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6700K upgrade AMD or Intel on low budget

Soldato
Joined
22 Oct 2004
Posts
13,549
I have done my research but would still appreciate advice. I have upgraded my monitor to a 2560x1440p it has GYSNC & 144HZ (on my budget i dont expect that so 60fps is fine). My budget is low and and it needs to last 4 years before i could swap out the gpu and cpu for the latest supported models at that time (2027). My gaming time is limited so i am still playing fairly old games as im still making my way through my steam library but i would like to give cyberpunk ago but its not the be all and end all if i have to wait to 2027 when i can get a high end cpu and gpu upgrade to play it then at max settings. It does sound like am5 is for me as it sounds like a case of getting on the platform and getting that nice upgrade path in 2027.
So with my budget these are my options:

1) i5 13600k + 4070ti

2) i7 13700f + 4070

3) am5 7600 + 4070ti

4) am5 7600x + 4070ti

5) am5 7700 + 4070

6) am5 7700x + 4070
 
4070ti is 17% faster on average over the 4070 although is 30% dearer but performance never scales with cost laterally .


For me a stronger GPU is always the way to go as CPU won't scale as much , a decent 6 core still holds strong . You will get 4 years out of intel or AMD but the latter will allow newer CPUs where intel upgrade is more cores within the same family
 
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13600k seems like the best choice at the moment. Do you have your heart set for Nvidia? I would look at the 7900 XT tbh, the extra vram will last longer and have fewer issues in the future.
 
It does sound like am5 is for me as it sounds like a case of getting on the platform and getting that nice upgrade path in 2027....
Just so you're aware that AMD has only stated they will support AM5 until 2025 and as they originally went back on their word to have X370 and B450 supporting 5000 series CPU's, I wouldn't put much hope in them going much past 2025. Though you should get at least two more upgrade on AM5, though that could be just the Zen 5 8000 series and it's X3D variant. The point being that you might get ~20% improvement over current Zen 4 which isn't really worthwhile for gaming system at 1440p and higher.

As @mickyflinn states it's best to put most of your budget towards the GPU. The 4070Ti you list is enough to play Cyberpunk at the 1440p resolution of your current monitor so no real need to wait to get a better GPU.
 
I have done my research but would still appreciate advice. I have upgraded my monitor to a 2560x1440p it has GYSNC & 144HZ (on my budget i dont expect that so 60fps is fine). My budget is low and and it needs to last 4 years before i could swap out the gpu and cpu for the latest supported models at that time (2027). My gaming time is limited so i am still playing fairly old games as im still making my way through my steam library but i would like to give cyberpunk ago but its not the be all and end all if i have to wait to 2027 when i can get a high end cpu and gpu upgrade to play it then at max settings. It does sound like am5 is for me as it sounds like a case of getting on the platform and getting that nice upgrade path in 2027.
So with my budget these are my options:

1) i5 13600k + 4070ti

2) i7 13700f + 4070

3) am5 7600 + 4070ti

4) am5 7600x + 4070ti

5) am5 7700 + 4070

6) am5 7700x + 4070

If you only game, I'd get the 7600 + 4070 Ti and in 4 years time you should hopefully have a decent CPU upgrade available with the same board.

Have you counted DDR4/DDR5 in the options? For example: if you went DDR4 (with existing memory, or B760 + new memory) could you not have the 13700F + 4070 Ti?

Also worth mentioning, what sort of upgrade is this, would it still be worth it on say the weakest option out the bunch?

You might be interested in this thread (scroll down to post #17, after purchase):


My opinion though, is yes, but there's no harm in buying the 4070 or 4070 Ti first and trying it out, especially as you mainly play older games at 1440p.
 
The CPU's (and motherboard combos) you've listed are what I would consider mid tier. If I was doing a low budget build that could last you as long as you've had your 6700k, I would go with a 5800X3D and probably re-use your DDR4.

The great thing about the 5800X3D is that it isn't as reliant on good memory speed and timings because of its massive cache.

Combine that with a RTX 4070 and you've still got a massive improvement over your current system and spent well under a grand for everything.
 
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Would the 5800x3d still be relevant in 4 years when I could drop a better CPU in it along with a GPU, or would it last for a very long time and a GPU would be enough?
 
you can ask that question of any CPU, and the question is just we dont know
True, except if I was to go am5 7600 if in 4 years if is no longer relevant then I will have cheaper options with not having to upgrade the motherboard and memory.

The am4 option is tempting though as I didn't realise how much cheaper it is, but it's that saying of buy cheap buy twice. So many options haha.
 
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The CPU's (and motherboard combos) you've listed are what I would consider mid tier. If I was doing a low budget build that could last you as long as you've had your 6700k, I would go with a 5800X3D and probably re-use your DDR4.

The great thing about the 5800X3D is that it isn't as reliant on good memory speed and timings because of its massive cache.

Combine that with a RTX 4070 and you've still got a massive improvement over your current system and spent well under a grand for everything.
If the OP wants their PC to last as long as possible invest in a decent CPU. I wouldn't go under 8 cores,so that means:
1.)Ryzen 7 5800X3D
2.)Ryzen 7 7700

The Core i5 13600KF might be a contender because the E-Cores help push background loads off the six performance cores. But buying a six core might be like getting a Core i5 6600K back in the day,and they got a Core i7 6700K which has lasted much longer.

I have done my research but would still appreciate advice. I have upgraded my monitor to a 2560x1440p it has GYSNC & 144HZ (on my budget i dont expect that so 60fps is fine). My budget is low and and it needs to last 4 years before i could swap out the gpu and cpu for the latest supported models at that time (2027). My gaming time is limited so i am still playing fairly old games as im still making my way through my steam library but i would like to give cyberpunk ago but its not the be all and end all if i have to wait to 2027 when i can get a high end cpu and gpu upgrade to play it then at max settings. It does sound like am5 is for me as it sounds like a case of getting on the platform and getting that nice upgrade path in 2027.
So with my budget these are my options:

1) i5 13600k + 4070ti

2) i7 13700f + 4070

3) am5 7600 + 4070ti

4) am5 7600x + 4070ti

5) am5 7700 + 4070

6) am5 7700x + 4070

But the RTX4070 is essentially a rebadged RTX3060 replacement. It uses a salvaged third tier AD104(there is the AD102 and AD103 above it). The GTX1080 used what was the full fat second tier die(GP104 withe GP102 above it). So I am uncertain whether the RTX4070 will last as long as the GTX1080(I had one myself). Plus it costs 60% more than the RTX3060TI for 40% more performance.

I tend to play older games myself including many modded Bethesda games. I found that they tend to very CPU limited,so even when I had my GTX1080 I found a CPU upgrade alone made noticeable differences in performance at qHD,more than a dGPU upgrade! I did finish most of Cyberpunk 2077 using my GTX1080 FE at qHD. I bought myself an RTX3060TI and outside Cyberpunk 2077 and Atomic Heart,I am still playing older games which ran fine at qHD on the GTX1080! :cry:

I would upgrade the CPU first and wait a few months until AMD finishes launching it's entire range. That might mean Nvidia also looks at a Super refresh later in the year. There is a reason Nvidia tried to price the RTX4070TI(as an RTX4080 12GB) at £900,but had to drop the price(the RX7900XT).They did it with Turing. Overall dGPU sales have collapsed worldwide,so I do think buyers might be in a stronger position than they think.
 
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