700XT seems to be overpriced af right now but the 3060Ti is the best value but OOS still and it would benefit you in the long run. Does your PSU on that prebuilt enough to use the 5700XT as well

The 5700 is ordered already and I would rather it get it sooner anyways since I can no longer play the new VR games, but ya, I'm sure if I was more strategic about it I could have gotten a better deal on the GPU. But with the CPU, I feel a bit limited with the options and am trying to figure out the best option for someone with no building experience to see if i should side for a minor upgrade which could still have a bottleneck or if the replacement process might not be as bad as I thought

ahh i see. If you want to go the easy route, find the latest gen possible on that motherboard you have for the CPU upgrade. You just gotta remove the cooler, cpu, then install on the new cpu and reapply thermal paste then the cooler. Theres a guide to show how to do it on youtube probably. Not sure the bottleneck about the bottleneck so ask around

[JohnMars78]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iHypered:

So my question is whether I should even upgrade my i5 and if so whether I should stay with my motherboard. If I switched I would go for a ryzen 3600, but the problem lies more in the building than in the cost.

You wouldn't see much of a benefit moving from 6600K to 6700K and swapping the CPUs involves exactly what you're afraid of doing - "operating" on the MB.

If the cost is not an issue and you can find components for it (availability sucks atm), you should go ahead and build yourself a new system.
It's not hard. Just needs a bit of brain, common sense and care. You'll find the know-how in the MB's manual and online tutorials + asking around here. If you get past that fear of breaking something, it can be fun and you get that satisfaction at the end of it.
For what components to buy - you already got a few suggestions above and you can always ask again.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iHypered:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Bad 💀 Motha:

If the board is Z170, chances are it has a BIOS update to support 7th Gen CPUs, such as 7700K

I actually do have Z170. My motherboard is the Thimphu (https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/omen-by-hp-870-000-desktop-pc-series/11084748/document/c04790224) and it says on this site that the highest upgrade is the 6700k

However, because the SSID was the same as their motherboard that supports kabylake, this post came to the conclusion that it should work (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Desktops/Thimphu-mobo/td-p/6594126)

But there seems to be some ambiguity from this post, so im not sure (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Boot-and-Lockup/BIOS-update-for-KabyLake-i7-7th-gen-CPU-support/td-p/6335867)

Edit: just realized that when I click on the hp links, steam blocks them. if you paste the urls with the parentheses into google, the correct pages still show up, so feel free to do this to verify that these go to the actual hp site

Because that listing wouldn't change over time.
Look at the available BIOS Updates they have for your exact PC and see what the Notes reveal. As pretty much all Z170 should have a BIOS Update that adds 7th Gen CPU Support to them.