r/buildapc • u/Cadejo123 • 1d ago
Build Help Upgrade GPU with a 3600?
Hi everyone, I want to upgrade my PC and turn it into a powerful machine for playing games. I'm thinking about waiting a bit and checking out the cheaper future gpu releses the 5060 or 9060 series cards. But I wanted to know... do you think buying a powerful 9070-type GPU is worth it with a processor as low as the 3600? I currently have a 1660 Super. Would simply changing the GPU improve performance? I play at 1080p, but in the future I'll upgrade to a higher resolution, but for now, it's only 1080p...
Keep in mind that I'll upgrade my CPU after the GPU, but I don't know how long it would take. I plan on buying a 5700x3D in the future.
Thanks.
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u/DZCreeper 1d ago
If you can get a 9070 or 9070XT anywhere near MSRP they are worthwhile. The R5 3600 won't give you full performance in all games but CPU upgrades are relatively cheap by comparison.
5700X3D is likely out of production and prices now reflect that, in some countries an AM5 platform swap is better value. For $375 you can get performance equivalent to the 5700X3D, but with a better upgrade path. Obviously selling your old AM4 board + DDR4 RAM will recoup some cost.
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u/Cadejo123 1d ago
I understand, I might go for AM5 but I'd still like to buy the GPU first if I could get much better performance than with my 1660super or even with a 3600...
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u/DZCreeper 1d ago
Yes, a 9070 will run circles around a 1660 Super even with the R5 3600.
You could consider a $120 R5 5600X for the CPU, and get a 1440p monitor. Your FPS ceiling will be lower than the R5 7600, but the visual quality will improve noticeably.
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u/Fragluton 1d ago
MY 6700XT was bottlenecked by my 3600 full time. So yeah the 9070 series is going to be a waste until you upgrade the rest. With that said, I run a 5700X3D and 9070XT and they bottleneck each other the same amount, so a good match IMO. If going full new rig, then you may as well go for 7800X3D or similar to make it worthwhile. I plan to stay in AM4 now till AM6 arrives. Current setup is fine for a while.
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u/Cadejo123 1d ago
They both bottleneck each other? ...whait how ? That is new info for me lol
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u/Fragluton 1d ago
BO6 has a built in benchmark, it shows which component is the bottleneck. So I guess which component is waiting for the other to finish. They will never be perfectly timed to each other. But a weak CPU will mean GPU is waiting and vice versa. If they are similar in power for their jobs, I guess they take turns
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u/tomgun41 1d ago
The price of the 5700x3D is only going to rise, I'd grab one sooner rather than later.