New Monitor and General Upgrade Advice

[leo1983]

Hi all, been thinking about making an upgrade/s to my PC, but think its actually more important to upgrade my monitor first...

Current Specs are

• Windows 10 Pro
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor
• ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS DDR4 ATX Motherboard
• Corsair RM750x 80+ Gold Fully Modular Power Supply
• Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit
• ASUS Radeon RX 6800 16GB ROG STRIX OC Graphics Car
• Cooler Master MasterAir MA620P RGB CPU Cooler
• WD Blue SN550 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD/Solid State Drive
• WD Gold 6TB hard Drive SATA 6Gbs

Was thinking about upgrading the GPU, but from what i have read, it sounds like mine is not the worst around and I have been ok with the performance on games so probably more a 'want' rather than a 'need'.

However, my monitor is this one -

AOC Gaming C32G1 - 32 Inch FHD Curved Monitor, 144Hz, 1ms, VA, AMD FreeSync Premium, Flicker Free (1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz, 250cd/m², HDMI 1.4 x 2, DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, VGA)​

Im thinking I could go bigger, and higher quality... Something in 4K and up to 42 inch would just about fit my desk, but would my GPU then struggle?
I'm not sure how it would work really... if my monitor is 4K could I just lower settings to get a good frame rate without issues?

Plan could be to get the monitor first, then upgrade GPU next year once the next ones come out...
Could I then just upgrade GPU and keep same motherboard and CPU, or would I need to change more than just GPU?

 

[Tetras]

Im thinking I could go bigger, and higher quality... Something in 4K and up to 42 inch would just about fit my desk, but would my GPU then struggle?

It depends on the age of the game, the 6800 used to be considered a reasonable 4K card, but since then I'd say it has moved into 1440p territory (like the 7700 XT that has replaced it).

I'm not sure how it would work really... if my monitor is 4K could I just lower settings to get a good frame rate without issues?

Lower settings and/or use modern upscaling tech like FSR.

Plan could be to get the monitor first, then upgrade GPU next year once the next ones come out...

Sounds like a reasonable plan.

Could I then just upgrade GPU and keep same motherboard and CPU, or would I need to change more than just GPU?

Probably, but hard to say without knowing what the new GPUs are like.

It also depends on the games you play, since some are more CPU dependant than others.

What you have now is a good match.

 

[leo1983]

So I got the monitor upgrade, a LG C4 42, and now the Rx6800 is working, but showing its limitations in FPS and having to lower settings (defeating the benefit of 4k really!).

Considering getting the rx7900xtx now as it's available for around 750 at the moment rather than wait for the next generation, as AMD may not have anything more powerful than it from what I am reading, and if they do no doubt it will be more expensive/out of stock.

Nvidia just seems too expensive for my casual gaming.

Would it be wise to take the plunge now, with my above spec remaining, or am I mad just before the new GPU's?

 

[ben1987]

The 7900xtx is a really good card.

Like you say, they’ve pretty much said they’re not intending on beating the xtx in terms of performance next gen. Might be something with similar performance and lower power draw coupled with some new features but the xtx will still hold its own I imagine.

 

[leo1983]

Took the plunge... and added a 1000w PSU too as my 750 was under the recommended... just wait, new card coming, more power, cheaper and I could have kept same PSU

 

[leo1983]

A bit more advice needed please

Having upgraded the GPU and PSU, I have noticed 4K gaming frame rates have been much better, and playing Hell Let Loose at the moment is looking great on the LG C4 42.
However, sometimes, on more CPU intensive games I do seem to have lower frame rates, which I had put down to the 5800x bottlenecking as its often a sudden drop.

I play a wide range of games - looking forward to Stalker 2 for e.g, but I have been putting it off until I upgrade the CPU too - so in December I took the plunge and ordered a 9800X3D from Overclockers, supposed to be coming end of Jan.

So my current spec is now:

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS DDR4 ATX Motherboard
• CORSAIR RM1000x 1000w ATX Power Supply Unit
• Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit
• XFX AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Speedster MERC 310 Graphics Card for Gaming - 24GB
• Cooler - A Corsair AIO (not sure which one)
• WD Blue SN550 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD/Solid State Drive
• WD Gold 6TB hard Drive SATA 6Gbs

So of course I also now need to upgrade my MOBO and RAM...

Having researched a bit myself, I was thinking about ordering these:

Corsair Vengeance 32GB EXPO (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel
MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI

The RAM looks like the right spec for the X3D - but it's about the cheapest one I can find... should I go for 64GB, or something else?
The MOBO is probably slightly overkill for what I need, but seems pretty good quality and only about 50 quid more than the lower end ones... so im thinking the better connections and digital fault display are good to have for the extra.

Any thoughts on those?

I am keeping same case as its hidden by side of desk anyway - Fractal Define R6 Blackout Tempered Glass USB-C Midi PC Gaming Case

Finally... I fancy some more storage space, any recommendations for a good 6 or 8 TB HDD? Should I just go for another WD Gold? It's done me well so far.
Seagate Barracuda 8tb can be had for under 140... but not reading good things about them for noise/reliability.

Thanks!

 

[Threepwood]

Im thinking I could go bigger, and higher quality.

personally, if you are going to buy a new monitor then not getting an oled one is a waste of money
really , you should be looking at going 1440p, and spending the change on a better gpu to fill up the fps, as there are 240hz, and 360hz 1440p oled monitors available.

 

[leo1983]

I already got the monitor - 42 Inch 4K LG C4 - that was first thing I upgraded

 

[stuie]

The Vengance ram is fine

do you need x870? look at the b650s, a 9800x3d will slot in fine (possible bios update needed ) other than usb4 support they didnt really change anything, if you dont need 2.5gb ethernet or wifi then theres some real bargains to be had in the 650 range

32/64gb only you can decide that but 32 is plenty for gaming and you more likely to get better speed and timings

Sure you can spend money just becuase but if you really wanted to id put it towards a faster ssd, something like the WD 850x black at 7600mb/s with a dram cache will run ringgs round the current sn550

 

[Tetras]

The RAM looks like the right spec for the X3D - but it's about the cheapest one I can find... should I go for 64GB, or something else?

The majority of games do run fine on 32GB, but personally I'd get 64GB now as you won't have to worry again for the lifetime of the PC.

Running 4 sticks is still a bit dodgy too, even when the latest CPUs/BIOS updates, so it also saves you that headache in the future.

 

[stuie]

The majority of games do run fine on 32GB, but personally I'd get 64GB now as you won't have to worry again for the lifetime of the PC.

Running 4 sticks is still a bit dodgy too, even when the latest CPUs/BIOS updates, so it also saves you that headache in the future.

By the time games need more than 32gb of ram this pc will be ready to retire, unless the use case changes, ie suddenly needing to run a bunch of vms etc then this machine wil be well out of spec

16gb is only just starting to be a limit and I ran than on my old ivybridge setup from 13 years ago as it was about standard then

 

[Tetras]

By the time games need more than 32gb of ram this pc will be ready to retire, unless the use case changes, ie suddenly needing to run a bunch of vms etc then this machine wil be well out of spec

16gb is only just starting to be a limit and I ran than on my old ivybridge setup from 13 years ago as it was about standard then

I think it depends on the type of games and how else the PC is used while gaming, since e.g. competitive shooters and just a few browser windows it is unlikely to be an issue, but there are games that are pushing 32GB and especially when you're doing other stuff in the background and don't want to do any memory management it can start to eat that memory up. System requirements are edging up in newer games too.

A 9800X3D could last a very long time and I think 64GB will be the standard for higher end PCs over the next 3-5 years.

 

[leo1983]

The Vengance ram is fine

do you need x870? look at the b650s, a 9800x3d will slot in fine (possible bios update needed ) other than usb4 support they didnt really change anything, if you dont need 2.5gb ethernet or wifi then theres some real bargains to be had in the 650 range

32/64gb only you can decide that but 32 is plenty for gaming and you more likely to get better speed and timings

Sure you can spend money just becuase but if you really wanted to id put it towards a faster ssd, something like the WD 850x black at 7600mb/s with a dram cache will run ringgs round the current sn550

Thinking about it I don't think I do need the x870.

The b650 would probably suit me fine, 2 m.2 slots at gen4 and 1 and get 3 or above would be good for me as I think I may end up running 3 m.2's.

Don't need WiFi and I don't think I need the 2.5 ethernet either, it's just coming from the router so I doubt that is pushing out 2.5gb? My broadband speed is like 800mbs so it can't be...

Any recommendations for a good b650 at a nice price?

I am going for the SSD you recommend, and 64gb ram just for the future proofing.

 

[stuie]

Thinking about it I don't think I do need the x870.

The b650 would probably suit me fine, 2 m.2 slots at gen4 and 1 and get 3 or above would be good for me as I think I may end up running 3 m.2's.

Don't need WiFi and I don't think I need the 2.5 ethernet either, it's just coming from the router so I doubt that is pushing out 2.5gb? My broadband speed is like 800mbs so it can't be...

Any recommendations for a good b650 at a nice price?

I am going for the SSD you recommend, and 64gb ram just for the future proofing.

it depends on your budget and needs. I went with the B650 Eagle, theres no bells and whistles on it but I didnt want tonnes of RGB etc, it is missing a digital diag readout and power buttons but it has LEDs that help point you in the right direction, and its in a case with a power button

You can step up the chain to get RGB etc if you really want, but with AM5 you paying for features you may or may not make use of, when even the 9950s only suck back ~ 200watts just about every board should be able to handle the 9800x3d

I also wanted to avoid Asus but thats personal, if you arnt worried about that something like the TUF gaming would work or the livemixer by asrock if you want all the colour

My point is really you dont need to spend more than 200 quid on a motherboard especially if you arnt looking for wifi7 or 2.5gb nics, anything over that is pure eye candy, extreme oc or bs features most people dont need (does anyone really need an oled display on a motherboard)

 

[leo1983]

it depends on your budget and needs. I went with the B650 Eagle, theres no bells and whistles on it but I didnt want tonnes of RGB etc, it is missing a digital diag readout and power buttons but it has LEDs that help point you in the right direction, and its in a case with a power button

You can step up the chain to get RGB etc if you really want, but with AM5 you paying for features you may or may not make use of, when even the 9950s only suck back ~ 200watts just about every board should be able to handle the 9800x3d

I also wanted to avoid Asus but thats personal, if you arnt worried about that something like the TUF gaming would work or the livemixer by asrock if you want all the colour

My point is really you dont need to spend more than 200 quid on a motherboard especially if you arnt looking for wifi7 or 2.5gb nics, anything over that is pure eye candy, extreme oc or bs features most people dont need (does anyone really need an oled display on a motherboard)

Thanks mate - I looked at various options and couldnt really decide which B650 to go with.

I ended up watching tonnes of reviews of different models, but ended up getting fed up with too many options and just went with the x870 Tomahawk I had decided on earlier.

I did see a lot of good things around that board, and i'm hoping to keep it for a fair while, so the extra 100 quid spread over a few years wont annoy me too much.

Parts should hopefully be arriving tomorrow! So all being well, i'll be using the new CPU, MOBO, RAM and faster SSD along with my new GPU before end of day.