RTX 4080/4090 would an Intel 9900k with DDR4 memory be ok?

[Phillip Gwynne]

I currently have an Asus z370-G board with 750w psu, Intel 9900k cpu, 64gb Corsair ram rated at 3,200Mhz but overclocked to 3,600 MHz, cpu overclocked to 5.1GHz, I can comfortably play most games with most graphics settings on max although ray tracing on low settings in 1440p fine but in 4k I have to turn MSAA down to at least x4 and maybe some other setting from ultra to high, but I actually don’t like the general look with MSAA below x8, I’d rather prefer playing in 1440p with MSAA X8 than 4K in x4 or less. Yet so many say you won’t notice the difference in 4k, but not sure exactly what the difference is, but I definitely prefer x8MSAA in 1440p. But could it be that because the frame rate is so low in 4k that makes the overall look, look worse? Anyway, I currently have a RTX2080 which has served me well for a good few years, but since getting a 4k tv I’ve been trying to play in 4k. But have found if I settle for 1440p I can have all settings maxed and it’s only if driving in areas where’s there’s lots of trees or foliage. So now I’m thinking of a new GPU. But is it a definite that the CPU and board need upgrading straight away? I know it’ll be ideal to, and hope to gradually. Ideally I’d like a new motherboard one that’s quite new and not be obsolete for a good few years. Is DDR5 generally considered a major upgrade of DDR4, I was initially put off by the high latency. One final question, what’s your go to brand for motherboards, I’m quite happy with the build quality and design of my Asus, but really not impressed with the bios settings. I’m trying to find out more about Gigabyte brand, as don’t hear much talk about them, but never heard anything bad. I was quite impressed with my EVGA psu which lead me to by an EVGA rtx2080 which I’ve been happy with. But their boards seem to be more for the real top end enthusiasts. If anyone has anything else I should consider, this will be greatly appreciated.

 

[lsg1r]

Some spacing/paragraphs in that block of text would have been nice... so if I've missed anything it's because it all just blended together.

You can use any gpu with any cpu/motherboard as long it's all supported by the relevant hardware so you could try the gpu (plus maybe a new psu) and upgrade the rest (you'd basically need a new system) if you feel you need to.

Will you see a performance bottleneck with your cpu, imo yes, it's 5 years old now... even at single core you could be losing 50-60% compared with a 13th gen intel cpu.

 

[Tetras]

I can comfortably play most games with most graphics settings on max although ray tracing on low settings in 1440p fine but in 4k I have to turn MSAA down to at least x4 and maybe some other setting from ultra to high, but I actually don’t like the general look with MSAA below x8, I’d rather prefer playing in 1440p with MSAA X8 than 4K in x4 or less. Yet so many say you won’t notice the difference in 4k, but not sure exactly what the difference is, but I definitely prefer x8MSAA in 1440p. But could it be that because the frame rate is so low in 4k that makes the overall look, look worse? Anyway, I currently have a RTX2080 which has served me well for a good few years, but since getting a 4k tv I’ve been trying to play in 4k. But have found if I settle for 1440p I can have all settings maxed and it’s only if driving in areas where’s there’s lots of trees or foliage. So now I’m thinking of a new GPU.

What you are describing here does sound like you're experiencing a GPU bottleneck. 4K and especially ray tracing is pretty demanding for a 2080 nowadays, so a 4080 or 4090 would be a big step forward.

So now I’m thinking of a new GPU. But is it a definite that the CPU and board need upgrading straight away? I know it’ll be ideal to, and hope to gradually. Ideally I’d like a new motherboard one that’s quite new and not be obsolete for a good few years.

No, it isn't definite. With a 4080 or 4090, then @ 4K with high/ultra settings then in some games you will have a bottleneck (particularly in the lows), but in other games you won't have any bottleneck at all. This is one of the videos I like to refer to and I'd normally consider your CPU between a 3600X & 5600X, but you should be very comfortably ahead of a 3600X when running the 9900K at 5.1 Ghz.

Is DDR5 generally considered a major upgrade of DDR4, I was initially put off by the high latency.

It depends. At the kind of resolutions/settings that you're using, it doesn't matter that much. But, at lower resolutions, then high-end DDR5 can add a decent chunk of extra performance. If you're trying to save money, there is nothing wrong at all with going DDR4 & 12th/13th gen Intel, especially as you already have 64GB of fast memory.

One final question, what’s your go to brand for motherboards, I’m quite happy with the build quality and design of my Asus, but really not impressed with the bios settings. I’m trying to find out more about Gigabyte brand, as don’t hear much talk about them, but never heard anything bad. I was quite impressed with my EVGA psu which lead me to by an EVGA rtx2080 which I’ve been happy with. But their boards seem to be more for the real top end enthusiasts. If anyone has anything else I should consider, this will be greatly appreciated.

I always watch buildzoid's roundups on YouTube (link) to get ideas for what is a good board. From what I know of the EVGA boards, they're exactly what you said (intended for top-end enthusiasts).