What do I need to upgrade for 4k gaming?

[haaammit]

Hi all. I feel like upgrading my system so I can get into 4k gaming. Current specs are:

MSI B450 MAX II m/b
Ryzen 5600X
Ballistix 16Gb Ram @3600MHz
Sapphire RX6600XT Nitro
EVGA Supernova 850w PSU

CPU currently cooled under custom loop - I want to add the new GPU to the loop. I assume the CPU/Mobo combi are fine, as is the PSU, but the GPU will need upgrading? Would it be worth upgrading the ram and if so add another 2 x 8gb for a total of 4 sticks or replace with 2 x 16gb?

Not sure of budget, so after an idea of cost as well. Many thanks!

 

[tamzzy]

you'll need a better gpu
something like a 4090 at £1800
the question is why?

 

[Tetras]

What kind of games do you play?

For 4K/60 I'd usually suggest at least a 6800 non-XT (around £550), but nowadays (with the release of 4080/4090) that level of performance is considered more suited to 1440p

The 6600 XT can do 1440p or upscaled 4K in some games, even native if they're older games, but you won't get good results at 4K with something newer, like Hogwarts.

 

[turbot1984]

Not sure of budget, so after an idea of cost as well. Many thanks!

6600XT seems to play a lot of games fine at 4K, unless you want very high fps of course....
https://youtu.be/IpPQMoP30yA
6800XT would be more like it at 4K, twice the vram + interface speed etc etc

Powercolor Radeon RX 6800 XT Red Dragon 16GB PCI-Express Graphics Card

Order Powercolor Radeon RX 6800 XT Red Dragon 16GB PCI-Express Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

 

[turbot1984]

@haaammit here's difference in a recent title @ 4k ... 6600XT struggles big time


Gets worse at Ultra settings, even for the once mighty 6800XT, so if you want the best visuals a 7900XT makes sense but a cool 200 quid more. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapp...ddr6-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-3a2-sp.html

 

[rumple9]

Go for NVIDIA if only for DLSS which is in most new games

 

[Quixote]

Go for NVIDIA if only for DLSS which is in most new games

FSR will do just as well, you can't really tell the difference most of the time. So go for whichever offers better price/ perforamnce in the games you play.

 

[haaammit]

Thanks for the replies - I think I'll probably see if I can grab either a 6800 or a 6800xt for this system and see how we go.

Worth increasing the RAM or not? Ta

 

[Tetras]

Worth increasing the RAM or not? Ta

If you're dumping the system in a year or two for AM5 & DDR5, then no, I would not.

 

[tamzzy]

not sure what refresh rate you're playing at...but a 6800/xt for 4k means you'll be turning settings down for the latest games
if you currently play with >100fps, going down to 50-60fps is pretty noticeable even with freesync on

 

[Capitano]

what games do you want to play at 4k? you will also need a nice 4k monitor/tv - preferably oled or qd oled's if you really want it for the visuals.

 

[Wing-Man]

i just sold a 6600xt and at 1440 is was ok sub 100FPS at 4k no no...

your 5600x will be fine, at 4k the GPU will always be the bottleneck
Ram yes more, 3600mhz is fine but more... GPU first

 

[Wing-Man]

you'll need a better gpu
something like a 4090 at £1800

well... he wont will he

AMD 6800xt is very capable of 4k, NV 3080+

 

[tamzzy]

well... he wont will he

I know.
Was being a bit of a d-bag

 

[Plec]

AMD 6800xt is very capable of 4k, NV 3080+

Yep. Recently installed one into my nephew's Ryzen 3700x based system (soon to be a 5800). He felt he needed to jump from 1080p to 4K. I'm a bit like @tamzzy - he had a semi-decent AOC 1080p 144Hz monitor and the outlay for 4K seemed nuts, in comparison to 1440p setup, for a supposedly struggling student). That said, he seems happy with the results, even with his online shooters - and I added many caveats of FPS drop compared to the same card coupled with a decent 1440p panel. The 6800 XT has impressive performance for the money....

I know.
Was being a bit of a d-bag

Bad @tamzzy!

And what have you done with @orbitalwalsh? I haven't seen any of his moon-man-talk recently...

 

[Wing-Man]

personally i feel 1440 is the pc sweet spot

 

[tamzzy]

And what have you done with @orbitalwalsh? I haven't seen any of his moon-man-talk recently...

Aliens

 

[Plec]

personally i feel 1440 is the pc sweet spot

Agreed. Price to performance ratio - plus the resolution/quality and the competitive refresh rate when coupled cards such as the 6800XT make them the perfect combo.

I've used 1440p Dell Ultrasharps for years now (admittedly, i'm not a hard core gamer) - and am still impressed with the visuals. Plus, kids have 1440p 120+Hz AOC monitors and they too are excellent quality for the money.

 

[Plec]

Aliens

I knew it!!!

Although, he may insist on the probing

 

[tamzzy]

Yep. Recently installed one into my nephew's Ryzen 3700x based system (soon to be a 5800). He felt he needed to jump from 1080p to 4K. I'm a bit like @tamzzy - he had a semi-decent AOC 1080p 144Hz monitor and the outlay for 4K seemed nuts, in comparison to 1440p setup, for a supposedly struggling student). That said, he seems happy with the results, even with his online shooters - and I added many caveats of FPS drop compared to the same card coupled with a decent 1440p panel. The 6800 XT has impressive performance for the money....

personally i feel 1440 is the pc sweet spot

+3
1440p high refresh rate gaming is the PC sweet spot.

4K is overrated if one has to turn the graphics settings down lol
high resolution low quality polygons at low refresh rates...that's what's 4k gaming is like without the adequate GPU horsepower